In the quiet community of El Paso, one building is undergoing a major face-lift that will give the structure a new purpose and provide a place for locals to gather, collaborate and learn.
The historic edifice on Ridge Road was constructed in 1894 as the El Paso Bank Building. Evidence of its former use is still present — the vault is easily identified with its big black door — but a group in the community is working toward turning the building into a new library.
El Paso is an unincorporated community in White County. The closest library is 13 miles away, and it is unavailable for El Paso residents because it is in another county’s library system. Once the building renovation in the heart of El Paso is complete, the White County Regional Library System has indicated that it will support the new library.
The El Paso Bank Building was donated to the El Paso Parks and Playground Association in December 2009 by Steve and Elaine Corum with the intent for it to be turned into a library. The building had been added to the National Historic Registry in 1991 and was in serious disrepair.
Judy Riley is one of several community volunteers who has taken charge of the library project, and although it has taken much longer than anyone anticipated, she can clearly see the end in sight.
“It’s such a charming little building,” Riley said. “When people came to repoint the brick, they could not believe that this wall is so true. When you look down there, you can see that it’s still as straight as an arrow. It’s probably because there are four layers of brick.”
With more than 120 years in the community, the building holds a special place in El Paso history. In 1917, for example, an infamous robbery took place at the bank. Riley said the timing of the robbery was quite possibly strategic. It occurred between the time some loans were taken out and the time the loans were recorded in Searcy. Records of several loans disappeared with the robbery, but Riley said three honest families came back to the bank with their own records and intentions to pay back the loans.
“As I was researching this, someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be something if your husband’s family was involved in this?’” she said. “Actually, they were.”
The families of Riley’s husband, Tom, and current El Paso Parks and Playground Association secretary Roydale Breckenridge put up bond money for the man who was caught in the robbery.
“The Breckenridges had some money, but the Rileys didn’t,” Riley said. “They had to mortgage their farm in order to get this $800. That guy absconded and was headed to California with his family. He died in Oklahoma, and his family just kept going. So Tom’s family was stuck with this debt. We now own the property they lived on, and on the deed abstract, it shows that it was mortgaged in 1920, and it took them 20 years to pay that debt off. Ten years into that, it was sold on the courthouse steps because of back taxes, but some benefactor bought it and let them live there and pay it back.”
A quick walk through the building shows a renovation in the works, but the stories detailing the past few years are a more accurate indication of the commitment from the community to make the library a reality.
Donated insulation sits in one corner of the building, ready for installation. The original rafters can be seen through the ceiling, but they have had to be stabilized, and the building had to have a new roof installed. An electrician installed docking stations intended for computers, and a new septic system was recently put in place.
Because the building is on the National Historic Registry, any changes had to be scrutinized and approved before they could be carried out. Riley said the hardest thing to get permission for was to change the flooring.
“We took out the old flooring — we had to get permission to do that — but Historic Preservation said to leave the floor joists,” she said. “We said, ‘OK, but we don’t really know what’s under here.’ We had a big work day and pulled out that old flooring, and some of those floor joists were resting flat on dirt. There was termite damage, of course.”
Riley’s husband, Tom, said the joists were floating on the dirt, and the only thing that held them straight was the flooring. The land across the street from the building is at a slight angle, and when it rains, the water flows right under the building. Water was standing under the building, and plants had started to grow.
The group had to wait on a representative from the National Historic Registry to come and examine the joists before they were granted permission to replace them.
“We had to come in and take all of this out,” Riley said. “We had a man come with a small backhoe, and he actually got in here. We had a bucket brigade of soil to get it out. Then we put gravel down and floor joists and subfloor.”
The funding for the library project includes more than $108,000 in grant money from various sources and $15,000 from community donations. Chili dinners, auctions and individual donations have all gone to support the project.
Many volunteers have made a huge impact on the project by donating time and services, Riley said. Sonny Nealy brought equipment for the dirt excavation, Mandy Breckenrigde has served as architect, Kyle Breckenridge has been the engineer, Wayne Richardson helped with the septic system, and Master Gardener Anna Tallie has helped with the landscaping. Others have helped with workdays, fundraisers and monetary donations.
Riley said her hope at this point is to have the library finished by summer.
“We are nearly there,” she said. “The last big expense is building a wheelchair ramp.”
For more information about how to donate to the library project or volunteer, call Riley at (501) 944-1290.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.