Pocahontas, AR - 12/05/17

December 5, 2017 - Tuesday
Old Davidsonville State Park
Pocahontas, Arkansas

We had a delicious breakfast at Rudy's Grill in Jacksonville, IL with Sharon's brother (David) and his next door neighbor (Leonard) who will turn 91 years young on December 16. We always have a good time with the two of them during our visits. Leonard served in the Army and fought in the Korean War. He was awarded several medals and accommodations that are displayed in a glass case mounted on his living room wall. His mind is sharp and he relishes relating his “war stories” to all that care to listen.

Rudy's Grill is the local meeting place where farmers within the surrounding area gather to discuss the status of their corn and soybean crops. Leonard has farmed here his whole life and everyone knows him by name. He comes here for breakfast every Sunday, drives himself, and never sits alone. Someone in the restaurant always has a seat available at their table for Leonard to join them. He orders the same thing every Sunday: Biscuits and gravy! Small town America... it just does'nt get any better than this folks.

We depart Jacksonville in the late morning and hope to arrive in Pocahontas, Arkansas before it gets too dark. As we get older we prefer not to drive at night.

We arrive at the Old Davidsonville State Park near Pocahontas, AR in the early evening. The campground is empty. We choose a campsite for the night. It has been several years since we have camped here, back in the day when we had our 36-foot, Class A motorhome. At that time not all of the campsites were large enough to accommodate our motorhome. No such problem now with our 17-foot trailer. We can fit into any campsite in the campground.

Time to have some dinner and get a good nights rest.

Old Davidsonville Historic State Park is a 163-acre park that preserves the remains of the abandoned frontier town of Davidsonville. The town was one of Arkansas Territory's first settlements when founded in 1815, serving as an important river port town on the Black River.

Pocahontas, AR is a small town in the northeast corner of Arkansas with a population of 6,608 (2010). The town was named after the Native American from Jameston, Virginia. A statue of her is located in Overlook Park along the Black River.

The town has a number of historic buildings, including:
Old Randolph County Courthouse (1871) still defining the center of the town.

St. Mary's AME Church and Pocahontas School for Children of Color (1918), now home to the Eddie Mae Herron Center. Eddie Mae was the teacher for African American children who attended the school between 1948-1965.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Jacksonville, IL
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Arrived: Pocahontas, AR
Arrival Time: 5:30 pm
Miles traveled: 339

Campground: Old Davidsonville
Type: State Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.15340 N
Longitude: 91.05743 W

Camping Fee: $20.58
Campsite: 4
Campsite Hookups: Electric, Water & Sewer
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-3 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-3 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: None – Trees block access to southern sky.