John P. Sites Jr. moved to Arrow Rock in 1844 and became the town's gunsmith. He served the area with all its gunsmithing needs, including rifle repair and ammunition sales, for 60 years out of this shop located in historic Arrow Rock. Jack Davis, pictured carrying a rifle, has been volunteering his time at the gun shop for several years. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Kathy Borgman took time out of her busy schedule of working towards preserving Arrow Rock to speak to Marshall Rotarians about the mission of Friends of Arrow Rock on Thursday, Jan. 3.

Friends of Arrow Rock was founded in 1959 with just a small group of committed people, Borgman said. The membership has now grown to over 800, even with members from Taiwan and Paris, France, and the village of Arrow Rock only has a population of 70.

The Huston Tavern, now known as Arrow Rock Tavern, was first purchased by the state of Missouri for the state park system in 1923. The first building the Friends of Arrow Rock restored was in 1960 and it was a small framed building believed to have been the 1939 Saline County Courthouse. This building was turned over to the state park system.

After they completed this project, they realized there were more buildings that needed to be saved. They began working towards acquiring properties and restoring them.

Something Borgman found interesting was that in the early 1950s some individuals from Marshall started restoring private homes in Arrow Rock.

"At that time, it was more like, 'let's tear down the old and put up new,'" Borgman said.

John Lawrence, a doctor, and his wife bought a property, Prairie Park, 3.5 miles from Arrow Rock and restored the house. Bill and Cora Lee Miller also restored a house, one on Main Street, and they ran it for years as Miller's Antiques.

"They were doing something then that was ahead of the time for preservation," Borgman said.

Since then, the group has grown and operates 13 properties, including the 1839 Miller-Bradford House, Dr. Sappington Medical Museum, 1866 J.P. Sites Gun Shop, 1875 Victorian Sites House, 1868 Independent Order of Oddfellows Hall and its downstairs Print Shop, 1872 Christian Church, 1903 Lawless House, an 1830s log structure, 1871 Brown's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church, 1881 Brown Lodge No. 22 of AF & AM and the Post Office.

Borgman began working part-time for the Friends of Arrow Rock in 1980.

She said an amazing thing happened last December. Warren Kiso of Slater contacted the organization and wanted to donate two Sites rifles that were made at the gun shop in Arrow Rock.

But this story starts much earlier than December. Thomas B. Hall Jr., a doctor, was one of the founding members of Friends of Arrow Rock. His family was from Arrow Rock and he owned a home in Arrow Rock, but practiced medicine in Kansas City.

Hall was very interested in the restoration of the J.P. Sites Gun Shop.

"Even before the Friends of Arrow Rock was founded, he was working at laying ground to begin this restoration," Borgman said. Hall knew Kiso and also knew he owned two Sites rifles. In 1958, Hall went to visit Kiso and at the end of the visit offered him $500 to buy the rifles.

Kiso told Hall, "He would like to look at them for a while longer, maybe 50 years or so and then he would do something with them," according to Borgman.

When Kiso contacted Borgman, he said, "I'm keeping my promise to Dr. Hall (Jr.) that I made 49 years ago and I want to donate the Sites rifles to the Friends of Arrow Rock."

Borgman said, "It's coincidental that the current president of the organization is Dr. Thomas B. Hall III, the son of Dr. Hall (Jr.) who worked so diligently on the beginning of the Sites Gun Shop restoration in Arrow Rock."

Carol Pemberton, the organization's education director, said, "The gun shop is the only gun shop in the United States that is in its original building on its original property."

Borgman said something else exciting happened lately. A representative for a previous donor from Jefferson City, who sent $20 to $50 per year to the organization for about 20 years, contacted the organization and said the donor's estate had been settled and the organization will receive $64,000.

Friends of Arrow Rock has been building an organization to assure stability to historic Arrow Rock. They have been able to put an endowment down of $600,000. The organization operates on a budget of $125,000, which includes wages for two full-time personnel and two to three summer helpers. This also includes the upkeep of 13 buildings.

Borgman said the organization seeks to tell the story to about 5,000 students and adults per year in its educational programs and guided building tours.

The organization wants to teach children to know about history and care about it, she said.

"History is a part of everything we do and love everyday," she said. "And we don't realize it."

For more information about Friends of Arrow Rock visit its Web site at www.friendsar.org.

Contact Rachel Harper at marshallcity@socket.net