Coal Miners in 1898 built a union hall in what was to become Arkoal. This was, at the time a part of a very old community, Shady Grove.
     Shady Grove School, which was also used as a church, was about three quarter of a mile west of the new union hall.
     In 1909 Shady Grove School moved to the union hall, with permission of the miners. They reserved only the right to continue to hold their meetings there. A Baptist congregation, which had formerly met at Shady grove, also moved in making this a school, church and union hall.
     In 1912 Professor George Barnes, who was also a carpenter added a room to the north end of the building. Thereafter Arkoal School had two main rooms and two teachers.
     There had been reasons for the moving of Shady Grove School and church. The Coronado Coal Company opened a large new mine near Prairie Creek. A man named Boone who owned most of the land in the area, laid out streets for a new town. The name chosen was based upon the economic base of the town's hopes - Arkansas coal, thus Arkoal.
     By 1912, when the addition was made to the schoolhouse, Arkoal was a thriving coal camp. In 1914, however, Arkoal suffered a severe blow. During widespread violence in the area, angry miners burned and leveled the mine. This violence locally was related to the infamous "Ludlow Massacre" in Colorado, at a mine operated by the same financial interests. Miners resolved that there would be no "Ludlow" in Arkansas- this time, if it happened, it would not be the miner's wives and children who died.
     But 1914 did not end Arkoal. The company developed another mine, ahead of the old workings. No. 5 mine, just north of Arkoal, went up under what is still known as No. 5 hill. Extensive stripping operations still go on at No. 5 hill. As one old timer said, "I don't know how much longer they can dig coal out of that hill. Three times, within my memory they said they had all the coal out of that hill but they're still bringing it out."
     But Arkoal died with the death of the underground coal industry in southwest Sebastian County. With it went several other sizeable coal camps, and Hartford, Midland, Hackett, and Huntington became almost ghost towns. Greenwood shrunk to half its former size. County seat business kept it alive, and the opening of the Excelsior Valley mines gave it new life.
     The Arkoal School became a part of the Hartford district with consolidation in 1928. The old union hall-school-church building was used little after that. Today there are several homes in the Arkoal area but there is nothing to indicate to the casual traveler that this was once a booming center. And the years took their toll on the simple building, among the old past oaks, where so many things happened to so many people. Finally, the old building began to sag in the middle and to tilt over toward the east, before the prevailing winds, it was on its way down it seemed.
     Claude Bryan grew up in Arkoal, attended the old school. He and his brothers, like most of the neighbors, were once coal miners. Some years ago, he built a modern home there near the heart of old Arkoal. His home is not far from the old building. I am sure it caused him much pain to see it gradually but surely tumbling down - sort of a final symbol of the passing of a time which was no more.
     Arkoal may have had its violence in 1914, and a number of bloody shootouts between its citizens in the following years, but essentially it was a close knit community in which there was respect, common effort, and love. So Claude Bryan began thinking about saving the old building before the Bi-Centennial year and recent restoration efforts started. Claude knew also that there was many others who felt just like he did about the old building, although they were scattered across many states.

     Today, old Arkoal School stands proudly erect, with a new coat of paint. "It's not completely plumb", Claude concedes, grinning. "The old framework would not take the pressure from the jacks. Then we went inside and gave it a new framework. It's stronger today then it ever was."
     Another amazing thing about this restoration is the fact that is was done completely through local effort. No monies, county, state or federal, were asked for. But it is an authentic restoration, by professional standards with one exception, it has only one room, now two, so it is not exactly like it was as a school. But the old-fashioned school desks are there and the old coal stove. The piano was purchased through community effort, by pie suppers, etc.
     $3667.97 was donated for the Arkoal Restoration. Most this came from two parties: A $1000 anonymous donation and $1900 from Mr. and Mrs. Claude Bryan. Those donations of $100 or more were Mr. and Mrs. Judge Bryan; Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt Repass; Walter E. Owens and Bill & Julia Buchta.
     $50 donations were made by Bessie McClain; Mr. and Mrs. Clifford McCormick; Frank Galicic and Mr. and Mrs. Lee Rodden. Donations ranging from $20 - $40 came from Mr. and Mrs. Dane Strunk; Mr. and Mrs. Bill Thomas; Jewel Stephens; Della Daffron; Amelie Pritchard; Bill Davis; Alfred & Mae Kiroy; Means Wilkinson; Flora Lawrence and Harry Horridge. There were numerous lesser donations.
     Claude and Lizzie Bryan donated 336 hours of labor during the restoration. Judge and Gertie donated 162 hours. Gary Hobbs donated 100 ft of electric wire; Dorothy Hobbs donated two doors and Richard Dams door locks.
     Back in the early 1920's, there is also a picture of George Washington on the wall, the same type as was on the wall during the years it was used as a schoolhouse.
     A 1914 picture, showing students and teachers, also hangs on the wall. Teachers shown are two women, Mrs. Agnes Bayles Emery, the other perhaps a substitute for George Barnes or his successor. The other adult female was Anna Anderson, a widow, who with her children, were janitors for years. The janitors not only started the morning fires but also cleaned up the school and rang the first bell each morning.
     (Note form the color photos of the Arkoal School from early 1970's before restoration, the lady in the red dress is Mrs. Belle Evans, who also worked at the school for several years and performed many of the same job duties that Anna Anderson performed)
     Claude Bryan was 8 years old in this picture. From memory, he named the following in the picture, or as among those he knew attended the school. The list as he pointed out, is far from complete and I am sure some of the names are misspelled, but here goes:
     Emma Hughes; Nannie & Minnie Morton; Amie, Avery, Harmon, Clarence, Thurman & Sylvester Strunk; Ed Lee; Lena, Mary Ann, & Henryetta Kirkland; Carl, Julie & Lawrence Davison; Jewel, Theo, Olen & Reval Anderson; Hannah Barlow; Merrill Quintin; Della & Mattie Thornton; Cecil & Deb Tobey and Amelia Davis.
     Also, Mary Ellen Harger; David Dennis; George Stemick; Archie, Albert & Clarence McNeal; Bill, Victoria & Vergie Hammond; Andrew Johnson; Lonnie, Ollie & Ader Pennington; Ethel, Bill & Ray Sutter; Georgia Stitcy; Beth, Bill, Sylvia & Charlie McKown; Ollie & Pearl King; Josie & Ivy Grim; Joe & Carl Beggs; Alvin & Edgar Yakley and Beth Wimberly.
     Along with, Birdie, Alice & Ausdel Fondren; Harvey & Edith McClain; Judge & Claude Bryan; Gertrude, Martha & Izella Reed; Frank Gillespie; Mary, John & Ann Matich; Thelma, Christie & Ruby Rotenberry; Claude & Vernie Condort and Raymond Kirkendall.
     Teachers at Arkoal whom Claude recalled were a Professor Wilder, before this time; George Barnes, Agnes Emery, Zenobia Leonard, Lester Bull, O.H. Phelps, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Douglas and Opal White.
     History of the Arkoal-Shady Grove area is dated by two slave plantations in the area. The Wollard plantation was near Arkoal. The Kerch plantation was to the northwest of old Shady Grove School. The Copper Springs, which furnished water for Shady Grove School, was in the southeast corner of this plantation. This spring continued to furnish water to inhabitants of the area during droughts until modern times. Up east of the springs there is a clay hill where many tons of pottery clay has been mined, by Indians. Pioneers found an Indian pottery kiln there, according to stories still told, but the area was vandalized by treasure seekers.
     The Shady Grove school area is completely grown up, although a well-kept gravel road runs past. One giant red oak stands among the younger trees, which have grown up since 1909. The old cemetery further back from the road is gone too. It was dug up and vandalized too, by treasure hunters. Besides stories of more ancient buried treasures, valuables were said to be buried during the Civil War days as well as by outlaws in later years.
     History confirms the probability of this story being true. The original line between Arkansas and Indian Territory, as announced, would have passed through Lookout Pass of the Poteau Mountains. Many of the earliest settlers along the western border of Arkansas thought they were settling in Indian Territory. The Cherokee Nation became bitterly divided, resulting in the murder of Chief Doublehead in 1808. A large body of Doublehead's followers took refuge in the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi. Tonteeleskee, brother- in - law of Doublehead, led about 1200 Cherokees out of Mississippi into Arkansas in 1812. John Tolly, Tonteeleskee's brother and Sam Houston's Cherokee "father" came to Arkansas from Mississippi with another party in 1819. But Cherokees who had become Choctaw citizens by marriage remained behind. After 1828, when Indian Territory was created in present Oklahoma, these families sought lands in the Choctaw Nation, which extended southward from the Arkansas River. The Cherokee Chapel community would have been of this breed. Many of them were highly sophisticated people, capable of living either as Indians or Whites. They held many slaves, or Blacks registered as slaves in their movements to protect them from armed bands of slave-catchers who plagued the Indian Nations in those years.