The City of Greenbrier - Early Development

Greenbrier is 12 miles north of Conway on Highway 65 nestled in a valley surrounded by hills and ridges.  We all pretty much know this about Greenbrier, but how much do you know about the early development and history of our town?

According to the Faulkner County Historical Society, as early as 1818 settlers were in the vicinity of what is now Greenbrier.  Four brothers by the name Wiley lived near East Fork Cadron which is about eight miles east of the present site.  In 1853 Henderson Moore's family came from North Carolina in covered wagons drawn by oxen and bought a section of land from Hubbard.  This land was just south of the Des Arch-Lewisburg road near the present business section of Greenbrier.

Hubbard homesteaded some land near the present site of the Greenbrier Public Schools on Greenbrier Creek. He built a house of sticks and mud about the same time.

Henderson Moore's cousin, Sid Moore, came in 1856.  He and his young wife traveled from North Carolina in a two wheeled cart drawn by oxen. 
Sid Moore homesteaded some land across the road and to the northwest of Henderson Moores land. The log house Sid Moore built was used until it was torn down in the early 1960s.

Photographs from Greenbrier Museum

Virgin soils, timber land, flowing streams, springs, and a delightful climate attracted new settlers traveling westward. Corn was the staff of life and the settlers found the virgin soils to be the kind for corn.

Henderson Moore capitalized on this natural opportunity to increase his holdings and soon a horse-driven gin, a grist mill driven by a water wheel, a general store, and a blacksmith shop were set up to accommodate the settlers.  At the time of his death in 1859, Henderson Moore owned a section of land (640 acres) and all of his business holdings.  He built a nice
home in 1857 which became the beginning of a prominent Inn for travelers along the Des Arc-Springfield Road.

Mooresville was given as the name for the fast growing community.  It was later changed to Greenbrier when the first post office was established on September 15, 185.  Henderson Moore was the first postmaster.

The town was named for the painfully prickly greenbrier vines which grew along the creek through the town; removing these dense and thorny thickets was apparently a memorable experience for the founders.

The Historical Society credits local lore for the new name. “The name Greenbrier was suggested by a traveler who camped for a week on Greenbrier Creek a short distance from Sid Moore’s (Henderson’s cousin) store where he bought supplies. He complained about the extensive growth of saw briers (which are green in color) growing along the creek and suggested Greenbrier. The common name of wild smilax or saw brier is greenbrier.”

 EARLY GROWTH

Land was cheap and very fertile.  Most of it was covered with virgin hardwood trees, mostly oak, interspersed with small openings covered with dense prairie grass waist high.  Land was cleared with simple primitive tools and manual labor.  Soon crops of corn, oats, wheat, peas, sorghum, and vegetables were harvested.

The settlers became economically independent.  A story told by Frank Cantrell to his daughter, Flossie Beene, reveals how cheap land was.  In surveying the land the government made a mistake and listed it as swamp land which sold for 12 1/2 cents per acre.  Some land went delinquent and was auctioned at tax sales where 320 acres were bought for as little as $11.  One man traded a wagon and a yoke of steers for 40 acres of land.  Another gave a ten dollar bill for 160 acres.

Families would go into Little Rock once or twice each year to purchase staples that could be bought in the village general store. 

By 1871 Greenbrier was established as a fast growing inland village.  By this time cotton was being grown on most farms.

Road building and road improvement went forward at a rapid pace after 1873.  Road overseers were appointed and a toll road was built across the Cadron Bottom connecting King's Ferry on the East Fork of the cadron.  To do this, A. Harkrider was granted a permit by the county in 1873.  Poles and slabs were laid crisscross for about one mile. A fee of 25 cents was charged for wheeled vehicles.  King's Ferry was established in 1852.  In 1879 a permit was granted to W. S. Terry to build a bridge over Cadron Creek.  This afforded better access into Conway and Little Rock.

In 1875 mail service was established between Conway and Quitman  Twice each week mail came from Quitman and Conway.  A story told that Jimmy Blair, who carried the mail on an old gray mule, would put red pepper in his boots to keep his feet warm.  He also had a press to make apple juice and vinegar.

During this period of growth, the business section of the town was expanding in four directions.  From the intersection one part grew toward the south and Conway, another part grew north toward Quitman, and another part grew east and west along the Des Arc-Springfield road.  Large wooden buildings were erected to house the general store, the black-smith shop, the saloons, and the tan yard where leather businesses were located.  Sid James and M. E. Moore, J.D. and JE. Martin, I. R. Hall, Jim Walton, George Clark, and Sain Squire Wofford were the leading merchants at that time.

In 1878 a large two-story building was built to the west of town which served for many years as a school, a church for the Methodists and Baptists, and a Masonic Lodge.  The first church built was erected by the Baptist congregation in 1860.

Better homes changed from the log cabin type to more comfortable frame and log homes as the community developed.  M.E. Moore built one of the largest homes during this period.  It was a two-story frame structure built on the site of his fathers old home.  He and his brother cut the white oak timber near Enders and hauled it to Greenbrier to be sawed into lumber.  Wrought iron nails were used and the corners were hand pegged.  After Moore's death his widow, Mary Hardin Moore Sims, used the home as an inn or hotel for travelers and drummers.  This house was demolished for a more modern house in 1960's

To learn more about the early history of Greenbrier, Arkansas and some interesting history please visit the Faulkner County Historical Society website.

                              
                                       Photos from the Greenbrier Museum

Information from The Arkansas Historical Site:

Prior to European settlement, Native American tribes, including the Quapaw and later the Cherokee Indians, lived in the area. Several historical figures of the Wild West such as Jim Bowie and Jesse James passed through the Greenbrier region toward Oklahoma and Texas. Settlers such as the Wiley brothers settled near East Fork Cadron around 1818, which is about eight miles east of Greenbrier today. In 1837, Jonathan Hardin settled near the Wiley settlement. Also in the early 19th century, the Casharagos settled north of Greenbrier in the present community of Republican.

Greenbrier is a town that developed from a minor brothel on the Butterfield Stagecoach route into a bustling city. The town was named for the painfully prickly greenbriar vines which grew along the creek through the town; removing these dense and thorny thickets was apparently a memorable experience for the founders. Greenbrier is located 12 miles north of Conway on Highway 65. Recent years have seen continued growth as Greenbrier becomes a bedroom community for nearby Conway.

From: wikipedia
The Quapaw and later the Cherokee Indians were some tribes who lived in the area. Historical figures such as Jim Bowie and Jesse James passed through the Greenbrier region on their way to the areas of Oklahoma and Texas.

If you have any interesting facts, findings, history or photo's you'd like to share with us please send emails or photo's to:
marilyn@greenbriertimes.com