The Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society will host a program tracing the history of electricity in Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, at the Donald W. Reynolds Library in Mountain Home. Roy Stovall, a longtime Arkansas history researcher and master naturalist, will present “When Electricity Came to Arkansas.” His talk will cover how the state transitioned from bear fat lamps to modern artificial intelligence data centers, including a look at Mountain Home’s early electric company and the construction of Norfork and Bull Shoals dams. The event is free and open to the public.
Stovall, a life member of the Arkansas Archeological Society and the Ozark Highlands Trail Association, has worked closely with state and local archeologists. He also serves on the board of the Ozark Keystone Trail Endowment and leads volunteer crews that maintain local hiking trails.
In addition to the program, the historical society will open the Randolph Casey House to the public during the Baxter County Fair. Located next to the fairgrounds, the house will be accessible from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, September 17–19. Built in 1858, the Casey House is one of Arkansas’s few remaining pre-Civil War structures and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.
The society announced that visitors can view the completed first phase of the home's restoration. The work, which included a new roof, siding upgrades, and repairs to the front porch, back porch, and steps, was funded through public grants, private donations, and support from the Baxter County judge and quorum court. Private contributions from the society’s “All A-Board” fundraiser also supported the project.
Future restoration efforts will focus on the home's interior. The society plans to seek additional funding during the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s 2027 grant cycle.
For more information about the program or the Casey House restoration, contact Kevin Bodenhamer at 870-404-1182 or Sonny Sharp at 870-404-8516.