Calling Dr. RushSt. Francis County Museum Experience

Angela TealLIBM 6320September 26, 2011

St. Francis County Museum603 Front StreetForrest City, AR(870) 633-1744Tuesday – Friday 10am – 4pm

Mission Statement Vision Statement

We will carry out our goal through collections, exhibits, and presentations of artifacts, documents, and folk lives. We will bring people and our history together and pursue our mission through cooperation, collaboration, and participation with the community at large.

Our mission is to preserve the history and convey the importance of St. Francis County to our community and visitors alike and to educate these individuals about the significance our county has played that connects our past to our present and future.

HistoryThe museum was not only the residence of Dr. Rush, but also served as his doctor’s office. The actual room that he used as his examining and operating room is still in the museum. Dr. Rush was an obstetrician, dentist, surgeon, family doctor, and even undertaker. With no hospitals nearby, doctors had to be able to do everything. The room resembles what Dr. Rush’s office may have looked like.

Dr. J.O. Rush

Services•Exhibits: Native American pottery, prehistoric artifacts, African-American history of St. Francis County, agricultural history, our veterans of armed conflicts, and reconstruction of Dr. Rush’s office•Guided Tours by appointment•Booths at fairs and festivals•Lecture Programs•Professional development hours for educators•School programs and summer programs•“Lock ins”•Visitor center for the Crowley’s Ridge National Scenic Byway•Rentals of building for special meetings or events

PATRONS/DIVERSITY•Tourist(worldwide visitors)•Local and county patrons•Schools(public, private, and home schooled)•Boy Scouts•Girl Scouts•Fully handicapped accessible•Free to public•Ghost hunters welcomed

WOW FACTORAs you walk into this old house, you can help but have a creepy feeling inside. Especially when you find out that the Arkansas Paranormal and Anomalous Studies Team has made several trips to the museum and reported some unexplained voices on recordings. A local group, Paranormal Research in Unknown Phenomenon has also conducted research there. According to news articles, objects have mysteriously “moved” from one place to another, secured doors have opened by themselves, and strange noises have been heard. The Associated Press distributed the story in October 1999, just prior to the museum’s very successful Halloween candlelight tour.

REFERENCESTeal, A. (Personal Photographs). September 15, 2011. “St. Francis

County Museum.” [Photographs], Forrest City, Arkansas.

Gervasi, S. (2011, September 15). Personal interview and video.

St. Francis County Museum. Retrieved September 14, 2011, from http://www.sfcmuseum.org