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Owosso plant burns |
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008 |
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One of the last remaining buildings of the old Owosso furniture plant in Benton burned Tuesday night, sending flames climbing into the night sky and producing billowing clouds of black smoke that could be seen from great distances.  Capt. Brad Besancon of the Benton Fire Department watches over what is left of the old Owosso furniture plant at Willow and East streets that was destroyed by a fire that started around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Besancon said the fire was contained early today, but because of the danger it poses to firefighters, the department is letting the remains continue to burn down. Related photo on page 6B. (Courier photo by Matt Burks)
Owosso, which manufactured a fine line of furniture, once employed up to 500 people, but it had been closed for many years. The structure more recently had housed a cabinet shop that was used infrequently.
 Capt. Greg Ford of the Benton Fire Department looks over the scene of a massive fire Tuesday night that destroyed one of the primary buildings of Benton’s old Owosso furniture factory. The plant that once employed as many as 500 people has been closed for many years. Richard Alley, the current owner of the structure, said it has been used as a cabinet shop in recent years. Vandals or transients are believed to have cause the fire, Benton Fire Chief Ben Blankenship said today. Story and photo on page 1A. (Courier photo by Daniel Sample)
Vandals or transients are believed to have caused the fire in the isolated area on Willow Street south of Edison Avenue in south Benton, Benton Fire Chief Ben Blankenship said.
“It’s still under investigation, but that’s what we believe today,” the chief said.
Firefighters will be spending the next two to three days at the scene, Blankenship said today.
The decision was made to “let the fire burn itself out,” he said. “That building was so old and the electrical system had never been updated, so we made the decision to let it burn itself out.
“There was not enough water anywhere to put that building out. It was so old and dry ... and extremely flammable. It was a target area we had identified. We knew that eventually there might be a fire there ... .
“Turtle Creek brought their tanker in because we had a water issue on one side and they were dumping water for us,” Blankenship said.
“The biggest threat Tuesday night was to houses to the south on Palm Street and the adjacent building, but our firefighters followed our plan to the letter,” Blankenship said. “They did an excellent job and everybody went home safely.
“The safest thing to do is allow it to burn out, and that may take several days.”
Richard Alley, the current owner of the building, said the structure had been used as a cabinet shop in recent years.
“This is what they called the Ben-Ark building,” Alley explained at the fire scene Tuesday night.
“I worked here [at Owosso] many years ago,” he said. “Originally, there were 300,000 square feet of buildings and this one had 35,000 square feet at one time.”
Owosso formerly was owned by Woodrow Jones.
An adjacent structure, which had served as the plant’s office, sustained some siding damage, Blankenship said today.
“Someone [from the fire department] will be there 24-7 to make sure that the fire doesn’t leave the site and to make sure that no one gets harmed,” the fire chief said.
“No one had been down here since last Thursday,” Alley said. “A lady from Weise (Eddie Wise Towing and Service) called and said there was a fire down here in the building.”
Alley said the building has been “broken into several times. I think it was probably kids.”
Blankenship said the building’s isolated location made it difficult to secure the structure.
“People would break in here to steal the copper from the building,” he said.
Benton firefighters were called to the blaze about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and remained at the scene throughout the night, Blankenship said.
“From the time the firefighters arrived, they focused on the primary building and they did an excellent job,” the chief said.
He said there were “probably at one time 18 firefighters” at the scene.
Bryant firefighters were notified of the situation and remained on standby in the event that another fire had occurred in Benton, Blankenship said. “We had one company available to go to another fire, but we would have needed them for help if there had been another fire.”
Blankenship is more than familiar with the Owosso plant area himself since he grew up in Benton and “many years ago I hauled freight out of there for Howell Truck Lines.”
He reminisced about the once-thriving business that provided a livelihood for hundreds of area residents. “They used to produce the finest dining room and bedroom furniture in the country. Most of the furniture factories in North Carolina were envious of it because they knew how well it was made.”
Blankenship also recalled how Jones Furniture on Edison was well-known for the chairs and sofas made there. “It was a heavy, high-quality industry here. There were some very talented craftsmen in this community.”
Fire officials said the building contained paint, varnish, oil and other combustible materials.
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 |  |  |  |  | Just being with family and eating good food is the best part!!- Liz McGee Quantz (Haskell, AR)
The Mabelvale United Methodist Church in Mabelvale, AR will
be hosting a fall carnival on Sunday evening October 26th from 5 to 7pm in the
Fellowship Hall. Kids will love it, parents will too! - Roger Poole (Bryant, AR)
I make an awesome Pina Colda Cake. You buy a boxed yellow
cake mix and mix it and bake it per the instructions on the box. After you bake the
cake allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke
medium size holes all in the cake. Take a can of Eagle Brand Milk and Cream of
Coconut and alternate pouring them into the holes. Place the cake in the fridge for
about one hour, remove and put Cool Whip on top, as much or as little as you like.
The cake is better if you let it sit all night in the fridge before eatting. It is
wonderful!!! - Kelly Chase (Alexander, AK)
My favorite memories of Thanksgiving were when we lived in
Tulsa, Ok. There were always folks that didn't have a place to go for the holiday-
so they wound up at our house along with most of my husband's family from Benton.
The house was packed. The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. But the celebration
didn't end there. At night, all weekend, there were pallets spread throughout the
house and the good eats seemed to never end. And on Friday morning (after
Thanksgiving) all the females were up before dawn and Christmas shopping by 8:00
a.m. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. - Billie Loe (Texas)
I always get to make the turkey for our Thanksgiving. So
you can add more butter or flour for consistency. Wash your turkey, pat dry, take
another stick of butter and rub all over turkey. Then take with your hands and smear
the batter a little thick, all over the turkey. Once all of the turkey has the
batter on it, I will melt the another bar of butter and put it in the bottom of the
pan of my turkey. It will make a wonderful gravy to use on your turkey when done.
So, then get enough aluminum foil to make a "tent" over your turkey. Put in oven and
bake @ 375 all night. It will be so moist, the crispies are great and the gravy
makes it better. Now the flip side to this is, it will be so tender it will fall apart.
So, I do not serve as a whole turkey. I go ahead and slice up, pour some grave
over some of the sliced up turkey for those who like it and then slice up some
turkey without gravy. You will have many compliments on this. Happy Thanksgiving
and Enjoy! - Liz Johnson (Benton) We prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that morning.
Then we pack it all up and travel to deer camp in South Arkansas. We serve dinner to
all those who don't have family with which to share. We'll spend the afternoon
playin' dominos, pitchin' horseshoes and just visitin'. It's a wonderful time. - Pat Stuckey (Bismarck) We invite all the family in and cook the traditional feast.
Everyone gets silly when they get full. That is entertaining. - Jim Perry (Benton) Frozen pizza - Greg Marsh (Medicine Hat) The whole family gets together and we have dinner and noon
visit for a while then go home to take naps and get ready for black friday sales! - Terrie Schulz (Benton)
My childhood memories are of the sumptuous dinners my
grandfather, Byron Yarbrough, Sr. would prepare. Family members came from all over
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to our home of South East Street. It was a wondeful
time I really didn't learn to appreciate until he and my grandmother passed away.
Later, my cousin Eleen Murray brought the tradition back and family members gathered
at their home near Lake Norrell. Today, it's the memories of
Thanksgivings past that I treasure. It was because of these gatherings that I came
to realize the importance of family. - David Hughes (Herndon, VA)
My favorite time of remembering Thanksgiving is when all of
my family would get together and enjoy the most wonderful feast I have ever tasted.
My mom would make at least 2 to 3 different stuffings, actually her and my sister
Tammy Parker(Schultz) would make everything. I am not quite the chef my mom and
sister are. I live now and have lived for most of my life away from home in
different states so I have tasted many other dishes. None can compare to my
mom's(Pat Brumley). But most of all it is the family being altogether and just
laughing and having fun. My husband experienced this tradition for the first time in
1999 and still to this day can not stop talking about it. His traditions were not
the same. He couldn't believe the amount of food, fun, and family we had for the
holidays. I didn't understand it because I am used to it always being that way. I am
very lucky to have the family I have. My ex-step dad (David Hughes) still treats me
and my sister like his own so I have extended family to share the holidays with too. Even if it
is just a phone call, prayer, or written. I sure so miss Benton. I was raised
there and even though I am in Hoosier state since 2001 I let everybody know I am
proud to be a Razorback. I will never be anything else. God bless everyone in
Benton and someday I hope to see you soon. - Debbie Brooks (Schultz) (Columbus, IN) |
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