One of the many perks of being a teacher, besides working with some amazing kids, is spring break.
Spring break is a time to rest, relax — and maybe even take a trip to get away from the regular routine and “recharge the batteries." This year, my wife decided she’d travel to Mexico with some of the ladies she works with at her Benton law firm. As for me, I took a trip to northern Arkansas to see a few historic and scenic sites I had yet to experience in my 46 years of living in the natural state.
The first stop on my spring break adventure took me off I-40 about 20 miles north of Clarksville (Johnson County) to the small community of Oark, which is home to what is believed to be the oldest continuously operating store in the state — the Oark General Store.
F.M. Nelson moved to Oark and bought land in 1889, opening the general store the following year. The small business greatly contributed to the development of the isolated community, providing locals with luxury items and necessities that otherwise would have been unattainable. The general store also gave Oark a central meeting place and a market for local crop and timber products. The store also served for many years as the Oark post office.
The Oark General Store has served food since its early days. But in later years, it began serving hot food such as hamburgers. More room was added to the store in the mid-1960s, but the general store did not become a full-scale restaurant until the early 1990s. With the increased tourism in the area thanks to the development of the Ozark National Forest and the rise in the popularity of camping and floating on the nearby Mulberry River, the general store became a popular place to stop for supplies, fuel and a quick lunch. Being the only business of its kind in the little community, Oark General Store and its café grew in popularity and became a must-see tourist destination.
The store has changed owners several times over its history, but it has never closed, making it the oldest continuously operating store in Arkansas. Brian and Reagan Eisele moved to the Oark area and purchased the store in May 2012. The couple had met in Washington, D.C.; Brian worked for South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson, and Reagan worked for Arkansas’ senior U.S. Senator, John Boozman. On my recent trip to the old store, I met Brian and he couldn’t have been more hospitable and welcoming.
Today, Oark General Store is mostly known for its mouth-watering menu, but a limited selection of supplies for adventurers can still be purchased. The restaurant is open every day of the week except Tuesday. But the store usually closes for a few days around the Christmas/New Year holidays and reopens in early January. Stickers adorn the windows and doors of the store from visitors from all over the nation and world—including one that features the name of this column and its companion blog.
In March 1995, Oark General Store was added to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places. While the interior of the building retains its original floor and ceiling, the building was ruled ineligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to the many alterations that have taken place to the structure over its 133-year-old history.
Yes, Oark General Store is off the beaten path a bit, but I’ve found in all my travels throughout Arkansas that those places are the best kind, and the old store is definitely one of them.
A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.
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