Era, Arkansas

One and a half miles east of Concord there once existed a small town called Era. It was the trading center for the surrounding farming region. It had a few stores, a saloon, a church, and a post office which operated from 1889 to 1898.

Era was the home of Dr. Edward Hemperley and his wife Leticia, who later in life became known throughout the township as “Aunt Let.” The Hemperleys had thirteen children. One of them, Henry, owned one of the stores in Era. The Doctor had an extensive practice not only in Era, but also extending into Louisiana and Texas. After the Doctor’s death in 1913, his wife, Leticia (Aunt Let), was often called upon to attend the sick because of her medical knowledge and practical wisdom.

There was also a Dr. Lafayette Westbrook in Era, but little is known about him except that he died in 1904 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery at Era.

Another prominent citizen in Era was John Harris Sheppard. He and his brother, Frank, operated what was probably the largest retail business in Era. They were also cotton buyers.

Harris Sheppard was born in Georgia in 1834, but grew up in Barbour County, Alabama. He became a farmer. On January 8, 1861, he was married to Louisiana Virginia Phelps, the daughter of William and Judy Phelps. The Phelps were prominent plantation owners.

There is a unique twist as to how this marriage came about. Louisiana’s father had previously betrothed and “arranged” for her marriage to an old widower whose plantation adjoined his own. But Louisiana Virginia Phelps, who was her own person, defiant, and determined, was in the meantime making arrangements of her own.

On the night of the prearranged wedding, the Phelps home was filled with genteel guests, and a wedding feast was to be served immediately following the ceremony. Just prior to the ceremony the bride told her mother that she wanted to be completely alone for a few moments. So “Cunning Lou” locked her bedroom door, quickly dressed into warm clothing, then opened the bedroom window. On that signal the Phelps plantation overseer, Harris Sheppard (a mere hired hand) dashed up to the window on his horse, Louisiana jumped on the horse behind Harris, and they rode off into the night.

The Phelps family disavowed Louisiana and never laid eyes on her again.

Later, in the same year (1861), Harris joined the Confederate Army and was a participant in many battles of the Civil War. He received several injuries and was once taken prisoner, but he escaped the same day. Harris was also present at the surrender at Appomattox.

After the Civil War, Harris and Louisiana lived for a short time in Georgia and Alabama; then in 1870, they moved to Era, Arkansas.

Their first venture there was that of farming 300 acres of land. Harris was a successful farmer, but he later went into the mercantile business with his brother, Frank. The business turned out to be successful. Harris and Lou had seven children. One of their daughters, Louvenlia, became the wife of Jefferson Beauregard Hemperley, a store owner at Collins Bluff, and who later moved to Doddridge and had a store there. Another business in Era that had some claim to fame was a saloon called “Spoonful.” It was located on Buffalo Road which passed through Era.

This road was also known as the Spring Bank to Jefferson Road, or the Old Military Road. The name of the saloon always evokes a smile in people, probably because of the speculation over its origin. Some say that Spoonful got its name because the whiskey was served to the customers by the spoonful (possibly a ladle). Others speculate that the whiskey was so strong that one spoonful could send a man reeling out the door, or to the floor, whichever came first. According to Franklin Martin, who lives near Era, Henderson Brown was the owner of Spoonful. Franklin estimates that the saloon must have been in operation during the 1880s and 90s.

Most likely there were several saloons on the long road from Spring Bank to Jefferson. Some people have thought that Frog Level was a saloon located on Buffalo Road just across the Louisiana line. Actually, it was a small community. In 1879, before the community had a name, the residents met one night to choose a name. The frogs were “hollerin1” so loudly outside that the people could hardly hear, and so one man jumped up and shouted, “Let’s name it Frog Level!” And so, they did. The logic or meaning of the word “level” in the name isn’t known. Years later, when the railroad came through the place, it was renamed after the daughter of a railroad official. Her name was Rodessa.

The Evergreen Baptist Church and Cemetery in Era was established in 1868. Dr. Hemperley, Aunt Let, and Dr. Westbrook are all buried in this cemetery.

The Church of Christ, which had been established earlier in Bright Star, moved to Era in 1878. It remained in Era until 1910, then moved to its present location three miles southwest of Doddridge. After the railroads were extended through Queen City, Atlanta, and Bloomburg, Texas, store owners in Era, including the Sheppards, moved to these railroad towns where they established their businesses. From then on.

Era went into decline and never recovered. The population decreased throughout the years to the extent that, today, Era no longer exists. The place has become a forest. The only reminders left are the roads, the Evergreen Church and Cemetery, and the Concord Cemetery nearby. This is the only evidence that, once upon a time in this location, there was a thriving little town with many people living throughout the region.