Historic Rabbits Foot Lodge To Benefit Springdale Residents

Lodge Was Home To U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright

STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse gives a brief tour of the Rabbit’s Foot Lodge on Thursday. The city recently bought the home and surrounding acreage. The land will be incorporated into nearby J.B. Hunt Park and the city is still trying to decide how to best use the home.
STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse gives a brief tour of the Rabbit’s Foot Lodge on Thursday. The city recently bought the home and surrounding acreage. The land will be incorporated into nearby J.B. Hunt Park and the city is still trying to decide how to best use the home.

SPRINGDALE -- The sound of flowing water and birds in the trees are among the first things one notices at Rabbits Foot Lodge.

The sounds of nature are among the attributes residents will soon enjoy, following the purchase of the lodge by the city.

Timeline

History Of Rabbits Foot Lodge

• 1908-1909: Charles and Edith Perkins build the lodge.

• 1934-1946: J. William Fulbright and his family owned and lived in the lodge. He sold it after he went to Washington, as a a U.S. senator.

• 1945: The annual picnic of the Coca-Cola bottling company was hosted at the lodge.

• 1954-1969: Tate Brady owned the lodge.

• 1973-1983: Dick and Margaret Lester owned the lodge.

• 1983: David and Karen Buckley owned the lodge.

• 1984: Mike and Karen Morton owned the lodge.

• 1986: The lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 2014: The city of Springdale bought the lodge.

Source: Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Fast Facts

Rabbits Foot Lodge

• The lodge is surrounded by white oak, magnolia and catalpa trees.

• The natural spring on the property was once the main water source for Springdale.

• U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright dammed the spring to create a pool for his children to swim in.

• When the lodge was built between 1908 and 1909, it was the largest building in the area. Businessmen and the Springdale City Council used it as a meeting place.

• All of the logs and stone used to build the lodge came from the property.

Source: Staff Report

The lodge, which is on Silent Grove Road south of Hunt Elementary School and north of J.B. Hunt Park, can't be seen from the street in the spring because of all the trees on the property. When visitors drive up the long winding driveway, they make their way over a concrete bridge to cross a stream, then wind between trees before arriving at the lodge.

City officials don't yet have a plan for the lodge, said Mayor Doug Sprouse. Officials are speaking with local organizations about using the lodge. The type of organization could range from business to education.

Those using the lodge will find a two-story A.O. Clark-designed building of logs and stone. It has a wraparound porch on two levels and an attached garage. From the porch visitors can see stone steps that lead down to a natural spring. U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright dammed it to create a pool for his children to swim in when he lived there from 1934 to 1946. On hot days, the spring helps the air around it remain cool.

When visitors step into the lodge, they see an assortment of furniture and decorations left by the previous owners. An elk's head is mounted on the living room wall, a wooden sled hangs over the doorway leading to the dining room and books sit on shelves throughout the house.

The floors are hardwood except for the stairs to the second story, which are covered in a velvety red carpet. The bedrooms upstairs look as if they might have been children's rooms. One room has glow-in-the dark plastic stars stuck to the wall while another has a couple of names written in glitter on a floorboard.

Behind the house and among the wild landscape of bushes and trees sits three structures. All three are outbuildings, but one of them is a barn that is unsafe to go into, Sprouse said. All three structures will most likely have to be taken down. Officials would like to preserve the barn if someone is willing to make a donation for it to be fixed or rebuilt, otherwise it will be removed.

The structure is in good repair for its age, because people were living in it and taking care of it, Sprouse said. The lodge will need minor maintenance, such as replacing a few logs on the outside walls and making it wheelchair accessible. The stretch of driveway that leads from Silent Grove Road to the lodge needs to be widened to allow room for emergency vehicles. The bridge over the creek at the beginning of the driveway must also be replaced so it can carry the weight of heavier vehicles.

The lodge is historically significant, dating back to when it was built between 1908 and 1909, according to a document from the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. It was used as a meeting place for businessmen and the City Council, because it was the largest building in the area at the time. Fulbright and his family also lived in the house while he was president of the University of Arkansas.

The lodge was purchased from Karen Morton who said when her children were young the property wasn't yet annexed into Springdale. None of the land around the house was developed. J.B. Hunt had land with cattle to the south -- where J.B. Hunt Park is now -- and was a frequent visitor at the lodge.

Morton said she raised three children at the house. She remembers thinking the storms were more fierce in that rural area than in the city. She remembers trying to keep the yard tamed and bees out of the ceilings in the spring.

"So many wild varmints tried to take over this time of year," she said.

Jack Buckley, Morton's eldest son, said he lived in the house until age 18. Some of Buckley's happiest memories on the property were when it snowed. His friends would come over, and they would sled down the large hill at the front of the property. He said they were sometimes brave enough to sled down the steps to the spring, many times ending up in the water.

"I got to explore every inch of that property," he said.

The city's purchase of the lodge could lead to more tourism, which could help the economy, said Mark Christ, spokesman with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The program seeks to identify and preserve historic sites in Arkansas. Tourists interested in historic locations are generally older and wealthier than other tourists, which means they are more apt to stay in the area longer and spend more money.

The property isn't yet open to the public and officials have taken multiple security measures to protect it, Sprouse said.

The property has a fence running along its edges, the gate at the front of the property is locked and the lodge has an alarm system.

Sprouse said he didn't want to reveal other security measures that are in place.

City officials closed on the the lodge and the 42 acres around it April 28, paying $1,050,000, which was appraised at $1.1 million, Sprouse said. Johnelle Hunt donated $500,000 toward the purchase, and the rest came out of the city's park fund.

NW News on 06/02/2014

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