About 1840 a log school house was built at the lower end of the hill, near where Clyde is now. A well-known minister and educator, Rev. Samuel Newton, taught there for a number of years. The school was called Elm Grove School.
The village that grew up near the school was at first called "Newton" for the Reverend Newton. From Newton it became "New Town."
The first store was a general merchandise store built in 1834 and operated by James B. Russell. During the Civil War, General Blunt and his officers called the village "Russelville" and "Newburg." After the war, the name "New Town" was back in use.
There were two other stores in New Town: Andrew Reed operated a store, and Mrs. Bess Burns and Mrs. Dana Yoe operated a store and millinery shop.
In 1850, a school for girls was opened in a frame building believed to have been located where Highway 45 passes behind the old store building still standing in Clyde. A well-known educator, Professor Thomas G. McCollough, was at the head of this school. Soon students were coming from adjoining counties and from Indian Territory. Because it was in Cane Hill Township, the school was called "Cane Hill Female Seminary." ore building was then necessary. On December 10, 1852, the school was chartered by an act of the legislature. In 1856 a new two-story building was erected, and a library and music department were added.
To this frontier school Miss Mary Beller, who had just graduated in music in New York City, brought her Chickering grand piano and took charge of the music department in the Seminary.
A post office was established, February 10, 1887, with W. C. Russell as postmaster. Subsequent postmasters were: James R. Reed, May 26, 1890; Dana L. Yoe, May 7, 1894; Andrew B Reed, March 31, 1899; Wm. J. David, Feb. 9, 1904; Bessie Burns, Mar. 17, 1906; L. H. Yates, Aug. 11, 1910; Robert Stephens, Aug. 12, 1911; W. W. Yates, Aug. 11, 1913; and Stanley W. Yates, Nov. 7, 1924. The post office was called, "Clyde", for Clyde Irwin who lived across the road.
Some of the earliest settlers in New Town were Carter, Braly, Yates, Palmer, Carroll, Parker, Irwin, Rodgers, Trewhitt, Reed, Braly, Houston, Cox, and David. There are probably others whose names I do not know.
During the war, New Town was burned by federal soldiers and bushwackers. When the people heard that their homes, stores, and schools were to be burned, they carried out, and secreted, as much food, clothing and bedding as possible. A cave nearby was the main hiding place.
Mrs. Malinda Yates was just a young woman at the time and remembered ( and recorded) mush of the story of hardship and hunger after the burning. This and other effects of the Civil War years will be the subject for a future story.
Mrs. Yates was educated in the Female Seminary, and she taught there for a time. When times were better, and schools were in operation again Mrs. Yates was employed to teach in a building erected after the war. This building stood near the site of the old feed mill and garage, still standing west of the highway ( this article was written in 1976). Her contract required her to teach six hours per day and five days per week, at a salary of $10 per month. She was instructed to keep order in the school, without showing any partiality with the children, and not to be ill and crabbed with same. Her arithmetic text book had been hand written by Mr. Rutherford in 1811. Mrs. Benton has this book now.
Miss Malinda Russell, the daughter of George and Mary Wallis Russell, was married to James Yates in 1855. Mr. Yates was a veteran of the Mexican War, a pioneer settler, and ancestor of the Yates family of Clyde, Ark. Sometime near the turn of the century Mrs. Malinda Yates bought the Russell store. Her son, L.H. Yates, operated the store for a number of years. He also operated a cannery in the village.
In 1874, 18 members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Cane Hill, who lived in the New Town area, withdrew and organized a Cumberland Presbyterian Church there. Church and school used the same building. The Rev. Nathan Hanks, J.A. Knox and Sam Benton Reed were ministers who worked there. Also some of the ministers at Cane Hill served the Clyde church.
Clyde today is a quiet community of modern homes. The water supply comes from Braly Spring, which flows from the foot of a small hill a few hundred yards southwest of the town. It is now owned by Adron and Marie Yates Benton. In early days, this spring was the community refrigerator. A log springhouse built over the spring, with a basin through the center through which cold spring water flowed, was where families kept milk, butter, and other food.
Along the spring branch, which flowed to a hollow walnut log watering trough, was a thick growth of willow trees and brush. In this growth, the boys of the community would hide and watch Frank and Jesse James water their horses when they came to visit their sister, Mrs. Barbara Palmer. According to Mrs. Yates' records, the Palmers were good neighbors and friends.
The community centers around a white frame church, which was probably built between 1910 and 1918 to replace the old building. Mr. William Trewhitt have the lot on which the church was built. Mr. W. W. Yates was in charge of construction. some of the ladies of the church planted, cultivated, and harvested a tomato crop, and Mr. Trewhitt furnished the land and hauled the tomatoes to the village cannery. The canned tomatoes were sold and the money given to the building fund.
According to available information, the land on which Clyde stands was owned by Mr. W. G. Parker. Mr. Parker was a blacksmith and operated a shop in Clyde for many years. When he was old, his son, W. J. Parker (called Billy by his many friends), took over the shop and carried on for many more years. He was the last blacksmith in the area.
Many things which once were necessary to life in the country are gone, and soon there will be no one who remembers.
(My thanks to Mrs. Adron Benton, W. L. and J.B. Trewhitt for their help in getting information for this story. CR)
*This article is from Volume 26, Number 3 of the Washington County Historical Society's publication FLASHBACK , August 1976
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