It was constructed by Gould Jones, a legendary master craftsman in Jasper.


Gould Jones


Jasper was plotted in 1842 and was one of the earliest settlements of the Ozark Mountains. During the Civil War, Jasper was burned and decades later, Gould Jones is credited with helping revive the city.


“He brought Jasper back from the dead,” said Morgan.


The Arkansas House also features a cafe.


Jones was a jack of all trades. He lived to be 85 and during that time built the town reservoir, built a water wheel that powered electricity, was a mechanic, a mason and an architect.


In 1942, Jones built the town reservoir which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It provided water for the only factory in town, a tomato factory. The factory paid about 30 women $2.50 a day to peel tomatoes. Eventually the factory was closed because it contaminated local wells, but the reservoir stands as a testament to Jones’ skill and ingenuity.


Guy Bennet, who served as County Sheriff from 1959 to 1965, was employed by Gould Jones in the 1940s to haul rocks from the Buffalo River, Bennet said that “Gould Jones could do anything with steel, a fork and an anvil,” as quoted in the National Register of Historic Place application.


24 Living Well i May/June 2017


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