Gurdon in Clark County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Hoo-Hoo Monument
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023
1. Hoo-Hoo Monument Marker
Bolling Arthur Johnson William S. Mitchell William E. Barns Adalbert Strauss George W. Schwartz George K. Smith
This tablet was erected in Gurdon Arkansas
by the Concatenated Order of the Hoo-Hoo
September 9, 1909
[Front of monument]
this page online
John H. Kirby Emerson D. Tennant Julius Seidel William A. Priddie Richard A. Hiscox Laurent M. Tully Everett G. Griggs William S. Dickason Charles D. LeMaster James H. Allen Alton J. Hager Arthur A. Hood James M. Brown Melvin M. Riner Gaines D. Whitsitt Franklin A. Hofheins Benjamin F. Springer George W. Dulany, Jr. Don S. Montgomery Ray E. Saberson Leroy H. Stanton Sr.
Martin T. Wiegand Lynn Boyd Robert J. Stalker Arthur H. Geiger John B. Egan John H. Dolcater Dave Davis Clifford H. Schorling Ernie L. Wales Robert E. Gallagher Richard W. Scott Ernst W. Hammerschmidt Harvey W. Koll Edward F. Wade John G. Hickey Glenn W. Ross Bradford T. Dempsey Vaughan H. Justus
Robert L. Johnson Edward J. Roche Wade P. Cory Laurence J. Owen John A. Cheshire Leonard R. Putnam Philip H. Dawson David B. Marteney Thomas Partridge William A. Bader Laurn R. Champ Eugene D. Zanck
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023
2. Hoo-Hoo Monument (Side One)
Erected 1909 by Concatenated Order of the Hoo-Hoo.
Topics and series. This historical marker and monument is listed in this topic list: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 21, 1892.
Location. 33° 55.207′ N, 93° 9.158′ W. Marker is in Gurdon, Arkansas, in Clark County. Marker is at the intersection of North 1st Street and West Main Street (Arkansas Route 53), on the left when traveling north on North 1st Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 N 1st St, Gurdon AR 71743, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sandidge House (approx. half a mile away); Skirmishes at Okolona / Fighting at Elkins' Ferry (approx. 12 miles away); Skirmish at Bozeman's House (approx. 12.1 miles away); Hollywood Methodist Church (approx. 13.8 miles away); Sloan School (approx. 14.7 miles away); Peake High School (approx. 14.7 miles away); Rose Hill Cemetery (approx. 14.8 miles away); First Public School in Arkadelphia (approx. 14.8 miles away).
Regarding Hoo-Hoo Monument.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023
3. Hoo-Hoo Monument (Side Two)
According to tradition, [Bolling Arthur] Johnson, a lumber trade journalist, for some time had seen a need to link together, or concatenate, the workers of the lumber industry. On January 12, 1892, Johnson attended a meeting of the Southern Lumber Manufacturers in Camden, Arkansas. After the meeting, he and four other conventioneers were stranded by a delayed train in Gurdon for five hours. Johnson, George K. Smith, William Eddy Barnes, George W. Schwartz, and William Starr Mitchell left the depot to wait in the parlor at Hotel Hall. There they met local lumberman Rudolph A. Strauss. Johnson shared his ideas about a national fraternity with these five men, and together they organized the Concatenated Order of the Hoo-Hoo.
In 1909, five of the 1892 founding members of the Hoo-Hoo Order - Johnson, Barns, Mitchell, Schwartz and Smith - gathered in Gurdon to dedicate the Hoo-Hoo Monument. The plaque, cast from pennies donated by Hoo-Hoo members, was affixed to the building that stood on the site of Hotel Hall. Sculptor George J. Zolnay created the sculpture.
In 1927 the building holding the Hoo-Hoo Monument was scheduled for demolition, and the bronze plaque was moved across Main Street to its current location adjacent to the Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot. There it was affixed to a permanent barre granite base and dedicated for a second time. The names of all Hoo-Hoo presidents, or "Snarks of the Universe," were engraved on the opposite side of the monuments and two statues of cats, as they appear on the Hoo-Hoo logo, were placed atop the new monument.
Outside of its historic associations with the Hoo-Hoo Order, the monument also has statewide significance as the only known example of high-style sculpture by a nationally known artist [Zolnay] in a rural location in Arkansas
Also see . . .
1. Hoo-Hoo Monument (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the monument, which was listed in 1999. (Prepared by Mark Christ, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program; via National Archives) (Submitted on October 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. A History of Hoo-Hoo International (PDF). The word "Hoo-Hoo" had been coined by [Bolling Arthur] Johnson in describing a most peculiar tuft of hair, greased and twisted to a point, atop the otherwise bald head of Charles McCarer, of Northwestern Lumberman, Chicago. The name Hoo-Hoo became a catchphrase among the lumbermen in various areas to describe anything unusual or out of the ordinary. (International Order of Hoo-Hoo) (Submitted on October 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 131 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
