John Francis Green was born March 3, 1841, in Darlington County, South Carolina.

During the Civil War, Green was a Confederate major serving in Georgia under General G. T. Anderson and, eventually, General Robert E. Lee. The war was not easy on Green; he was wounded five times, including being wounded in Malvern Hill, Virginia, in 1862. Green was present when General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia.

Green married Hanna Jane “Janie” Law in 1866. Together they had four children: Mary, James, John, and Thomas. All three sons became reverends.

At the height of reconstruction, the Green family moved to Hope, Arkansas, and are counted as one of the founding families. Janie died in 1883, and John remarried. His second wife was Ruth Kirkpatrick.

Ruth was a French and algebra professor at Arkansas College, and may have been one of the first female faculty members at that institution. While Ruth was teaching, an opening for a new professor by vacating Professor Thomas Jefferson Stubbs enticed John to join the college in 1888. Green taught until 1890 when he resigned due to poor health. He died in 1922 in the town of Hope, Arkansas.

This picture was graciously donated by Mr. Tony Perrin. The back of the picture is enscribed “My teacher/Mr. Jno. Green”. How often do students keep pictures of their teachers? Think about that. It certainly says a lot about Lyon College.

OIRM is honored to work with Lyon College to curate an exhibit celebrating 150 years in education. The museum’s exhibit committee has worked with organizer Pam Palermo and Drs. Brooks Blevins and Terrell Tebbetts to create a visual account of Lyon’s history. The exhibit includes many artifacts from Lyon’s collection and a few complimentary pieces from OIRM’s collection. Complimentary text panels outline Lyon’s evolution through time and highlight notable alumnae who impacted both Lyon College and the world. OIRM hopes this is one of many collaborations to come with Lyon College.

Come celebrate Lyon’s sesquicentennial with OIRM by viewing our exhibit! And join Lyon this weekend (October 14-16) for their annual Scottish Festival and homecoming. Admission is free to ScotsFest. Visit Lyon’s web page for additional information.

Lyon College is providing all patrons of its weekend festivities with a free pass to Old Independence Regional Museum. Take advantage of this fantastic deal, and we will see you at the museum!

In the early evening of September 15, 1904, in front of the City Hotel, Independence County Sheriff Jeff D. Morgan was shot and killed by Robert Causby.

How did this tragedy occur?

Sheriff Morgan, age 31, was on Main Street to question Mr. Causby, age 21, who was a wanted fugitive. Mr. Causby had escaped Izard County’s jail three years previous by knocking a prison guard out cold, then surreptitiously wound his way to Iowa. Mr. Causby original charge was grand larceny and burglary After being absent from the state, Mr. Causby recently returned to Arkansas to visit family. When he arrived in Batesville, suspicious citizens notified Sheriff Morgan.

Mr. Causby was spotted in front of City Hotel. Sheriff Morgan asked his name, and Mr. Causby hit the ground running. As he ran, he pulled out a .38 caliber handgun, whipped around, and shot Sheriff Morgan.

An eyewitness quickly retrieved Sheriff Morgan’s handgun and, with a crowd of other concerned citizens, pursued Mr. Causby, who ran into a barn. Citizens surrounded the barn and threatened to burn it to the ground.

Upon his surrender, Mr. Causby was charged with Sheriff Morgan’s murder. Mr. Causby was to be transported via train to Newport, but a row in front of the local jail by concerned citizens led to a near lynching, so the plan was dismissed.

Mr. Causby attempted to starve himself nearly to death prior to his hanging, wishing to become so weak he would not physically be able to climb to the gallows. While in jail, he was under constant threat of lynching by the citizens of Batesville as well as from Sheriff Morgan’s hometown of Salado.

Pictured is the .38 caliber Bisley Model Colt single-action pistol Mr. Causby used in this tragedy.

Learn more about this fascinating tale and other exciting stories from Batesville’s past on Friday, October 14. The Old Independence Regional Museum is hosting “Mayhem on Main Street” as a walking tour to highlight 17 spectacular sites in 90 short minutes. Times of departure are 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm and will commence at Maxfield Park. Adult tickets are $20 and 12 and under tickets are $10. Come learn about Batesville’s spookier side!

We received an interesting request from Jacksonport State Park this month for a new exhibit they will be showcasing beginning in October.

Of the items requested, we supplied Jacksonport’s exhibit with these two lunchboxes.

Virgil Young Cook was a veteran of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He joined the Confederate army at the tender age of 14. His father also leaned toward Confederate feelings and allowed his son to continue his military career.

Upon his retirement, Mr. Cook moved to Arkansas. He was a successful business entrepreneur with M. F. Thomason (Cook & Thomason) until selling his share of the business to Mr. Thomason to work as a railroad agent. His job was to convince the authorities of a need for a mainline railway from Jacksonport to Bradford.

Mr. Cook founded the town of Olyphant, and made his home on 2300 acres, calling his land Midland Holm. He raised crops, cattle, and horses.

He moved to Batesville and built the Cook-Morrow house at 875 Main Street, where he lived until his death in 1922. At the time of his death, Mr. Cook was the richest resident of Independence County.

The second is a metal child’s lunchbox, green with a blue thermos. The thermos is firmly held in place with a curved metal bar. Dated from the 1950s, this lunchbox features a collapsible chrome handle and toggle fasteners. Unfortunately the owner of this lunchbox has been lost to time.