Derringer Handgun

Vance Randolph's DerringerDonated by Frances Deane Alexander

Ozark folklorist Vance Randolph purchased this Derringer handgun in 1975. At that time, he and his wife, folklorist Mary Celestia Parler, lived at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Randolph’s good friend, journalist and historian Ernie Deane, helped Randolph acquire the gun. According to a note written by Deane on July 1, 1975: “This .38 Derringer belongs to Vance Randolph. He asked me to keep it for him has he is not permitted to have a firearm at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home.” (Ernie Deane had a delightful habit of writing brief notes of explanation about items of historical importance that he owned, storing his note with the item for posterity.)

Ernie Deane’s daughter, Fran Alexander, recounts the story of Ernie, Vance, and the Derringer:

“Ernie and Vance had a special relationship. They understood each other.

“Understanding another person, however, does not always put you in a comfortable position. When Vance requested that Ernie be on the receiving end of a pistol mail-order that Vance wanted to place, Ernie began to imagine the problems that might arise when he brought the Derringer into the Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, where Vance and his wife, Mary Parler, lived.

“Vance had assured Ernie that he had no delusions about harboring a pistol in a nursing home, but since he’d always wanted one, he figured it was now or never and asked Ernie, as a friend, to just bring it to him for a visit occasionally. He just wanted to look at it and hold it in his hands.

“This seemed a harmless enough request from an old and very helpless friend, but Ernie was constantly looking over his shoulder for nurses when the Derringer was visiting at Sunrise. He imagined the consequences would be dire, the worst probably being forbidden from ever visiting Vance again.

“Whatever memories, imagined exploits, or real adventures, or why Vance felt admiration for this brand of pistol, will probably never be known, since neither Ernie nor Vance wrote down his feelings on the subject.

“Another of Vance’s requests that Ernie also delivered on was an occasional pint of whiskey, which was not just a visitor, but kept hidden and used “for medicinal purposes.” A bit anxious that his bootlegging activities would also be discovered by the staff always put a sense of suspense and naughtiness into Ernie’s Sunrise visits, probably making the time spent with Vance and Mary even more fun for all concerned.

“When Vance died in 1980, he was buried in one of Ernie’s suits.”

Vance Randolph's Derringer

Donated by Frances Deane Alexander

Ozark folklorist Vance Randolph purchased this Derringer handgun in 1975. At that time he and his wife, folklorist Mary Celestia Parler, lived at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Randolph’s good friend, journalist and historian Ernie Deane, helped Randolph acquire the gun. According to a note written by Deane on July 1, 1975: “This .38 Derringer belongs to Vance Randolph. He asked me to keep it for him has he is not permitted to have a firearm at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home.” (Ernie Deane had a delightful habit of writing brief notes of explanation about items of historical importance that he owned, storing his note with the item for posterity.)

Ernie Deane’s daughter, Fran Alexander, recounts the story of Ernie, Vance, and the Derringer:

“Ernie and Vance had a special relationship. They understood each other.

“Understanding another person, however, does not always put you in a comfortable position. When Vance requested that Ernie be on the receiving end of a pistol mail-order that Vance wanted to place, Ernie began to imagine the problems that might arise when he brought the Derringer into the Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, where Vance and his wife, Mary Parler, lived.

“Vance had assured Ernie that he had no delusions about harboring a pistol in a nursing home, but since he’d always wanted one, he figured it was now or never and asked Ernie, as a friend, to just bring it to him for a visit occasionally. He just wanted to look at it and hold it in his hands.

“This seemed a harmless enough request from an old and very helpless friend, but Ernie was constantly looking over his shoulder for nurses when the Derringer was visiting at Sunrise. He imagined the consequences would be dire, the worst probably being forbidden from ever visiting Vance again.

“Whatever memories, imagined exploits, or real adventures, or why Vance felt admiration for this brand of pistol, will probably never be known, since neither Ernie nor Vance wrote down his feelings on the subject.

“Another of Vance’s requests that Ernie also delivered on was an occasional pint of whiskey, which was not just a visitor, but kept hidden and used “for medicinal purposes.” A bit anxious that his bootlegging activities would also be discovered by the staff always put a sense of suspense and naughtiness into Ernie’s Sunrise visits, probably making the time spent with Vance and Mary even more fun for all concerned.

“When Vance died in 1980, he was buried in one of Ernie’s suits.”

Tap Handle

Donated by J. T. Wampler

J. T. Wampler has been a photographer for Northwest Arkansas Newspapers for almost two decades. Taking a name from a local creek, he opened Tanglewood Branch Brewing Company located at the intersection of South School Avenue and Fifteenth Street in Fayetteville in September 2011. Initially he sold food made from local ingredients along with local and regional beers. In March 2012 Wampler obtained brewing permits and by the end of May, he was serving in-house brewed beer. However, by the end of 2013, the business was in jeopardy. A fundraising campaign raised over $21,000, allowing Tanglewood to remain open until September 2014..

This tap handle was made for Southside Porter, one of Tanglewood’s most popular brewed beers. Wampler commissioned artist Rae Russell to create original tap handles for all of Tanglewood’s in-house beers. Russell also painted “Bountiful Fayetteville,” the PIGshibition sculpture in front of Fayetteville’s Clinton House Museum.

 

Donated by J. T. Wampler

J. T. Wampler has been a photographer for Northwest Arkansas Newspapers for almost two decades. Taking a name from a local creek, he opened Tanglewood Branch Brewing Company located at the intersection of South School Avenue and Fifteenth Street in Fayetteville in September 2011. Initially he sold food made from local ingredients along with local and regional beers. In March 2012 Wampler obtained brewing permits and by the end of May, he was serving in-house brewed beer. However, by the end of 2013, the business was in jeopardy. A fundraising campaign raised over $21,000, allowing Tanglewood to remain open until September 2014..

This tap handle was made for Southside Porter, one of Tanglewood’s most popular brewed beers. Wampler commissioned artist Rae Russell to create original tap handles for all of Tanglewood’s in-house beers. Russell also painted “Bountiful Fayetteville,” the PIGshibition sculpture in front of Fayetteville’s Clinton House Museum.

 

Easter Egg

Donated by Virginia Hicks

This papier maché egg probably belonged to twins Mary and Ellen Russell of Harrison (Boone County) in the early 1920s. Mary and Ellen were born to Jesse and Rose Grever Russell in 1917. According to the 1920 census, the Russells lived at 614 West Central Avenue in Harrison. Jesse Russell was an editor of the Boone County Headlight newspaper.  In 1947 he authored Behind These Ozark Hills, a collection of personal reminiscences about life in Carroll and Boone counties.

Germany has a long history of using papier maché eggs to celebrate Easter.  From the late 1800s until the early 1930s, Germany exported empty papier maché eggs to the United States and throughout Europe. The word “GERMANY” stamped inside the egg helps narrow down when it was made. Up until about 1920, papier maché eggs manufactured in Germany were stamped “German” or “Germany.” From 1921 until 1933 they were stamped “German Republic. Following World War II, several stamps were used, including “East Germany,” “German Democratic Republic,” “West Germany,” and “Federal Republic of Germany.”

Donated by Virginia Hicks

This papier maché egg probably belonged to twins Mary and Ellen Russell of Harrison (Boone County) in the early 1920s. Mary and Ellen were born to Jesse and Rose Grever Russell in 1917. According to the 1920 census, the Russells lived at 614 West Central Avenue in Harrison. Jesse Russell was an editor of the Boone County Headlight newspaper.  In 1947 he authored Behind These Ozark Hills, a collection of personal reminiscences about life in Carroll and Boone counties.

Germany has a long history of using papier maché eggs to celebrate Easter.  From the late 1800s until the early 1930s, Germany exported empty papier maché eggs to the United States and throughout Europe. The word “GERMANY” stamped inside the egg helps narrow down when it was made. Up until about 1920, papier maché eggs manufactured in Germany were stamped “German” or “Germany.” From 1921 until 1933 they were stamped “German Republic. Following World War II, several stamps were used, including “East Germany,” “German Democratic Republic,” “West Germany,” and “Federal Republic of Germany.”

Fireplace Tool

Donated by Mary Kwas

Gaines Tucker and his wife, Estelle “Essie” Dill West Tucker, used this handmade fireplace poker at their home in the Dean community near Metalton (Carroll County). After Gaines Tucker lost his job during the Great Depression, the Tuckers moved to the Ozarks from North Carolina in the early 1930s. They bought an old cabin on ten acres in Carroll County, where Gaines farmed and Essie ran a second-hand clothing shop out of their home to help make ends meet. Gaines died in 1940 and Essie stayed on in the cabin until her death in 1951.

Closeup of handle and poker end.

Hardness Tester

Donated by the Ball CorporationRockwell Hardness Tester

The Rockwell hardness tester was used to determine the strength, or “hardness,” of metal. Hardness was measured by attempting to put a dent into metal with increasing pressure, with the corresponding hardness number indicated on a gauge. The hardness tester seen here used a conical diamond to make the dent. 

The history behind this particular tester is not completely known. Most recently it served at Heekin Can Company in Springdale. However, the tester has a metal tag identifying it as property of the “Defense Plant Corporation” or DPC. The DPC was created in 1940 to help with the war effort during World War II. Various wartime federal agencies would make a request for manufactured goods and the DPC would make sure that factories were able to deliver. Over six years the DPC distributed over nine billion dollars on 2,300 projects across forty-six states and overseas. Most of that money was spent building and equipping new factories and mills, which were primarily leased to private companies.

The metal tag also has “Frigidaire” engraved on it. Frigidaire Appliance Company made many components during World War II, including propellers, fuel tanks, and machine guns.

Metal tag on hardness tester.

Heekin Can Company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, by James Heekin in 1901. Son James J. Heekin took over the business in 1904 following his father’s passing. A second plant was added in 1915, and Heekin went on to become the largest regional manufacturer of metal food containers in the U.S., with  factories in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In the 1940s, Springdale was the center of Northwest Arkansas’s agricultural and canning industries. Heekin decided to locate a plant in Springdale to provide packing cans for locally processed fruits and vegetables. On June 4, 1949, the grand opening of Springdale’s Heekin Can Company was met with much fanfare, including speeches by Heekin president Daniel Heekin, Frisco Railroad vice president John Payne, and Arkansas highway commissioner Orval Faubus. The Springdale High School Band and Slim Picken’s Famous Western Band provided musical entertainment as some 4,000 visitors toured the new factory. Free soda pop and fried chicken box lunches were provided for all in attendance. 

Heekin remained under family control until 1965 when it was sold to Diamond International to avoid a possible hostile takeover. In 1982 Heekin was sold as an independent company to Wesray Holding Corporation following a hostile takeover of Diamond. Three years later Heekin went public. Ball Corporation acquired Heekin in 1993. Phaseout of operations at the Springdale facility began in 2019, with the final plant closure expected sometime in 2021.

Learn more about Springdale’s Heekin Canning Company and the local canning industry in our Canned Gold online exhibit.

Rockwell Hardness Tester

Donated by the Ball Corporation

The Rockwell hardness tester was used to determine the strength, or “hardness,” of metal. Hardness was measured by attempting to put a dent into metal with increasing pressure, with the corresponding hardness number indicated on a gauge. The hardness tester seen here used a conical diamond to make the dent. 

The history behind this particular tester is not completely known. Most recently it served at Heekin Can Company in Springdale. However, the tester has a metal tag identifying it as property of the “Defense Plant Corporation” or DPC. The DPC was created in 1940 to help with the war effort during World War II. Various wartime federal agencies would make a request for manufactured goods and the DPC would make sure that factories were able to deliver. Over six years the DPC distributed over nine billion dollars on 2,300 projects across forty-six states and overseas. Most of that money was spent building and equipping new factories and mills, which were primarily leased to private companies.

Metal tag on hardness tester.

The metal tag also has “Frigidaire” engraved on it. Frigidaire Appliance Company made many components during World War II, including propellers, fuel tanks, and machine guns.

Heekin Can Company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, by James Heekin in 1901. Son James J. Heekin took over the business in 1904 following his father’s passing. A second plant was added in 1915, and Heekin went on to become the largest regional manufacturer of metal food containers in the U.S., with  factories in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In the 1940s, Springdale was the center of Northwest Arkansas’s agricultural and canning industries. Heekin decided to locate a plant in Springdale to provide packing cans for locally processed fruits and vegetables. On June 4, 1949, the grand opening of Springdale’s Heekin Can Company was met with much fanfare, including speeches by Heekin president Daniel Heekin, Frisco Railroad vice president John Payne, and Arkansas highway commissioner Orval Faubus. The Springdale High School Band and Slim Picken’s Famous Western Band provided musical entertainment as some 4,000 visitors toured the new factory. Free soda pop and fried chicken box lunches were provided for all in attendance. 

Heekin remained under family control until 1965 when it was sold to Diamond International to avoid a possible hostile takeover. In 1982 Heekin was sold as an independent company to Wesray Holding Corporation following a hostile takeover of Diamond. Three years later Heekin went public. Ball Corporation acquired Heekin in 1993. Phaseout of operations at the Springdale facility began in 2019, with the final plant closure expected sometime in 2021.

Learn more about Springdale’s Heekin Canning Company and the local canning industry in our Canned Gold online exhibit.

Baptismal Font

Baptismal font, Kingston, Presbyterian Church, Kingston, Arkansas, circa 1920s

Donated by Patricia Laird Vaughan

This free-standing wooden font originally included a metal water basin housed underneath the font’s conical lid. Water from the basin was used to perform the rite of baptism using a non-immersion method—by sprinkling, pouring, washing, or dipping.

In the early to mid 1900s, the Madison County town of Kingston was part of an outreach effort in the Appalachians and the Ozarks to improve the religious, social, and cultural life of mountain folk. In 1916, Rev. Elmer J. Bouher came to Arkansas from Indiana, tasked by the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. to revive an abandoned mission in Kingston. Construction of a New England colonial style building for the Kingston Community Church was completed in 1926, a project of the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church and the Brick Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York.

In its heyday, the Kingston Community Church complex included a school, hospital, and community hall complete with a library, stage, bowling alley, kitchens, locker room, and showers. Interest in the project waned in the late 1930s, and the Board of Missions withdrew financial support in 1943. The owner of the buildings and property, the Brick Presbyterian Church, experienced financial difficulties in 1950. They decided to sell off all their mission holdings and offered the Kingston community the opportunity to purchase the land and buildings. Due to the poor condition of the properties the school board decided to construct a new school instead. The church was torn down soon thereafter.

In 1998, Patricia Laird Vaughan purchased the Kingston Community Church’s baptismal font at the Bunch Grocery Store auction in Kingston. Founded in 1880 by Joel N. Bunch, the store was located on the northwest corner of the Kingston square. It remained in the Bunch family for generations, serving the community as a center of commerce and later, a popular local gathering spot. The last storeowner, Hugh Bunch, died in 1995. At that time the Bunch Store closed; its contents were sold at auction in 1998. The building was purchased by Joel L. Bunch, great-grandson of the store’s founder, Joel N. Bunch.