ARKADELPHIA -- Once state of the art, dial telephones are now museum pieces. In fact, there's a black dial phone on display at Clark County Historical Museum, evidence of how transient new technologies can be.
When the Arkadelphia area switched to dialing around World War II, replacing the voice of human operators, the change was evidently baffling to at least some customers. So the phone company published a booklet, also on display here, explaining the novel process in elaborate detail.
The six-step "How to dial" instructions begin with, "Be sure you know the number." Then comes, "Lift the receiver to your ear and listen for the dial tone." Next is, "Place your finger in the opening where you see the first figure of the number you are calling. Pull the dial to the right (clockwise) until your finger strikes the finger stop."
Then, "Remove your finger and let the dial spin back by itself. Do not touch the dial while it is returning." Next, "Do the same thing for each of the other figures in the number you are dialing." Finally, "When you have finished dialing the number, you should hear the ringing signal, which is a bur-r-ring sound repeated at regular intervals. This will continue until the party you are calling answers or you hang up."
Museum visitors tempted to chortle at these painstaking instructions -- for a technology superseded by push buttons in the 1960s -- might want to recall how challenging it was to start using their first smartphone.
They can also appreciate the varied and extensive array of objects from the past gathered here under the aegis of the Clark County Historical Association. Among the many local museums maintained in Arkansas counties, this is one of the most interesting.
The museum occupies most of the local train station still served by Amtrak. Its exhibits go back to prehistory, featuring pottery, arrowheads and other artifacts of the Caddo culture that inhabited the area before the arrival of Europeans.
On exhibit are several radios that also served as decorative furniture before television's advent. A couple of these handsome devices could be called clock radios -- but not the annoying bedside devices that provide wake-up alarms. One of the beauties on display stands almost as tall as a man, with the ornate timepiece mounted atop the radio cabinet. A family could have gathered around it.
Museum visitors can pick up a brochure, "Historical Tour of Arkadelphia," which pinpoints 14 properties of note in this city of 23,000 -- the seat for one of the five original counties established when Arkansas became a U.S. territory in 1819. Two of the most stately structures are virtually across the street from each other: Barkman House, 406 N. 10th St., and Henderson House, 10th and Henderson streets.
Another reason to head for the Arkadelphia area this weekend is the ninth annual Round About Artist Studio Tour, sponsored by Caddo River Art Guild. There's no charge for this self-driving tour, which showcases the work of 20 artists at their ateliers. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
Among the media and styles on display and for sale are oil, acrylic and watercolor painting; jewelry; sculpture; photography; and stained glass. Guidebooks with maps and information on the artists can be picked up at Arkadelphia Arts Center, 625 Main St., or Diamond Lakes Regional Visitor's Center, 124 Valley Road, Caddo Valley.
Clark County Historical Museum, 750 S. Fifth St., Arkadelphia, is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday. Admission is free, with donations welcome. Call (870) 230-1360 or visit clarkcountyhistory.org.
For details on the Round About Artist Studio Tour, visit caddoriverartguild.com.
Weekend on 10/15/2015