Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 08/05/09

SUMMARY

As an example of a house in Birdtown illustrating the Craftsman style’s influence, the Samuel Bird House is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion C as a good example of Plain-Traditional, vernacular housing in Arkansas with Craftsman influences. Although the installation of Perma-Stone at some point during the 1950s precludes the house from being listed in the National Register, the exposed rafter tails and woodwork of the front porch still illustrate the Craftsman influences. When the house was built in the 1920s, the Craftsman style was one of the most popular styles in the United States, and the Samuel Porter Bird House shows the influence of the style in even the most rural communities.

ELABORATION

Morrilton is located in Conway County, which was organized by an act of the Territorial Legislature in October of 1825. As of the publication of the 1978 edition of theHistorical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas, the earliest records of Conway County had been destroyed; therefore, the following information is derived from Arkansas State statutes.[1]

Conway County derives its name from the celebrated Conway family, and was formerly a part of Pulaski County, which was divided into three separate territories in 1825.[2] Originally, Cadron was selected to serve as the county seat until a permanent selection could be made. The county seat was moved in 1827 to another small town, Harrisburg. In 1828, a small section of Cherokee territory to the west was added to Conway County. In 1831, the Arkansas Territorial Legislature urged citizens to find a permanent capital for Conway County. Lewisburg, a small settlement along the Arkansas River, the major transportation artery, was chosen as the county seat. However, from 1850 to 1873, the capital was moved to Springfield before the Arkansas Territorial Legislature renamed Lewisburg as the county seat in 1873. Finally, the county seat was moved for the last time in 1883 to Morrilton.[3] The court house that was subsequently constructed in Morrilton was not only known to be one of the most completed and best arranged court houses in the state, but was funded with no cost at all to the taxpayers of Conway County.[4]

Upon the approach of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, there was a strong sentiment of loyalty to the Federal government among the people of Conway County. [5] However, after the war had actually begun, and President Abraham Lincoln had issued a proclamation calling upon Arkansas to assist in bringing the seceded Southern states back into the Union, the great majority of the people came to prefer the proposed Southern Confederacy, and did all in their power to help establish it. Conway County responded liberally to the call to organize a company for the Confederate cause.[6]

The most significant event in the development of Conway County was the construction of the railroad line connecting Little Rock and Fort Smith, constructed by the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad Company. Although construction of the connecting line began in the antebellum era, the Civil War interrupted progress, which was resumed in 1866. The “Lewisburg Station” was located three miles north of Lewisburg, in the territory that was to become Morrilton. [7]

The community of Birdtown was settled around the 1830s as Mayflower. Local legend states that the name came from the dedication of a new Methodist church in the community. Since the church was dedicated in May and many flowers were present around the church, the local residents felt that Mayflower was an appropriate name for the community. The community’s name was changed to Birdtown in the early 1900s and was named after William T. “Bill” Bird. [8]

William Bird was born in Monroe County, Alabama, in 1857, although he moved to Arkansas with his parents just prior to the Civil War. William Bird’s father operated the D. J. Bird and Snyder Mercantile Store in the community. However, in 1866 William Bird’s father was killed near Batesville while serving in the Federal army. After his father’s death, William was responsible for helping his mother run the store along with a cotton gin that his father had also owned. William and his sons had stores in Birdtown I, which is known as lower Birdtown today and Birdtown II, which is now upper Birdtown. [9]

The Bird family continued to be active in the operation of stores in the Birdtown area into the 1900s as well. Walter Jones later owned the original store in the community, and he married William Bird’s daughter, Evie Bird.Sons of William, Port and Ernest Bird, built another store (known later as Huett’s Grocery) c.1923. The Bird brothers built other stores in Fingertown (now known as Austin), which Mannie Bird ran, and in Formosa, which was run by Ernest later on.[10]

Samuel Porter Bird House (known as Port to his friends) was one of six children born to William Bird and Sarah E. James Bird. He and three of his brothers, Mannie, Ernest, and Rupert, were all in the mercantile business. Samuel was a Baptist and a Democrat, and was well known in the Birdtown area. Samuel Bird later married Rosie N. Gordon Bird, and they raised ten children, six of whom served in the military.[11]

The Samuel Porter Bird House and the house across the street were built by Rupert Bird in 1923. The exposed rafter tails and the exposed woodwork of the front porch illustrate the influence of the Craftsman style on the house. The Craftsman style was one of the most popular architectural styles during the first decades of the twentieth-century. According to Virginia and Lee McAlester in A Field Guide to American Houses, the height of popularity for the Craftsman style was from 1905 until 1930. The style was mainly inspired by the brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene who practiced architecture together in Pasadena, California, from 1893 until 1914. It was a style that emphasized the craftsmanship and materials that went into a building’s construction. The Samuel Porter Bird House, with its exposed rafter tails and front porch framework, exhibits the emphasis on craftsmanship and materials that is a key characteristic of the Craftsman style. The Bird House also illustrates the popularity of the style in even the smallest rural community.[12]

In the late 1950s, the Birds updated their house with the installation of Perma-Stone, which was installed by Buddy O’Brien. However, it was only applied to the sides and front of the house, while the rear kept the original siding exposed. Perma-Stone had been patented and registered as a trademark in 1929 by the Perma-Stone Company of Columbus, Ohio. The company trained and authorized local dealers, and also provided the people with the molds and materials necessary to install the product. The success of Perma-Stone brought about several competitors, including Rostone, Tru-Stone, Fieldstone, Bermuda Stone, Modern Stone, Romanstone, Magnolia Stone, Dixie Stone, and Silverstone.[13]

Perma-Stone was applied to a building in a manner that was similar to that used for stucco. Initially, a wire net or lath was attached to the existing exterior walls, and the mesh is visible on the rear of the Bird House. The material was then applied in layers and then scored with simulated mortar joints to look like individual stones. The addition of different colors and, on occasion, mica chips that would sparkle, also added to the product’s illusion.[14]

Although the installation of the Perma-Stone precludes the Samuel Porter Bird House from being nominated to the National Register, the house is still important to the Birdtown community as an example of a Craftsman style-influenced house. The house occupies a prominent site in Birdtown, and is a reminder of life in Birdtown in the 1920s.

[2] Historical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, 1890, p. 11

[3] Smith, Sandra Taylor. “Morrilton Commercial Historic District.” National Register Nomination form. From the files of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

[4] Historical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, 1890, p. 14

[5] Historical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, 1890, p. 14

[6] Historical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, 1890, p. 15

[7] Smith, Sandra Taylor. “Morrilton Commercial Historic District.” National Register Nomination form. From the files of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

[8] Information on Birdtown in the files of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Information on the Samuel Porter Bird House provided by Margaret Canant, Springfield, Arkansas.

[12] McAlester, Virginia, and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1994, p. 454.

[13] Information on Perma-Stone found at: http://www.oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2003/june/faux_stone.shtml.

[14] Ibid.

SIGNIFICANCE

As an example of a house in Birdtown illustrating the Craftsman style’s influence, the Samuel Bird House is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion C as a good example of Plain-Traditional, vernacular housing in Arkansas with Craftsman influences. Although the installation of Perma-Stone at some point during the 1950s precludes the house from being listed in the National Register, the exposed rafter tails and woodwork of the front porch still illustrate the Craftsman influences. When the house was built in the 1920s, the Craftsman style was one of the most popular styles in the United States, and the Samuel Porter Bird House shows the influence of the style in even the most rural communities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Historical Reminiscences and Biographical Memoirs of Conway County, Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Publishing Company, 1890.

Information on Birdtown in the files of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

Information on Perma-Stone found at: http://www.oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2003/june/faux_stone.shtml.

Information on the Samuel Porter Bird House provided by Margaret Canant, Springfield, Arkansas.

McAlester, Virginia, and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1994.

Smith, Sandra Taylor. “Morrilton Commercial Historic District.” National Register Nomination form. From the files of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.