Season 1, Episode 14

Charles and Patsy Walthall

Life on the edge of the prairie

Tucked away at the edge of Garland City in Miller County, just out where the crop dusters operate and the tractors go back and forth, sits an antebellum gem known as the Wynward Hall Plantation. This historical house is occupied by one of L.A.s most prolific historians. Charles and Patsy Walthall call this  house with the long history home and enjoy talking about it.

I first met Charles through one of his many Facebook groups focusing on many things South Arkansas. I finally messaged him one day and suggested we have lunch, and the rest, as they say, is history. It eventually wound up with me taking a whole busload of senior adults from my church over to visit and the Walthalls were wonderful hosts.

I learn something about the history of the house and the region every time I visit. For example, on my  last trip over when I carried my microphone over he told me about the most famous visitor to the house, who arrived by steamboat on the Red River. You'll never guess what that guest did when he got to Wynward Hall! Or what went on there on the weekends, after the long hours of labor during the week were done. Or the role it played during the Civil War.

Join us for a walk down memory lane and learn about the days when this magnificent structure served the community and region in a variety of ways.