Dr. John T. Barr, Jr.
Founder of Caddo Valley Academy, Norman Presbyterian Church, and eleven other churches in Montgomery and Pike Counties.
In the small town of Hope, Arkansas, at the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Stedman, (on East Front Street), John Tilman Barr, Jr, was born, March 10, 1886.
John T. Barr became known far and wide for his work with children and for his ministry to the people of the Presbyterian faith. He got less recognition for having been responsible for organizing the first accredited high school in Montgomery County.
Having had a hand in the education of many hundreds of students who passed through the doors of Caddo Valley Academy it can safely be said that he has left his mark upon society and the families in western Montgomery County.
This man, who seemingly modeled himself after Franklin Roosevelt, “walking softly and carrying a big stick,” never quite got the credit he deserved in this life; although, there is no doubt he shall reap his rewards in the next.
Many young people, including myself, owe credit for their achievements to the advantages and education they received at the hand of Dr. Barr and Caddo Valley Academy.
It is with great respect and humbleness that I offer this meager history of a great man and the legacy he left behind.
John Tilman Barr, Sr. and his wife Augusta built their own little house on Second Street in Hope, Arkansas in 1887. It was the only home John T. Jr. knew as a child. The house was located on the same block as the Presbyterian Church, and later became the site of the city’s fire station.
John T. was born with both yellow jaundice and malaria. He continued in poor health for many years and he faced several operations. Although we know this from his own writings he never said what the cause of his condition was, nor why the operations were necessary.
His mother, Augusta (Betts) Barr, was born April 20, 1860, and married John T. Barr, Sr. on April 4, 1885. She was the daughter of Louisa Virginia (Foster) and Chauncey James Harvey Betts. Augusta was educated in Hope, and later attended Arkansas College at Batesville. She developed a strong belief in education.
John T. Jr. attended Hope Female Institute, later renamed The Hope Institute of Learning. It was a nondenominational private school. Dr. Barr recalled in various written accounts that all the teachers were from Virginia, and all were Presbyterian.
John T. was educated in the private school partly because of his frail health and partly because of the poor public schooling available at the time. His siblings and cousins also attended this school.
Although John T. liked studying and was quick to learn, it was difficult for him with his many maladies. At one point the doctor told his mother there could be no more school, that he would never again be able to attend. Augusta Barr refused to accept such a statement, and by the time he was fifteen John was enrolled in college at Batesville.
At that time the college had both a primary and preparatory department. During the summer of 1901, he studied Algebra and Latin under a Captain C.A. Bridewell, who had also taught his mother.
Young John had every intention of becoming a famous lawyer, perhaps even a future president, as he later laughingly recalled.
He graduated from Arkansas College in 1905, in a class with only six students. For the next three years he worked for his Uncles, Albert and James Betts, who operated a cotton compress at Hope. He also liked to travel and sent many postcards home cataloging his adventures.
His road to becoming an attorney, and possible president, was sidetracked when he was once again required to undergo surgery. Just before the operation was to be preformed he had a “vision” in which he felt very strongly that he was spoken to by God. He said he was told that if he didn’t enter the ministry and preach he would not survive the operation. Before he faced the surgeon he faced his God and made a covenant to enter the ministry.
John T. Barr, Jr. entered Union Theological Seminary, at Richmond, Virginia in 1908, and graduated in 1911. His intention was to go to the foothills of Missouri and do mission work for a few years, while he gained experience to become a foreign missionary. That was not to be the case. John wrote the Ouachita Presbytery, under whose care he had been accepted to the seminary, and told them of his plan to become a foreign missionary, outside the bounds of their jurisdiction.
To his great surprise and dismay, the Presbytery wrote him back informing him that his first pastorate would be in the hills of western Arkansas, at a new town called Womble. They informed him that he would be required to serve one year in this capacity to fulfill his obligation to the Synod. The man who gave him these instructions added that he was being sent to the mountains of western Arkansas “where the rocks were as hard as his head!”
Dr. Barr arrived at Womble by train in July 1911, to begin his ONE year of service. The small town made up of farming and lumbering families was to become the only place he would call home for the rest of his life. He became what one could describe as the last of the circuit riding preachers. At a salary of $50 a month, when it could be collected, he took over the Presbyterian Church at Womble, with its eight members.
The Presbyterian Church was founded in February 1908. The first members were: Mr. and Mrs. E.M. Short, Mr. and Mrs. M.C. Trumbull, Mrs. A. Danville, Mrs. Levi J. Witherspoon, Mrs. J.L. Short, and Mrs. E.J. White. The Womble Timber and Land Company donated land on which to construct a church1 and a building was constructed in 1916 1. The first trustees were J. L. Short, E.M. Short and M.C. Trumbull 1.
(1 History of Barr Memorial Presbyterian Church, by Mary Beth Lysobey.)
In July 1961, the church and townspeople helped Dr. Barr celebrate a bittersweet 50th anniversary. His temporary assignment had culminated in fifty years of dedicated service, not only to Womble, by now renamed Norman, but also to eleven other towns and meeting houses. During this fifty years Dr. John T. Barr pastored at as many as fifteen separate preaching points. Some were in private homes, while others were in abandoned schoolhouses, and small wooden sheds, scattered over Montgomery and Pike Counties. He made it a point to visit each and every member of his congregation at least once a year. He would arrive in the area early in the afternoon and spend the day with one or two families, often taking dinner with the last he visited before time for the evening worship service at the appointed meeting place.
During the earliest years he travelled by buggy with his trusty old mare, Julie. About 1921, he managed to obtain a Model “T” Ford. He drove many vehicles after that, including the “infamous” blue van. The latter vehicle mentioned helped him in obtaining some notoriety in another realm—that of an unsafe driver, to say the least.
I remember one time riding with him when he was driving right down the middle of the road. I was to young to drive, but recognized that this was improper. When I brought it to his attention he replied, “I pay taxes on both sides, I’ll just take my half out of the middle.” This was typical of the sense of humor he possessed.
Another time he was stopped by a state trooper, who knew his reputation for poor driving skills. The trooper chased him all over the road. Dr. Barr never realized there was another car within miles of him. When the trooper was finally able to pull him over and admonish him, he begged Dr. Barr to give up driving, especially at night. Dr. Barr was night blind. Dr. Barr made some remark to the effect that his car was piloted by the Lord. I suppose he was right, or he would never have survived as long as he did, nor would those who travelled the same roads with him.
By the time Dr. Barr retired, in 1962, he was still serving six churches. Two were later covered by lakes built by the government, and one, a logging town—Mauldin, was loaded on a train, sawmill, company store, school, houses, church and all and shipped to Oregon. There is little record left to show the many years of toil and hardship Dr. Barr endured in bringing Christianity and education to the backwoods of these communities.
A lot of things happened during those fifty-one years between 1911 and 1962. The one thing that holds the most importance, as for as this history is concerned, was the founding of Caddo Valley Academy.
By the time Dr. Barr came to Womble there had already been a school built on the “hill,” at the crossroads in town. (See Public School history.) However, the education being offered was not up to the standards of what Dr. Barr knew it could be and he set about to change that.
In late 1920, the state put into place a system of educational government which called for each county to elect a member from each of its townships to serve on the Montgomery County Board of Education. Dr. Barr was the first elected from Womble/Norman, and remained in that position for twenty years.
It is not known exactly how; but somehow, he took charge of the Womble Public School, and got the local school board to turn the reins over to him. He turned the school into a private school. This was in 1921, and all twelve grades were taught.
It is believed, from evidence in the records, that there was a high school of some sort at Womble, but that the teachers were not qualified. At that time any graduate of the eighth grade, which was as far as most schools went, was qualified to take the teacher’s exam and if passed they could obtain a first grade teaching certificate. If they had post graduate work, meaning more than eighth grade, they could obtain a second grade certificate. If they had graduated from a state high school they could obtain a third grade certificate. If they had a college education they were considered professionals and held a professional teaching certificate.
Also, in 1921, Dr. Barr managed to purchase the old Hillside Hotel, (from a foreclosure sale), and he turned it into a dormitory for boarding students. At that time transportation was pretty much limited to foot, horseback and train. Students who wanted to go to high school were forced to move or to board in Mena, Glenwood or Hot Springs, as those were the only towns nearby with an accredited high school.
Dr. Barr had built up his personal library to more than 600 volumes and had already begun the practice of loaning books and testing students, in preparation for high school.
Undoubtedly his love of the law and his intention of becoming an attorney helped him, as did being educated in a private school. These experiences provided the foundation for the trials and political stumbling blocks he was to face with Caddo Valley Academy.
From 1921 through 1924, the Public School was used and referred to as a mission school. Dr. Barr managed to enlist the aid of qualified teachers, many of whom came from Mississippi, (presumably through his connections with the Presbyterian churches). Dr. Barr openly recruited children to live at “his” school, and offered them an education. (See the CVA handbill at the front of this section. He also had booklets printed with information and pictures of CVA.) There was a tuition in the early days, to pay for room and board, but he often said no child was turned away for lack of funds. Several well-known local businessmen backed scholarships for those who could not afford the tuition. He also found sponsors outside Norman through the Presbyterian churches.
By 1924, Dr. Barr and others felt that a “standard” high school was needed. Dr. Barr approached the Arkansas Synod for their help and was offered money to start the building program and was given a commitment of support for CVA, as it had become known.
Dr. Barr said in an interview in 1961, “The church got me started, but after several months my funds were running low. I sent a distress call to some friends in Hot Springs, hoping to raise enough money to finished the half completed home [school]. Time dragged on and I didn’t have a reply.
“About an hour before I planned to dismiss the workers, I received a wire from California. The friends I’d appealed to had just gotten my message and said they would back me. It was the work of the Lord,” he conceded.
(I have to wonder if this donation, which saved the school, was the one often spoken of by old-timers when they tell that the town was renamed Norman in honor of a woman who made a large donation to CVA. It would make sense, as the high school was actively supported by the townspeople and they might have chosen to honor the person who made it possible to complete the school building—will we ever know? The CVA School opened in 1925, and the town changed its name the same year. The school didn’t change its name until 1931.)
Work on the natural fieldstone and masonry administration building, as the school building was called, started in May 1924, and was finished in 1925. The architect for the building was a Mr. Witt from Texarkana. The stonemason, was Mr. Swift. There are reports of several local men having helped with the rock work, but the newspaper attributes the masonry credit to Mr. Swift.
It has also been related to me that as the building was going up those men who hauled rock from Mt. Ida Mountain and Crystal Springs Park brought their wagons as close to the building as they could, then drove the team around the building as the rock was unloaded and used. In this way the rock was laid one row at a time.
Dr. Barr had purchased property near the Dormitory to build the school. However, plans were changed as the following article relates the situation.
Montgomery County Review, Womble, May 24, 1924:
By the acquisition from Mrs. C.E. Womble of a 37-acre tract lying north and adjacent to the town, the Presbyterian Home Mission Committee has secured what is generally conceded to be a more desirable site for the location for the building of Caddo Valley Academy than the Zimmerman property at first considered. The slope to the building site is much less abrupt, which will greatly reduce the cost of building as well as make the school generally more accessible.
Mr. Witt, the architect, arrived from Texarkana on Tuesday with the blueprints and proceeded, with Mr. Swift, the mason in charge, to lay out the ground. The front of the building will be two stories, a basement in the side of the hill making the first floor, on which will be located, among other things, the furnaces to heat the building. A flight of steps will lead from this up to the main floor to the classrooms in front and a large auditorium in the rear, which will occupy a whole back wing.
The main walls will be of native stone, with brick for trimming around the windows and entrances and the inside walls will also be of brick. The building will have a frontage of about 88 feet and the auditorium wing will extend back about [deleted from paper] feet.
No one is able to say at this time when the building will be completed, but the work will be pushed with all possible speed.
This information is confirmed by deed records for the sale of the land mentioned, as well as other documents.
There was, however, another possible contributing factor to Dr. Barr, the Synod, and some town leaders actively pursing a new high school building. As the following articles suggest.
Mena Weekly Star, May 27, 1912.
To Rebuild Burned School
Womble Educational Board Also Endorses Curfew Law
The board of education was reorganized by the election of W.E. Womble, president; O.O. Womble, Secretary; B. Robbins, treasurer. Materials were ordered for the reconstruction of the Womble State High School destroyed by fire last December.
The proposed curfew law was endorsed and suspension of the dray [wagon hauling] tax is recommended in so far as it affects hauling school materials.
Miss Ina Steward of Oklona was reelected teacher in the primary department of the public school.
Every vote taken was unanimous, and the greatest harmony and enthusiasm obtains [sic] regarding the prospects for the next school year.
Montgomery County Review, Womble
January 28, 1910
Taxes No Higher Because of New Brick School House
Last year the special school tax voted in this district, (and most all other districts in the county), was seven mills. This year it is the same.
This year the school tax is no more than last year. The farmer’s assessments were not touched by the equalizers and if any farmer’s taxes in this district is higher this year than last year it is because he valued his property higher or has more property to pay on than he had last year.
Property within the town was in some cases raised, but no man can prove that his taxes are higher because of the brick school house than before it was built, if he states that the same is higher because the school house was built, he is simply mistaken. Seven mills in 1909 is no more than seven mills in 1908, and it can be easily proven that it cost the taxpayers just as much, dollar for dollar, when we had “Yellerjacket” as our school house as now. We will pay your school tax if you can prove otherwise.
Montgomery County Review, Womble
August 13, 1913
On account of Caddo Gap getting a good slice of our school district this year it becomes necessary for the citizens to get busy if we are going to have a nine months school at Womble this term. We are informed that the public school funds available are just about enough for a four months school, and the balance will have to be by donation or subscriptions. A petition is being circulated among the patrons.
Montgomery County Review, Womble
September 13, 1913
Ordinance No, 17
An ordinance to fix the rate of and levy taxes due upon all real and personal property in the incorporated town of Womble, Arkansas for the year 1913.
Be it Ordained by the Town Council of the Incorporated Town of Womble, Arkansas.
Section 1: That the rate of taxation on real and personal property in the Incorporated Town of Womble, Arkansas, for the year of 1913 be, and the same is hereby fixed and levied as follows:
For general purposes in order to carry on the affairs of the municipal government under section four (4) article twelve (12) of the constitution of 1874, there is hereby levied a tax of five miles [sic].
Section 2: That this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, and that the same be forthwith certified by the mayor or recorder as required by law.
Passed Sept. 9, 1913
Approved: O.O. Womble, Mayor
Attest: J.H. Davis, Recorder, Pro Tem.
At the time the second school on the hill was constructed the directors were W.E. Womble, I. D. Jones, J.M. Rowton, R.S. Green, W.H. Brice, and R.M. Reece, as evidenced by the surviving cornerstone from the building. The cornerstone from the first school, which burned, is in the hands of the Womble family who live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. So far, I’ve been unable to obtain a photo of the wording.
Womble school district had very little money with which to operate. Walter E. Womble a political and civic leader and founder of the town, served on the school board, but had fallen out of favor with many of the people.
Womble was also the postmaster, (Miss Loda Robbins ran the post office), and the major stockholder of the Gurdon Fort Smith Railroad-Northern, holding the proxy of Messrs. Grayson, Sullivan, Kinsworth, Clark and Gould, which gave him 1466 shares of the 1470 total shares. On January 28, 1910, he had used his votes to sell the railroad to the Iron Mountain Railway, which later became the Missouri Pacific. At that time there were sections of the railroad owned by small groups. These branch lines included Arkansas Southwestern (from Gurdon and Smithton to Pike City), Gurdon Fort Smith Southern (Antoine to Caddo Gap,) and Gordon Fort Smith Northern (Caddo Gap to Womble.)
In May 1922, a school election was held with which Walter Womble was most unhappy. He filed a “Complaint of Taxpayer” with the Montgomery County Board of Education of which Dr. Barr was Secretary; W.A. Brakefield was Chairman, A.S. Logan, I.C. Chapman and J.G. McLane were the other board members.
In his complaint he alleged the following:
I, W.E. Womble, a resident and taxpayer of the Womble Special School District in Montgomery County, Arkansas, for cause of action, state as follows:
1. That the election laws as applying to school elections have been repeatedly ignored here and that they were ignored on the third Saturday in May, 1922; that a contest of the said election is asked for at which witnesses will be produced to establish that legally qualified electors were denied the right to vote therein while others who were not qualified voted therein; that the time for the opening and closing the election, as stated in the law, was not complied with; that the judges were not legally chosen who held the election; that a so-called ticket was handed the voters, although not nominations had been made and certified to the County Election Commissioners, as required by law and that the notice of said election was itself not in conformity with the law and that for these reasons, if they or any of them can be established, as I propose to do if given a hearing, then the results of the said alleged election ought to be annulled insofar as any taxpayer is concerned who may be affected thereby and insofar as any public monies may be concerned.
2. That under the law providing for the issue and sale of school bonds a school board some years ago sold an issue of school bonds against this district for the express purpose of building an annex to the brick school house belonging to the district and that cash to the total sum of several thousand dollars was obtained therefrom; that, although several years have passed, no annex has been built and that money has been diverted to some other purpose. I ask that those required to produce the vouchers upon which it has been expended, which seems to be your power and duty under Section 8876 of the Digest of Arkansas law and that a thorough investigation of this matter be had to the end that such funds shall be restored if lawful and proper. Providing no one innocent of financial gain suffer.
3. Under “Powers and Duties,” Section 8876, Arkansas Digest, it would seem that you have jurisdiction of... “and school revenues of the county,” and I respectfully call your attention to an alleged contract whereby $1,400 of the funds of the Womble Special School District, for a term of three years, totaling an obligation against the District of $4,200, is practically turned over to some sort of Missionary Board for the conduct of a private academy, namely, “The Caddo Valley Academy” by means of a nominating device whereby the school directors have bound themselves in advance to elect only such teachers as may be nominated by the “Missionary Board” or its Committee, thus practically nullifying the law which declares against public funds being used to promote sectarian undertakings and making it appear to the outside world that the District contains only a “Mountain Mission School,” notwithstanding under this contract the District is providing a house worth probably $1,500 [$15,000] equipped with school furniture and must provide $1,400 a year in cash if this alleged contract is allowed to stand. Please note, too, that the law expressly forbids contracts with teachers where there is no money available, or in sight, to pay the teachers, except upon a petition of the people and even with a petition it merely provides for “A school,” not three schools of $1,400 each.
It would appear from the Act creating your Board that you are to take over and exercise certain judicial functions heretofore belonging to the county court and I am assuming that your inquiry into this matter will be impartially made by you as a Court in which every member not disqualified by personal interest or alignments that would tend to bias him will sit and participate.
I will be very glad to be advised of your action in this matter, and notified as to the dates you will hear this matter so I may appear and have witnesses thereat to establish the foregoing.
Yours Respectfully
W.E. Womble
The County Board of Education passed the complaint on to their attorney for the District, J.R. Long. His reply to the three charges was short and simple:
“Comes the Womble Special School District and demurs to complaint filed by resident and taxpayer W.E. Womble, and for cause of demur states: That paragraph No. 1 does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. That said paragraph charges no specific fraud or irregularity and charges no person with fraud in connection with said election on the 3rd Sat. in May 1922.
J.R. Long
Atty. for Dist.
Comes Womble Special School District and demurs to paragraph No. 2 of the Complaint filed by resident and taxpayer, W.E. Womble and for cause states: That the County Board has no jurisdiction over the subject matter set out in said paragraph No. 2.
J.R. Long
Atty. for Dist.
Comes the Womble Special School Dist. and demurs to paragraph No. 3 of said Complaint filed by resident and taxpayer W.E. Womble and for cause states: That the County Board has no jurisdiction over the subject matter set our in said paragraph No. 3 of said complaint.
J.R. Long
Atty. for Dist.”
Womble carried his case to Circuit Court, however, nothing came of it. Mysteriously, some of the county records concerning the Wombles have disappeared. However, there is more to the story.
On August 10, 1911, Walter E. Womble was charged, along with his two brothers, Oscar and Theadore A., with assault and battery upon one George Sherman. According to the indictment they beat him over the head severely. Witness for Sherman included G.O. Stephenson, W.E. Franklin, E. W. Amerson, J.R. Gilbert, J.N. Marks, and L.S. Kennedy.
A second indictment filed November 1918, charged Walter with “False Pretense” in receiving warrants totaling $6,685.76. These were charged to Road District #26 on which he was overseer. There was an additional charge of falsely claiming $8,995.76 in county warrants.
Indictments were brought against Walter once again on November 26, 1920. The State of Arkansas charged him with “perjury” in the matter of, “feloniously, falsely and corruptly” swearing that he had paid cash for work, materials and supplies in the building of the road from Womble to Mt. Ida.
All the above charges were brought before the court on several occasions and eventually “nolle processed.” (This means the prosecutor no longer wished to pursue the charges, but reserved the right to refile them.) The Womble families left the town of Womble and moved to Fort Smith between 1922-25.
The name of the post office was changed in 1925. This may have been due to the fact that W.E. Womble was charged with federal crimes and was no longer qualified to serve.
There is still more to the W.E. Womble story.
According to an article published in The Record, 1973, (Hot Springs Historical Society), by teacher and historian, Julia Biggers; Womble was involved in the very vocal and controversial issue of moving the county seat from Mt. Ida to Womble. According to Mrs. Biggers who was a resident and living at the time of the incident:
An act to move the county seat from Mt. Ida to Womble was placed on the ballot at general election, but was defeated.
This defeat spurred more secret planning on a method to win the next election (Much of the following was not revealed until years later.)
Walter Womble and his “cabinet” discussed that if the northeastern square of Montgomery county was transferred to Garland County, a huge block of voters sympathetic to keeping the county seat at Mt. Ida would be eliminated.
When Garland County was formed in 1873, the Sheriff of Montgomery Co., George Hopkins Speer, lived on Blakely Creek near Cedar Glades—thus, to remain sheriff, his home had to stay in Montgomery County; so the new county line turned back east, approximately nine miles, to encompass his farm, then the line turned south approximately ten miles and back west to form a square through which the Ouachita River flowed. On the north side of the river were the communities of Buckville and Cedar Glades and on the southside of the river were the communities of Bear and Crystal Springs. Approximately 90 square miles of fairly populated country.
The Montgomery County Representative lived in the southern part of the county, and was in favor of moving the county seat to Womble. A bill was written and given to him to present at the next session of the legislature. The time for voting on the bill leaked out to the folks at Mt. Ida and they sent a delegation to Little Rock to ask for deletion of the bill. The answer given them was, “Your county representative presented the bill and he is the one who will have to withdraw it.”
A frantic search began to find “The Man.” No where could he be located. To late, it was learned that the Womble faction, expecting the search, had pampered the man into a “dog-drunk” condition and kept him locked up in a hotel room with a friendly guard.
The bill passed and that portion of Montgomery County became a part of Garland County on February 23, 1917, as recorded in the Acts of Arkansas, Vol. 1, 1917, pages 634-635. Act. #120.
Newspapers for Womble and Mt. Ida are full of letters, petitions and back and forth arguing about the courthouse removal affair.
No one can say for sure at this point, but it is highly likely that a deal was struck between officials and Walter E. Womble—leave town or face further charges.
Walter and his family moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas where he purchased land and lived until his death on October 16, 1943. His wife, the former Nellie Guthrie of Black Springs died in 1967. They are both buried at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Fort Smith.
No accusations are being made here, except those which are documented, but the story is relevant to both the history of the town and to Caddo Valley Academy.
There are some other interesting connections in the story in that E.M. Short, one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church, was a partner with Walter E. Womble in the Womble Timber and Land Company. L.J. Witherspoon, and J.L. Pinkerton also civic and business leaders of Womble/Norman were associated with W.E. Womble.
Witherspoon was appointed as agent for the Womble Timber and Land Co., in 1932. By this time Witherspoon was president and Pinkerton was Secretary of Womble Timber and Land Co.
(It is interesting to note that at this same time the same actions were taken on behalf of the Black Springs Lumber Co. However, the positions were reversed with Pinkerton as president and Witherspoon as secretary.)
Witherspoon was also a member of the Presbyterian Church. Knowing that these men came to the aid of both Dr. Barr, the Church and Caddo Valley Academy, it is probably safe to assume that at some point they had to choose sides. And based on the evidence, they chose to follow and support Dr. Barr.
Once Caddo Valley Academy opened and became a recognized and prominent school in the county, Dr. Barr turned his attentions to another form of school. He saw the need for a home for children who for whatever reason could not live with their parents, or had no parents.
By the late 1930s transportation had improved and cars were common on the roads throughout the county, (if one could call the rocky trails in Montgomery County roads). Buses were hauling kids back and forth to school and it was not necessary for them to board in town.
Dr. Barr set about converting his Hillside Dormitory into a home for children. In the beginning he housed children who were mostly local. However, as time went on, toward the end of his career, he took in many children who came from troubled backgrounds. Some even came from reform school, or CVA became a stopover on the way to reform school.
It is doubtful these students ever realized the depth of love, understanding and goodness Dr. Barr felt toward them. Not many people would understand or could know the cost to his own family, as he gave so much of himself to others. He was truly a man of God, but I’m not sure his head ever softened up any—only his heart!
Caddo Valley Academy continued to operate as a privately owned junior high and high school from 1924—when the building was constructed—until 1931, when the name was changed to Norman High School.
Some very important changes were taking place, all of which caused Dr. Barr and the Presbyterian Synod to rethink their status with the school. Consolidation was in full swing, or almost complete. CVA, being privately owned, did not accept money from the state. This put a hardship on the school, and a burden on the Norman School Board. They needed the state money to operate and they needed to bring the school up to state and national standards.
The solution was to change the name of the school and for the Norman School Board to take over its management. Undoubtedly, with the help and advice of Dr. Barr.
It has been repeated through the years that the building was leased with an understanding that Bible be taught, as an elective. All CVA, (dormitory), residents were required to take Bible, but not local students. The records in the Montgomery County Courthouse do NOT bear this out. The records show the school wasn’t officially leased until April 1, 1940, (Deed Bk 27, Pg. 330), and there is NO mention of Bible. The school was leased for a period of 49 years, or as long as it was used for school purposes. The price was $1 for the entire 49 years.
Ironically, the Norman School Board would never have had to purchase the school, as the lease would not have run out until March 31, 1989; and the school was closed in 1972.
I believe the building was leased—verbally—in 1931. However, due to the fact that the school and grounds were owned by the Presbyterian Synod and the Norman school board was faced with the need to meet state requirements and construct new buildings for home economics and agriculture, or in fact had already done so, it was imperative that they get a contract in writing. I believe this is when the actual written contract was signed.
When loans were made to construct the agriculture and home economics buildings the school board had to mortgage the school on the hill, because they didn’t own the land on which they were constructing the new buildings.
Through the years Dr. Barr pretty much had his hands full with the dormitories and the churches he pastored and he seems to have taken a back seat with the school. I’m sure he felt it was in good hands with his close friends in charge. And, I’m sure they kept him appraised of all goings-on.
Thus, rocked away the years until the late 50s. Dr. Barr was getting old and feeble. The Synod had new blood and there were two ever-present problems which faced Dr. Barr and CVA—money and the child welfare board. The state had taken an active role in child welfare and many laws and regulations had been changed. Dr. Barr kept out of their way and somewhat protected because CVA was still privately owned and supported by the church, not the state. (He also served on the county welfare board.) But, times were changing and sooner or later the state was going to get involved.
The Arkansas Synod was working behind closed doors to shut down CVA and to move the remaining children to the Vera Lloyd Home at Monticello. Dr. Barr was kept completely in the dark. I can’t be sure, because I didn’t ask outright, but I think Snooks Reecer and another Norman lady were the ones to let Dr. Barr in on the secret. They attended the State Child Welfare board meeting where they most likely heard the news.
Immediately, Dr. Barr set about– like a mother hen protecting her flock—to gather all his old friends to challenge the Synod’s decision. But it was late in the season—most of his old friends had passed to the great beyond, or had health problems which prevented their getting involved. His effort was gallant, but he did not succeed.
Dr. Barr had lost his beloved Gretta just a few years earlier and his own health quickly deteriorated under the stress and strain of worrying about his “kids.” All of us at CVA were aware there was something underfoot, but we did not know what, or understand the work going on behind the scenes.
This isn’t the story of CVA—the childrens’ home, it is about the school, so details of the closing will not be discussed here, but saved for a later book.
In 1961, two members of the Arkansas Synod showed up one day at the office of Fay Bohannon, Superintendent of Norman Schools. They were totally unannounced and quickly made it plain they did not want Dr. Barr or the church made aware of their visit. Their purpose was quickly and quietly laid before Mr. Bohannon.
The Arkansas Presbyterian Synod had decided to close CVA and wanted to sell the land and school building. They wanted the school to make an offer and they made it clear that they were willing to take any reasonable offer and that terms would not be a problem. Mr. Bohannon, of course, told them he had no authority to make such a decision. He would carry the matter before the school board.
At the next board meeting the matter was presented and it was decided that an offer of $14,000 would be made, with $1,000 down and the remaining $13,000 to be paid over a period of six years, at 5% per annum interest. The first payment was due the first day of January 1962.
The terms of the offer were put before the Arkansas Presbyterian Synod at the 110th Annual Session held in Warren, Arkansas, in 1961. It passed and the property was transferred to Norman School District #28.
The deed was signed by Brooks Bradley, Gardner Lile, and Stanley Cook, as trustees for the Arkansas Presbyterian Synod. (The sale is duly recorded in the Montgomery County Courthouse, Deed Book 47, Pages 31 and 32.)
But, one morning Hal Goodner, Montgomery County School Supervisor, showed up at Norman High School. Where he found Mr. Bohannon on the gymnasium roof, repairing a leak. He yelled up for him to come down, saying they had trouble. He told Mr. Bohannon there was a problem with the sale between the school district and the Presbyterian Synod and that he needed to be in his office first thing in the morning.
The problem was, as Mr. Goodner explained, that the Norman School Board would not be in office for six years and it was illegal for them to enter into a contract for another board. Therefore, he would have to write him and the school board up in a report to the state board of education. After some discussion, it was determined that Norman School District had enough money in their treasury to pay the note off, and if it was paid off before the board changed personnel then there would not be a problem.
Again, Mr. Bohannon took the matter to the school board, but this time the answer was no. They said they would just take their chances.
A few years later, when Mr. Bohannon was employed by the Arkansas State Board of Education he had the opportunity to speak with the supervisor and asked him if he had written him and the school board up on the matter. He said, no, he had not, that the school board had always had a good working relationship with the Presbyterian Synod and that if they would just keep making their payments there wouldn’t be a problem. He added that Mr. Bohannon and the school board had entered into the contract in good faith and they had made their payments on time, so there was no need to write them up.
On September 22, 1977, the Norman School Board, now Caddo Hills School District No. 28, sold the Norman High School building to Dale F. and Gloria D. McKenzie for $1,000.
That same day, the building changed hands going from the McKenzies to Sammy Hickey.
There was another transaction that same day, which didn’t even get on the books. The property was recorded from the McKenzies to Hickey, but there was another party who bought the property and sold it without any paperwork! The names shall remain uncalled.
From Hickey the property sold to Daniel Parker, and from Daniel to Jerry and Mary Scott.
From the Scotts the property went back to Parker. Then, to Parker’s daughter, Darcy Ann Parker. Then, back to Joy Parker, Daniel’s wife.
From Joy Parker the property was sold to Jennifer Brewer, in October 1999, shortly after Daniel’s death.
On October 15, 2001, the property was purchased by Norman Historic Preservation Program, Inc. And it is currently under the ownership of the corporation.
The Synod and the Presbyterian Church sold parts of the property to the School previous to the final sale of the administration building.
Various parts of the original property were sold off by the Caddo Hills School District to different individuals. Current owner of the Home Economics building is Joy J. Parker. The Gymnasium is owned by Melba and Charles Ray Brewer; as is the land where the Agriculture building sat.
There is one small piece of the front “lawn” of the school ground which is owned by Kay (Green) Love.
The area were the “Little Boy’s Dormitory” sat, across the street from the school and gym, is owned by the Baptist Church, and the old bus garage is also owned by the church, but leased to Ron Waggoner at Legion Oil. The lunchroom is a private residence owned by Mike Pope of California.
And so, another era is about to unfold as the N.H.P.P, Inc. undertakes to bring back to life the old NHS property. We hope you will help by supporting the renovation.