The Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center received a treasure trove of artifacts and materials from the family of Coach Harold Ray and Mrs. Pat Jeffery. The collection includes Pirate yearbooks from 1951 to 1992, all of Coach Jeffery’s scorebooks, Pirate momentos and memorabilia, and several awards and plaques these two legends of our community received throughout their career.
Over the past few years, the museum has accepted several collections of materials from families that want to preserve their family’s history but really have no way to hang on to it personally. “Even simple everyday items like canceled checks, old letters, bills, photos, anything really can tell a story that would otherwise be lost to history,” Gloria Sanders said. Sanders is the museum’s executive director.
The Calico Rock Museum strives to paint a picture of the culture, history, but also the life, of this area has been like from the time of Native Americans to today. Simple items that sometimes folks think aren’t worth saving tell the best story and paint the best picture. “There are a lot of products that aren’t sold anymore, businesses that aren’t in business anymore, and customs that people don’t do anymore. If we can tell those stories that’s neat for our visitors and it preserves that history,” Sanders added.
The museum’s massive collection is being photographed item by item, cataloged with a description, and digitally archived. Some of these items may never be displayed, but storing them, preserving them and cataloging them are just as important as displaying them. It’s a very tedious, time-consuming process that started over a year ago and may continue for several years.
This archival process would not be possible without the generous support of Mitchell’s Park Street Pharmacy. They recognized the importance of preserving this history and way of life. They awarded the museum a grant that is helping to fund this project.
“Our pharmacy has been locally owned and operated since 1879. We’ve been a part of this community and this community has been part of the pharmacy, we’re woven together like a family quilt. It’s important to us that we do everything we can to be a part of the community and that we preserve it and make it grow,” said Sarah Mitchell. Mitchell is the pharmacist and owner of Mitchell’s Park Street Pharmacy.
If you’d like to support this archival project or if you have family artifacts you’d like to donate to the museum’s archives, call 870-297-6100. For more information, visit www.calicorockmuseum.com
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