DODDRIDGE, Ark. -- A recent log truck accident destroyed most of Doddridge's Community Center building, but it could have been worse, says Doddridge Museum Curator Patsy Maddox.
Maddox said that while the community center will likely wind up being a complete loss, the truck managed to avoid hitting the museum last week, which sits across Arkansas State Highway 160 from the center.
Maddox says that some local historic artifacts, such as portions of the community's vintage Spring Bank Ferry, which were being housed in the community building, were seriously damaged. However, the vast majority of the community's historical items were across the road in the museum and safe.
"Right now, our museum is packed," she said. "Our community council had decided to bring just a few of our historic collections to the center."
Presently, work crews are removing the center's wreckage from the site.
"The center (which itself dated back to 1916) appears to be a permanent loss," she said. "The center's roof caved in and some of the older Spring Bank Ferry pictures of the crew members, with their life rafts, got damaged. At the time of the accident, we were using the Community Center to provide some supplemental space for some of the museum's displays."
