If you've ever been to Jasper and marveled at the stone buildings such as the Arkansas House, you are looking at the work of Charles Gould Jones. He was born in Jasper on April 6, 1887, the son of Brice and Selena (Boomer) Jones. He grew up working on his father's farm. He married Ora Frances Campbell in 1913 in Boone County and set up a blacksmith shop in the Elmwood neighborhood there.
He became an automobile mechanic and by 1930 he had a garage in Jasper. It was around this time that he started building out of native stone.
He built walls and then buildings. The most artistic of his work was the Arkansas House on Highway 7 north of the courthouse square. It was built in 1933 out of a combination of native stone and brick. He built the metal waterwheel, using his blacksmithing skills, and later erected what was then known as the Dairy Diner beside it.
Closer to the square is a building that was originally Gilbert Pool Hall, then Emma's Museum of Junk, and now Peggy Sue's Coffee House. This was another of Jones's creations.
Charles Gould Jones died in March 1972 and was buried in Jasper Cemetery, but his true monument are the unique buildings he built in Jasper.
To see photos of Jones and his work as well as pictures of Newton County as it was, get "Images of America- Newton County" by Ray and Diane Hanley with the Newton County Historical Society.
Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.
