Marker No. 16, Fort Ancient

An Ozarks family is looking for others that share an ancient connection, and their interest in restoring and preserving a historic site. Chris Gray and his father, Jerry, have found the site known as Fort Ancient or Spanish Fort in Lawrence County. It’s where many of their ancestors are buried. It’s also on the National Register of Historic Places for what it was long before a cemetery.

“Being an ancient historic site, and being on the historical register, I think it’s important we take care of it,” said Gray. They hope others will want to share in picking up the pieces, and preserving this place for the future.

“Lawrence County was full of the Allen family, the Faucet family, the Gatton family and some other families that are buried here. We’re asking for everybody’s help,” Gray said.

The people who used to take care of the site are unable to do so anymore. Now the Grays, who actually live around the Cassville area, plan to start a serious clean-up effort at the site near Hoberg in Lawrence County. They want to straighten and fix stones and trim back limbs Oct. 30 and 31. They’re looking for descendents or anyone interested. Call (417) 342-0287 if you would like to help.

From the Springfield-Greene County Historical Markers Index

A small secluded cemetery, dating back to 1880, is located on an Ozark Mountain ridge in Lawrence County, about three miles southeast of Hoberg. Probably the cemetery site was selected because it was conveniently level; it had served earlier as the location of Fort Ancient.

On Sunday, October 12, 1930, an appropriate marker provided by the University Club of Springfield was dedicated. Dr. F. T. H’Doubler delivered the dedicatory address and the marker was unveiled by Dr. E. M. Shepard. Made of granite, it is six feet high, two feet wide and eight inches thick. Little if any vandalism is evident after more than half a century, probably due to the isolated location. The text on the marker reads as follows (pictured above):

FORT ANCIENT, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED BY A GROUP OF EASTWARD MIGRATING MOUND BUILDERS, A BAND OF INDIANS PROBABLY LONG ANTEDATING THE OSAGES, ON THEIR WAY TO WHAT IS NOW OHIO. THESE EARTHWORKS ARE A SMALL REPLICA OF THE GREAT FORT ANCIENT IN OHIO, WHERE THIS PREHISTORIC GROUP REACHED ITS GREATEST CULMINATION. THIS TRIBE PROBABLY HAD ITS VILLAGE IN THE VALLEY AND USED THESE FORTIFICATIONS FOR DEFENCE. FIRST PIONEERS DESCRIBE THE WALLS AS ORIGINALLY ABOUT 5 FT HIGH AND THE MOAT 2 FT. DEEP. SPRINGFIELD UNIVERSITY CLUB HISTORICAL MARKER NO. 16. ERECTED OCT. 1930.

On the reverse side of the marker, possibly to placate the local folk, is inscribed: “Locally known as the Old Spanish Fort”. This refers to the fact that the site was formerly known as Spanish Fort, particularly by the local residents of the region. It was designated Fort Ancient after a study of more than 40 years by Dr. E. M. Shepard, an archeologist and geologist.

Dr. Shepard had been employed by the State of Missouri to write about the geology of the district. From his prolonged study, it seems probable that the Mound Builder Indians were the creators of Fort Ancient. They were early Indians who fashioned burial mounds, fortifications and other earthworks found in the Middle West and Southeast. The Lawrence County ruins are much smaller than, but otherwise almost identical with, the immense Fort Ancient (in Ohio) which was known to have been constructed by the Mound Builders. The Ohio site was four miles in circumference compared to only a few hundred feet at Hoberg, but both were irregular circles with gateway openings and moats. Early Missouri pioneers described the walls as about five feet high and the moat as two feet deep; however, it is believed that the original distance from the top of the wall to the bottom of the moat was at least 15 feet.

–Prepared by James Allwood

The index can be searched by first name and last name, county, and by year and month. Once a name is selected, a digitized image of the original certificate can be retrieved.

This is an ongoing project and additional records will be added as they are transcribed and imaged. If the image of the certificate is not yet available researchers can request a photocopy of the certificate by contacting the Archives Reference Desk . For death certificates less than 50 years old please contact the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records.

If you have questions or comments about these records, please contact the Missouri State Archives at archref@sos.mo.gov.

Dr. Brooks Blevins, professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, will be guest speaker at a meeting of the Lawrence County Historical Society at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19, in Mt. Vernon.

Blevins will focus on the Ozarks region, what it means to be an Ozarker and how Lawrence County fits into the broader scope of Ozarks studies.

Brooks Blevins is the Endowed Associate Professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University. A native of Izard County, Arkansas, Blevins earned the B.A. at Lyon College and the M.A. and Ph.D. in American history at Auburn University. He has authored and edited four books, including Hill Folks: A History of Arkansas Ozarkers and Their Image (University of North Carolina Press, 2002).

The meeting will be held at Jones Memorial, 11110 Lawrence 1137 (adjoining the west side of Mt. Vernon Golf Course). The public is invited.

The historical society’s museum will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. that day. Admission is free.

AKA: Allen Cemetery

We in Barry County were chosen for the Oakley Award a few days ago. We were selected because we have been restoring cemeteries and photographing all the cemetery stones in the county. We have started adding documentation notes to the data that we collect so that our posted records have creditability and can be depended on for accuracy. We still have some cemeteries left to do – so we aren’t finished with the project yet. But some of our hard working volunteers submitted information about our project to the Gravestone Studies Association some time last year for their grave studies award that is to be given in June of this year.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Association of Grave Studies, it is a non-profit association and was founded in 1977 for the purpose of furthering the study and preservation of grave markers of all periods and styles. Through its publications, conferences, workshops, and exhibits AGS promotes the study of gravestones from historical and artistic perspectives, expands public awareness of the significance of historic grave markers and cemeteries, and encourages individuals and groups that have similar interests.

Here is the link to Barry County

Here is the link to our cemetery pages. The cemeteries with the little camera next to the name are the ones we have finished photographing – many of which were also restored.

Here is a copy of the message that I received yesterday -

“Dear Donna, It is our pleasure to inform you that the Board of Trustees of The Association for Gravestone Studies has selected you to be a recipient of The Oakley Certificate of Merit. This award is given to groups or individuals who “…foster appreciation of the cultural significance of gravestones and burying grounds,” and it is in recognition of your contributions in research and recording for the MOGenWeb site, and coordinating cemetery projects in Barry County, Missouri.

Congratulations and best regards, Brenda W. Reynolds, Awards Committee”

Halltown HS Basketball, 1931?

Unidentified & Fredrick G. Small (Dade Co. MO)

Thank you

World War 2 Participation

The speaker for this year’s conference is Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG. Dr. Jones is joint editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, former trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and recipient of its 2004 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit. Recently retired from a career in higher education, Dr. Jones works full time as a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. His research has encompassed records of every state east of the Mississippi, as well as Iowa, Missouri, Texas, France, Germany, Italy, and Ireland. He specializes, however, in Georgia and Virginia and is most interested in solving “brick-wall” genealogical problems. He writes and speaks frequently on genealogical methods with broad application across geographic areas, time periods, and levels of expertise. He is known for meaty lectures that benefit genealogists of all levels of experience. On January 16, 2009, Dr. Jones was honored as a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association, an award given in recognition of living individuals whose distinguished contributions and ongoing commitment to the field of genealogy are of national or international scope.

Look for additional conference details on the OGS Web site at

PIERCE CITY, Mo. — It’s a tough year to put a bond issue before voters but the Pierce City School District has more than the usual obstacles. If you take one look at Pierce City Middle School, anyone can see “we need to upgrade our facilities,” said Principal Gayla DeGraffenreid.

Each classroom has its own issues. In one, the floor is warped, for example. The problems extend beyond the crowded classrooms: “no hot water.” Even beyond the building, “we have kids who walk out to classrooms.”

DeGraffenreid and Superintendent Russ Moreland say the classrooms are overstuffed. So, this April, the district is turning to the voters, asking them to approve a bond issue for the construction of a new school, and the removal of the old one. “With the help of two structural engineers and an architect, we decided it would be best to build new,” said Moreland. Not everyone agrees.

“It appears to be structurally sound. We could save the building and a considerable amount of money,” said Jay Bierkortte, president of the Pierce City Historical Society. The society sees the building, constructed in 1921, as an integral part of the town. “Especially because so much of the city disappeared in the tornado (in 2003), this is one of the largest structures left,” said Bierkortte.

Bierkortte acknowledges the problems but still thinks there’s a better option. “We hope eventually they get to build, update and preserve the building at the same time,” he said. “We appreciate and respect that but our concern is looking at it as an educational tool and resource for our kids,” said Moreland. And, while the district says the graduating class of 1922 had a wonderful resource, that generation’s state of the art building isn’t working for this generation of students.

If the bond issue passes, and the district goes forward with construction, Moreland says they hope to start building late this summer, and move students in the following school year.

Video of the KY3 Interviews

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know that I have been adding photos of Civil War veterans headstones to the Civil War site and you are welcome to link to or copy any photos and information that might be useful on your county sites.

We have quite a collection started of veterans buried in Iron County, as well as some from some other counties.

http://www.mogenweb.org/mocivwar/headstones.htm

We also have some from other states that are buried in Missouri:

http://www.mogenweb.org/mocivwar/otherstatesheadstones.htm

As well as volunteers to go out and take photos and requests from researchers in help locating their ancestors headstones:

http://www.mogenweb.org/mocivwar/mostwanted.htm

If you have any photos of Civil War veterans headstones please consider sending the link or a copy of the photo so it can be added to our listings. Sometimes researchers will know the state their ancestor died in but not the city or county and getting them all linked on one page will be a huge boost to their research.

Thanks in advance!
Diane

NCGenWeb CC
NCGenWeb Special Projects

The MO State Coordinator is Larry Flesher. The Assistant State Coordinator is Denise Woodside.