Columnist

Along the Caddo

On the dust jacket of "Remote Access," a book about small public libraries from the University of Arkansas Press, there's a photo of two men sitting in front of the library at Norman.

According to the text: "If ever architectural placement indicated a community's attitude, it does in Norman. The town on the Caddo River has had a library for well over 80 years. The building measures 14 by 22 feet and sits by itself in the center of a town square that appears a bit out of scale for the size of the community. The one-story structure is dwarfed by trees and surrounded by a rock wall that delineates the central public space.

"This is no branch library; it belongs to no larger system. It receives no funding from the state or local government. While it is beloved and supported by the people of Norman, it is not technically a public library. It's simply the Norman Library, and as such, it made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest freestanding library in North America."

In a cover story for today's Perspective section, I outline why the stretch along the Caddo River from Norman in Montgomery County to Glenwood in Pike County could be the most likely spot in southwest Arkansas to attract Dallas-Fort Worth area residents who are looking to get away from it all. If that were to happen, we would see shops and restaurants filling old stone buildings in Norman and Caddo Gap.

This beautiful but remote part of the state seems ripe for revitalization as Americans, scarred by the pandemic, look for places with no traffic, little crime, a low cost of living, scenery and abundant outdoor recreational opportunities. The timber industry has long been the largest sector of the economy in this part of southwest Arkansas. If what has happened at Hochatown in southeastern Oklahoma is any indication, attracting wealthy Texans might be the next big thing.

Like Hochatown, Norman and Caddo Gap border the Ouachita National Forest. In addition to scenic beauty, this area has a rich history.

"According to Arkansas Archeological Survey findings, Native Americans inhabited areas near Caddo Gap dating back to the Dalton culture," Hattie Felton writes for the Central Arkansas Library System's Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "In the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, Caddo Indians lived and farmed here. For many years, historians believed that Hernando de Soto's expedition in 1541 encountered and fought the Tula tribe near present-day Caddo Gap.

"The Arkansas History Commission erected a monument in 1936 to commemorate that conflict. However, historic and archaeological research now indicate that de Soto's encounter with the Tula Indians occurred elsewhere. The first white settlers arrived before 1815, but settlement numbers remained low until the 1830s. During the 1830s and 1840s, settlers established a small gristmill, stores, a Methodist church and a toll bridge."

A Masonic lodge was started in the 1850s. In 1857, a post office known as Centreville opened. During the Civil War, Confederate Gen. Albert Pike purchased land in the area.

"Local tradition states that Pike built a two-story house and lived in the quiet community, reading and writing for nearly a year," Felton writes. "He left suddenly in 1864, fleeing bushwackers who destroyed his home. After the Civil War, the post office changed its name from Centreville to Caddo Gap. The population grew to several hundred when the railroad came to Montgomery County. The community added a newspaper, a bank, hotels, a cotton gin, blacksmith shops, a school and a sawmill."

These days, visitors can stop at Gap Mercantile. Several outfitters provide canoe and kayak rental services on the Caddo.

Nearby Norman, known as Womble until 1925, had a population of 303 in the 2020 census. The high-water mark came in 1980 when the population was 539. Womble was created during construction of the Gurdon & Fort Smith Railroad. Lumber mills were established along the tracks as Northern-owned companies cut out the virgin pine timber.

"In 1905, plans were announced to extend the Gurdon & Fort Smith line from Glenwood, then its terminus, to Black Springs in Montgomery County," writes historian Russell Baker. "The announcement brought a large number of land speculators, including Walter Womble Sr., into the area. In 1907, a dispute over rights of way halted the project several miles short of its goal. The Black Spring Lumber Co. abandoned plans to build a lumber mill at Black Springs and chose a site at the railhead instead.

"It was soon joined by Bear State Lumber Co. In 1907, Womble, taking advantage of the situation, acquired land and staked out a town, named Womble, in a field just north of the railhead. Its post office opened in July 1907 with Womble as postmaster. Within a year, Womble was a bustling village with hotels, churches, a newspaper and about 50 residents."

The town was incorporated in February 1910 with a population of 552. Four years later, it became home of the Ouachita National Forest's Womble Ranger Station. Multiple attempts to have the Montgomery County seat moved from Mount Ida to Womble failed.

"In 1920, the Arkansas Presbyterian Church began an educational mission known as a mountain mission at Womble under the care of minister John T. Barr," Baker writes. "The next year, a boarding school called Caddo Valley Academy opened to help educate the area's 'worthy but needy' children. In 1924, the academy obtained a 37-acre site at Womble and began construction of a complex of buildings.

"The academy became a landmark in southern Montgomery County. During the 1930s, its operations were consolidated with those of the Norman School District. Meanwhile, Walter Womble and his supporters became a disruptive factor as they sought to move the county seat. His influence waned, especially after 1922 when he was replaced as postmaster. In 1925, his fellow citizens won a change of name for their community to Norman. Womble and his family moved to Fort Smith."

Barr, this area's educational pioneer, was born in 1886. He first aspired to be a lawyer and politician but later dedicated his career to the Presbyterian Church.

"Barr's first placement as a minister was in Womble, and he never left," Laura Choate writes for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Prior to his arrival and establishment of Caddo Valley Academy, Womble had a public school system that provided basic courses through the eighth grade. There was a high school in town, but there weren't enough qualified teachers to meet the criteria for accreditation. When Barr privatized the school, creating CVA, he recruited more qualified teachers so all 12 grades could be taught.

"CVA's curriculum emphasized biblical teachings, though sectarianism was prohibited. Since CVA had students from numerous religious backgrounds, Barr felt it would be inappropriate to require students to follow the Presbyterian faith in order to graduate. Instead, the final four years of the students' education included basic Bible classes in addition to the standard curriculum."

Due to financial assistance from the church, CVA was able to keep its tuition at $9 a year for juniors and $18 a year for seniors. The school moved into a new building in 1925 and began offering only junior high and high school classes. Some believe the town was named Norman in honor of a woman from California who made a sizable donation for the building.

Financial difficulties plagued CVA during the Great Depression, and the county school board reclaimed control from the Presbyterian Church. But Barr had established the town as an educational center for this rural region, leading to things such as that little library that still stands on the square.

Caddo Gap and Norman are small jewels in the Ouachita Mountains, just waiting to be discovered.


Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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