SHERIDAN — The notion of Robert E. Lee making a sales pitch for whiskey strains the bounds of likelihood — and perhaps propriety — regarding the widely revered hero of the Confederacy.
But there the fabled general sits, astride his horse Traveller amid a Civil War battle scene depicted on an advertising poster at the Grant County Museum. He is the dominant figure, with a headline above him touting "Special Deep Spring Whiskey."
Confederate flags are waving, while troops cheer their commander. Near him, a case of Deep Spring is posed in the foreground. Alongside, a soldier with a bloody leg wound takes a sip of the whiskey from an angel of mercy (perhaps a nurse) clad in pristine pink and white as though she might have just arrived from a cotillion.
County museums across Arkansas offer a host of surprising and offbeat artifacts to tickle a visitor's fancy. Grant County Museum, on the southern edge of Sheridan, is a trove of such delights.
The indoor-outdoor facility has evolved into one of the state's best local museums since its founding in 1963 by Prattsville High School history teacher Elwin Goolsby. Its present spacious venue is the W.R. "Witt" Stephens Building, named for the prime donor.
Among the museum's other odd relics is a postcard photograph from the early 20th century. It shows several stout runners puffing their way along a Sheridan roadway. They were competing in an event called the "Fat Men's Race." It seems that Fat Men's Clubs were in vogue across the United States back then when heft still could be a proud mark of prosperity.
An exhibit called "The Vanishing Outhouse" provides an explanation that might otherwise not come to mind for one old practice: "Vents sawed in the door of an outhouse also doubled as gender identification. A crescent moon was the symbol for women, while a star or sun was for men. This was necessary in public places since only a fraction of the population might be able to read or write."
Other novelties include Grant County's first television set, a 1947 Westinghouse model owned by a local radio shop. It could show only electronic "snow" at first because Arkansas' first TV station lay several years in the future.
One display kept behind closed cabinet doors evokes a blot on the history of the county and many other parts of America. It contains two white Ku Klux Klan robes and hoods. A sign asks: "If you wish to view, please unlatch cabinet and relock doors when finished."
An abundance of military memorabilia fills some of the seven galleries, including fighting vehicles mostly from World War II. One gallery focuses on the Civil War fighting at nearby Jenkins Ferry.
Antique automobiles and trucks also have a place of pride, as do an array of household goods from an era when the Sears Roebuck catalog was the equivalent of today's Amazon website.
The outdoor Heritage Square walking tour visits a dozen structures moved here from elsewhere in Grant County. Among them is a Methodist church outfitted with its original piano and pews, a firehouse, a blacksmith shop, a saddle shed and a Masonic Lodge.
Nostalgia is built into the square's Mill Town Cafe, which looks ready to serve the lunches it dished up from 1927 until the 1960s. Wall signs advertise Mr. Goodbar candy, Nehi soda and Chesterfield cigarettes. A posted menu lists colas for a nickel, hamburgers for a dime and plate lunches for 45 cents. Those seem incredibly low but bear in mind that the Consumer Price Index is now roughly 17 times higher than in the cafe's heyday.
Grant County Museum, 521 Shackleford Road, Sheridan, is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for students. Grant County residents enter free of charge. Visit grantcountymuseumar.com or call (870) 942-4496.
Style on 11/19/2019