The Online Magazine That Celebrates The History Of The Central Ozarks,
Its People and Places.

www.smackout.com The Message Tree is owned and published monthly by Crabtree and Associates Got A Web Site? Let us show you how you can establish an online presence and harness the POWER of the Internet for your business or organization. Click to learn more about     the best in Web Site Hosting.

Art Signing Day At The Harold Bell Wright Museum The Message Tree Staff       On a beautiful Saturday in October, your Message Tree staff was fortunate enough to attend the Art Signing day at the Harold Bell Wright museum located in what was formerly the First Christian Church building, on North Walnut Street, Pierce City Missouri. Artists, poets, and authors, were present to show and sell their work, in an effort to raise monies for the “Keep Pierce City Alive” fund, which is earmarked to offset the expenses associated with rebuilding the community that was devastated by a tornado in May. Kristin Nama, the President of the museum board of trustees, was kind enough to share with us the history of the museum building as well as showing us some of the artifacts and memorabilia that their organization has acquired through donations. The old church was converted into a public library in 1933 and then into a museum in 2000. It’s best known minister was H. B. Wright. Old Photograph of First Christian Church in Pierce City Missouri where the author of The Shepherd Of the Hills and many other wonderful novels, preached. The historic structure is now home to the Harold Bell Wright Museum Photo courtesy of Gerry Chudleigh http://www.gchudleigh.com/index.htm         Harold Bell Wright, best known to those of us in the Ozarks as the author of the novel The Shepherd of The Hills, was born May 4, 1872, at Rome, N. Y., the son of William A. and Anna Watson Wright. While attending Hiram College, a preparatory school in Hiram Ohio, Wright became interested in art and came to the Ozarks to paint landscapes and also for health purposes.       His association as a preacher with the First Christian Church was before he had been ordained as a minister, being called to preach when the church was without a leader. He was later ordained and went on to lead churches in Pittsburg Kansas and Kansas City Missouri before moving on west. It was at Forest Avenue Baptist Church in Kansas City that he started writing and his first book was written in installments so that he could read his manuscript to his congregation, and at the insistence of his friends he published his novel "That Printer of Udell's" in 1903. He went on to become one of Americas best loved authors during the early 20th century. Although his critics gave his work terrible reviews, the public loved him with his first 12 novels selling an average of 737,443 copies each and The Shepherd Of The Hills and The Winning Of Barbara Worth each selling over 2,000,000. For more information on the life of this great American Author, see Gerry Chudleigh's phenomenal web site at; http://www.gchudleigh.com/index.htm   Kristen Nama tells us that Pierce City hopes to make the Art Signing Day at the museum an annual event, so be watching for press releases regarding the 2004 activities. She also told us that the museum will be undergrowing trememdous growth as new displays of Wright and other memorbilla become available.   Be sure to check out the Museum's website at http://hometown.aol.com/hbwmuseuminpcmo/myhomepage/index.html Below and at bottom left is but a few of the artists that were on hand to sign and sell their work, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the fund that will help rebuild Pierce City to its glory prior to the May 2003 tornados.                  Valarie Fletcher was on hand , and busy at her spinning wheel demonstrating her art, creating natural fiber products. Valerie along with her husband Alan market all sorts of hand woven yarn and handcrafted wood items. For more information contact Valerie and Alan Fletcher Adventures in Wood and Fiber Seymour Missouri 417-935-2951 goatsalot@aol.com Zona Mae Crabtree (no relation to your Message Tree staff) of Verona wrote, illustrated, and self published this outstanding work of fiction, telling the story of three young Native Americans and their adventures in the wilderness. Mrs. Crabtree and her husband Joe can be contacted at zona@mo-net.com and they will happy to tell you the details of how to obtain a copy of this novel. or call 417-498-6964 Award winning Poet, Author, Artist and crafsperson, Richard Fussell, displayed and signed copies of his poetry and prints of many of his paintings and drawings, one pen and ink depicted the old Pierce City Gazebo as it apeared before the damages that historic structure sustained in the storms of May. Richard Can be contacted at 417-498-6446 Carolyn Sue Smithee bases her novel on the true live adventures of three little girls growing up in the Ozarks, and their life long friendship. For information on locations where the wonderful novel is sold, contact her at storyteller1942@aol.com or 479-751-8497

The Message Tree 2003, All rights Reserved