Polk County from the 1854 Colton Railroad and Township Map

Brushy Creek Cemetery, Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

Location & Information

Polk 402 just South of Speck Hollow in the Brushy Creek Area of the Forest.
? Section 22, Township 4 South, Range 30 West
Parcel # ?
This cemetery is also known as the Blaylock Cemetery.

This cemetery is in the heart of the forest. A few families live in the Speck Hollow Area and the Brushy Creek Area. There is no power or telephone service to this area of the forest due to its remote nature.

Most early settlers of Brushy Creek Community came to homestead land. Some did not stay long enough to obtain a clear title, but moved on. Many of the residents were miners. No one remembers the names of all the people buried in Brushy Creek Cemetery, but the old timers agree that Mr. Hatfield was the first. He had a farm in this community and was a relative of the Hatfields, who lived near Shady.

They also remember the burials of Mr. Black, Mrs. P. Walker, Mrs. Samantha Blaylock and her baby.

Some believe that Mr. Black had a home in the community, while others believe that he was passing through this area when he became ill and died.

Mrs. Samantha Blaylock and her baby were buried in 1913. Mrs. Blaylock died from an injury received while working a yoke of steers. She was a relative of the Hathaways. The surviving children were Willie, Janie, Elijah, Nancy and Clarence. According to William Hicks, some of these children later lived in Oklahoma, while the others moved on to Oregon.

Mrs. P. Walker, her son and grandson came to Brushy Creek Community from Texas. They drove a wagon and team, which consisted of a horse and milk cow. Not only, did the cow help pull the wagon, but furnished them with fresh milk along the trip.

Mrs. Walker was elderly when she came to this community. She died in 1915. Mr. B. P. Lichlyter, who owned a sawmill at Speck Hollow, saved the boards of rich pine to make her coffin, as was her request.

Several years ago there were eleven visible graves. Today (9/8/1983) only eight can be found. Big trees have grown in this cemetery. It has never been taken care of in any way. The only headstone that has the name and dates, is that of Mrs. P. Walker. One stone has the initials P.E. B. The other graves are marked with native rocks or slate.

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