Ozark Living

Somewhere over the river at the base of the foothills of the Ozarks lies a quiet little village. Driving down Interstate 49 at night, the whole town glows just at the base of the hills. It's a quiet and unassuming town that many look past and barely notice. However, Chester is far from ordinary. Here you will meet some of the most compassionate and kind-spirited human beings. e radiance that shines is more than just porch lights and streetlamps. On Oct. 19, the one-year anniversary of the Beard and Lady Inn's grand opening, I had the honor of being a guest at this refined gemstone in the forgotten foothills of the Ozarks. Its breathtaking and quirky decorum takes you straight into another time. It's no longer necessary to travel far from home to go to a whole new world. e second you step through the doors you are transported in time, back to the days of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, when Chester was a thriving timber town. From locally hand-kilned bricks, Jacob Yoes built the inn to accommodate travelers in 1887, two years before the town was officially incorporated. For nearly 20 years, Chester was at the railway's most southern point. e village thrived through the late 19th century, but when the Frisco stretched further south to the Arkansas River towns of Van Buren and Fort Smith, people and businesses relocated for the favorable ease of carriage at the intersection of the river and railway. Several times throughout the day, you can see and hear the A&M train as it passes through town. e workers at the Beard and Lady Apothecary next door to the inn step out as it passes by and wave at the passengers. Aboard the transit, riders are being told stories of old about the inn. Lacey Hendrix, owner of the Beard and Lady Inn, hopes someday to have the train stop in Chester again. Aer the Civil War, as slaves began to migrate west, a large population of emancipated slaves settled along the river near Van Buren. ere they built Mt. Olive United Methodist Church, one of the oldest African American-built churches west of the Mississippi River. e church is currently under renovation to become a wedding and event venue. If the train does eventually make a stop in Chester again, Lacey's vision is to hold wedding ceremonies at the church in Van Buren and have the wedding party and guests take a short train ride north to the inn for the reception, creating the perfect antiquated ambience for lovers with old souls. Hipbillies Much like present day, the ebb and flow of the economy in the foothills of the Ozarks continued to bring forth challenges and successes, depending on the season. As the automobile became popular, so did tourism, and with that, so did the allure of the beautiful Ozarks. Motels became increasingly popular along U.S. Highway 71. Sky-Vue Lodge was built in 1932 by Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Jones as a tourist court and gas station. ey eventually added 14 cottages and a climbing tower atop the roof for guests to revel in the spectacular view. By the 1960s, the Back-to-the-Landers movement had begun. In his book "Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks," Jared M. Phillips states, "e hillbilly of the Ozarks came to represent a subset of American life passed over by the manic drive to modernize in the post war era, and it seemed to some outsiders that this was fine with rural Arkansans." "Hipbillies" covers the enticement of hillfolk life in the Ozarks during a time of political upheaval and post-war America. Over the River Somewhere, Lady, Trains & Beards oh my! 30 • december 2022 • OZArK LIVING

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