The photo is the property of Mrs. H.F Pirtle. She and the late Mr. Pirtle were among the early settlers having reside in the first four years of their marriage on Blacklock farm, which is part of the Albright farm, near the overflow west of Peach Orchard. (my photo was the property of a daughter of Joe Sellmeyer).
Mr. J.E Reynolds furnished a great part of this information. He recalls the early days of Knobel as follows:
The above building was one of the first in Knobel, sometime in the 1880's. B.H (Barney) Sellmeyer is setting on the horse in front of the building and his brother Joe Sellmeyer is standing in the door. The two brothers operated a grocery store in the building.
The woman standing in the door was Miss Tillie Baker, the boy next to Joe Sellmeyer is Bill Baker, brother to Tillie. The woman with the parasol is Mrs. John Drees, a sister of the Sellmeyer brothers. The bald headed man setting on the block is Uncle Johnie Skags, father of Levada Holeman and Mrs. Rosa Webb. The oxen in front of the storebelonged to the Sellmeyer bros. There were two Negro families living in Knobel at the time. The two Negro men John Stockupand and Tom Williams drove the oxen hauling logs. John later moved to Newport of his own accord and two years later a bunch of roughnecks went to Tom's home one night and tore it up and made him leave. There have been no colored folks there since that time. The avenues running east from the station (in Knobel) is Mable Avenue; named for Eli Lod's daughter, Mable.
J.E Reynolds, Knobel Ark. copied 7-3-53
John's dad is the man behind the bar. 1st man on stool- Charlie Whitaker, 2nd man setting at the bar is Nobel Shepherd, and the man setting next to wall is Henry Archer..
Location of bar: If you stand in front of Sellmeyer store, and go left. The next building contained the movie house, then Lora Wilkerson's store, then the tavern, then John Byer's store and then another smaller building(I think not sure Dr. Cunnings Rexall Drug Store). All of these stores had benches at the edge of the sidewalk and on friday and saturday nights whe when we went town , the store lights lit the streets. Parking in Knobel was never a problem. John Tillford Robinson
