Cynthia McRoy Carroll - Arkansas Ozarks Legends & Lore

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2020 by Cynthia McRoy Carroll

All rights reserved

Front cover image courtesy of Adam Bartlett.

First published 2020

e-book edition 2020

ISBN 978.1.43966.900.6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019951861

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.469.8

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is dedicated to what was but is no more. And to what is yet to come for Beaux Carroll and Wyatt Carroll as they expand their Ozark heritage and move through their own life journeys.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Rendered with humor, generosity and an engaging curiosity about all things paranormal, Arkansas Ozarks Legends & Lore is a travel guide, a daily diary, a road trip with a supernatural theme, field notes on an investigation, an adventure into the unknown, a collection of accounts gathered in the Ozarks of ghosts and witches and monsters and UFOsa treasure to share with friends, especially those who might not yet have fallen under the enchantment of those still spell-laden hills.

The itinerary described in these pages was designed by author Cindy Carroll around locations where supernatural events have been reported. Here you will find tips for travelers in search of the paranormalon and off the beaten track. In the hills and lowlands, the wetlands, forest, riverbanks and lakeshores, in village, town and city, the fascination of the supernatural persists.

This book project really began over a decade ago, with Cindys first visit to the Crescent Hotel, the most haunted hotel in America, and her vividly reported experience on a ghost tour. It is fitting that her journey ended back at that mysterious castle in the Ozarks, high on a hill overlooking the village of Eureka Springs, where the paranormal is everyday. The crowning anecdote, among many charming descriptions of eerie places and inexplicable happenings experienced on her return journey, is an account of a night spent in the Crescent Hotels notorious room 218.

In my capacity as tour manager at the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels in Eureka Springs, it is my privilege to have been invited to write the foreword for this unique and fascinating introduction to the unexplained in the Ozarks. I encourage all who read this book to come and experience the magic for yourselves.

Keith Scales

Eureka Springs

2019

PREFACE

The pronunciation of the Arkansas state name is mandated in the 2010 Arkansas Code, making it illegal to mispronounce it.

2010 Arkansas Code

Title 1General Provisions

Chapter 4State Symbols, Motto, Etc.

Pronunciation of state name.

1-4-105. Pronunciation of state name.

Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.

And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final s silent, the a in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of a in man and the sounding of the terminal s is an innovation to be discouraged.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to the following: James Carroll, my husband, a major dude and love of my life; Nathan Carroll, my brainiac son, who encouraged me to keep writing; Sheree McRoy Cowles, my Irish twin, who introduced me to the magic of Eureka Springs; Pam Edgerley, Billye Otten and Jan Willoughby, travel buds capable of hitting the road on a moments notice; Gerry Dalton, my mother (RIP), who in life perfected the art of flying by the seat of her pants; and my red 2002 Nissan Xterra, which earned the nickname Elvis somewhere along a rural Arkansas state highway near Lost Atlantis.

Kudos to Writers of the Woodlands, to Keith Scales of Eureka Springs and Chad Rhoad of The History Press, and to funky people with whom Ive crossed paths in life.

INTRODUCTION

Inspiration for Arkansas Ozarks Legends & Lore began as a road trip through the Ozarks with my Irish twin during the peak of fall color. As weekend road tripping played out, our good-natured camaraderie fueled by a lifetime of sibling rivalry grew into double dog dares. In short, we ended up spending the night in the most haunted hotel in the country, the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. On Halloween.

With my six generations of Ozark native ancestors, regional folklore and superstitions mentioned here are passed down seemingly by DNA. What better way to explore offbeat curiosities than with an offbeat writer who descends from pioneers who originally settled the land?

The pages of this book offer a quirky artist/writer perspective developed over the span of many years and fueled by my penchant to seek and find off-the-beaten-path people and places. This collection features years of discovery by way of astounding geology, backwoods folklore and funky people and fine art and architectureall rolled into an anthology that explores one of the most interesting and understated locations on the planet: Arkansas.

Authors note: Included at the end of this anthology as an afterword is my humorous essay about road tripping to Eureka Springs with my Irish twin sister, an adventure on the tailwind of lifetime sibling rivalry.

Chapter 1

THE NATURAL STATE

Have you ever wondered why certain places have energy that calls out to your spirit, beckons your soul? How does a geologic location draw people from the corners of the globe to experience its energy? The Arkansas Ozark Mountains have that energy in abundance, yet the area remains an unsung, well-kept secret.

Most people are familiar with places within the United States that exude a mystical vibe, yet most have never heard of the magic held by northwest Arkansas. Who isnt intrigued by the spirit of Santa Fe, New Mexico, or the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona? And who isnt mystified by the aura of Roswell and its mysterious history? Perhaps the geographically isolated Ozarks have kept anonymity due to an isolated location, yet there are those who have found and latched on to its enchantment. Creative people. Artists, writers and dreamers have discovered Arkansas, knowing its where they belong. Peace of mind comes easily, spirits soar and inherent paranormal phenomena is a discernable fact.

Through observation and research, some believe the source of creative and paranormal energy for places like Santa Fe or Sedona or northwest Arkansas is a combination of three earth elements: moving water, quartz crystal and iron. Each conducts energy, but when found together, their energy is magnified, as if by alchemy, and mysterious things happen.