Biography of Mrs W P Curtis, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 19 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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Mrs. W. P. Curtis, the former Mrs. Lemke owns and operates the former Lemke
Service Station, now Avalon, which was founded in 1931 by the late C. D. Lemke.
Mr. & Mrs. Lemke moved to Forrest City from Chattanooga, Tenn., in December
1916. He was a harness maker by trade and was employed by W. A. Watson, who
operated a harness and vulcanizing shop on North Washington Street where now
stands the ESSO Station. In 1918, Mr. Lemke opened his own business on North
Izard, back of the Palace Drug Store. He continued in business there until 1931
when he built the Lemke Service Station. In 1922, he bought six acres on East
Broadway, known as the Neill place. In 1938 he built the tourist cabin units and
cottages which he operated with the service station from 1931 till 1945. On the
site, he had a fine Rock Garden and grew flowers. The garden contained many
petrified logs and rocks from Crow Creek. It became a fine tourist attraction
and picnic ground, having outdoor fireplace built of rocks and three connecting
lily ponds, with water continually trickling down over the old Mill Wheel made
by Mrs. Lemke's father, Mr. W. J. Hixson. In May 1945, because of failing health
of Mr. Lemke, they sold the property to S. B. and Fairy A. Moore of Kansas City
and they operated it for a year and then sold it. Mr. Lemke died Aug. 4, 1947.
Mrs. Lemke married Mr. W. P. Curtis on June 14, 1951. She retired from the
Forrest City Savings and Loan Assoc. on June 1, 1953, after more than a quarter
of a century, being employed Dec. 1926 by C. W. Norton, Sect. of the
association.


SOURCE:
HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning

Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher
-Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas