Early days of business remembered

Frances Haas holds photo of Brewer Lumber [Click to enlarge]

Though the building is gone, its memories remain as bright as the orange flames which claimed it in the minds of those who will forever be connected to location and its history.

While the site most recently housed Charles Davis' pallet factory, it is more widely known for its operation as a lumber shed.

The facility dates back more than 80 years to its initial ownership under the East Arkansas Builders Supply Company.

Francis (Brewer) Haas, whose father, John, and mother, Hattie, owned and operated the site for many years as the Brewer Lumber Company, remembers the building when her family first came to Rector. Haas, 85, said the shed was already in operation when she came to Rector at the age of six.

"I'm not sure when it was built," Haas said. "I know it was here when we moved to Rector."

John Brewer was a self-taught architect, honing his skills through work and dedication long before advanced educations were commonplace. His skill allowed him to fit seamlessly into the role of manager for the East Arkansas Builders Supply Company's Rector site.

When young couples wanted to build new homes, often their very first houses as a family of their own, they would visit Brewer at the shed.

"Dad would draw the plans based on what the couple wanted," Haas said. "Then he'd contact the carpenters and builders and go over the plans with them so they could start building the home."

As time went by, the East Arkansas Builders Supply Company, headquartered in Little Rock, began offering to sell its lumber sheds to the store managers. Making the most of this opportunity, Brewer, using the borrowing power of his good name as an upstanding member of the community, was able to get a loan to purchase the property.

The Brewers owned and operated Brewer Lumber Company, with John in the shop and Hattie (though she was always known as "Mrs. Brewer" to everyone around town) handling the office side of the business.

During this time, Bert Sigsby Jr. also bought a share of the company, working in the contracting part of the business before leaving to start a successful insurance company.

Sigsby's son, Steve, was one of the firefighters who worked to contain the raging blaze on Saturday.

"I have a lot of memories of that building and the time I spent there as a child," Sigsby said. "It was definitely a sad thing to see it burn like that. It's been here for so long that it's become part of our lives."

Sigsby said he remembers playing in the lumber shed as a child, exploring the nooks and crannies of the large structure, letting his imagination take him on fantastic journeys.

In 1971, the Brewers sold the company to Claude Fielder, who had been a part of their business for several years. Fielder owned and operated the business until 1977, when it was sold to brothers Joe and James Morgan.

The Morgans maintained an emphasis on building homes. During their time as owners, the brothers built many houses throughout Rector which still stand to this day.

"We built a lot of homes," said Joe Morgan. "During that time the population in Rector jumped from 1,700 to 2,300. That tells you there were a lot of new houses going up."

As the building boom slowed, the Morgans began to explore other options. In the mid-80s the property was sold to Adell Simmons.

The shed sold again in 1991, this time to Houston Orr of Paragould. In 1992, the Orrs had the property renovated and the Rector Lumber Company officially opened that same year. Following the death of Orr in 2001, the business closed its doors.

In the spring of 2008, Davis purchased the property from the Orrs. He spent months preparing the property and relocating his pallet business to the site in the fall of 2008.

Davis says he hopes to rebuild at the location.

While any new building at the site will be different and will no doubt be compared to the structure which occupied that spot in the past, Haas, whose connection to the site has outlasted so many others, says she hopes Davis is able to rebuild soon.

"Oh, I hope he does (rebuild)," Haas said. "A memory burned down Saturday night. It's hard to describe it any other way. The physical memory is gone, but I still have my own memories. I hope a new building can be built to help make even more memories in the future."

Haas, whose West Fifth Street home is located just west of the lumber shed location, was one of many who gathered to witness the fire. She watched Saturday's events unfold for a while, then went inside to call her sister, Camilla, in San Diego.

"I had to tell her what was happening," Haas said. "We both had so many memories of our family and that building."