About a week ago, I was asked if I knew how the community of Blue Eye, our Stone County neighbors to the south, got its name. As I sit here on the porch of Old Matt's Cabin writing this, I've got a clear view of the Blue Eye area to the south, about eleven miles in the distance.
The Blue Eye region was originally known as Butler's Barrens. Located on the state line, there were several homesteading families that arrived in the area in the years before Stone County would become a county in February 1851. These families were Taney County residents back then. There were the Butlers, as well as the Craven, Pitman and Rhodes families. The Newton family and the Hutchinson family homesteaded on the Arkansas side.
By 1870, Stone County had been in existence for almost twenty years. Local resident Elbert Butler, who named the first trading post Butler's Barrens, organized the first post office, registered as Blue Eye, Missouri. Butler was known for his distinct blue eyes. Others have said that Butler had a condition known today as heterochromia - he had a brown eye and a blue eye. Whatever the case, Blue Eye was established and on its way. As the town expanded, it had an Arkansas side in Carroll County as well as the Stone County side in Missouri. Blue Eye is Stone County's southernmost town, and it's Carroll County's northernmost town.
The Wilderness Road passed about a mile to the west of the community, as it was the main wagon road from Berryville, Arkansas, going north to Reeds Spring, and onward to Springfield. Back then the trip from Berryville to Springfield could take anywhere from seven to ten days.
By 1883, Blue Eye's Baptist Church congregation was organized, and in 1916 a two-story school was built on the Arkansas side with classes beginning in 1918. The school was formed by the Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and operated into the early 1930s when the academy was closed due to the opening of a new school on the Missouri side.
By the 1920s, Blue Eye had a successful canning factory, founded by George Dodgen. He was remembered for freezing strawberries so they could be shipped. He lived a short distance northeast of Blue Eye and operated several canning operations in southwest Missouri.
So what happened to the first postmaster Elbert Butler? He remained an area resident until his passing at age 51 in July 1896. He had also served as Stone County Sheriff and Stone County Collector. His grave can be found in the Blue Eye Cemetery. He married Dallas County native Margaret Pitman in 1865, and due to their business and farming interests had no children together.
Today, Blue Eye remains as two communities separated by the state line. Around 300 total residents live on the Missouri side at present, with approximately 50 on the Arkansas side. They still have a wonderful K-12 school, several churches, and a public library which is affiliated with the Stone County library system.
Blue Eye would receive national attention in the 1960s as it was referenced several times on the Beverly Hillbillies television series on CBS.
Happy New Year, everyone! I wish all of you a fantastic 2025. It's indeed an honor to bring this column to you each week. In April I will begin my third year writing for ya'll. I love it! Happy trails, everyone!
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