Episode 7 - Harold Bell Wright ~ Famous Author and Preacher

Unknown to many is the story of one of America’s leading authors from the 19th century.  His name is Harold Bell Wright.  I was introduced to this author’s work when I was a freshman in high school back in the 60’s.  I was thrilled by a book he had written and that was read to us by our librarian as part of a class.  I’ve since grown in my love for this wonderful book and hope you will too.

 I invite you to listen to the story behind the story of a great author.

I invite you to share this podcast with others. If you have interesting stories about historical markers you've discovered, or perhaps are in your area, please email me at: americanhistoricalmarkers@gmail.com.

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Safe Travels!

Transcript

Hello Friends,

 I’m your host Dave Laton and welcome to Signs of Our Time, Discovering America’s heritage, one sign at a time.

 This podcast is designed to provide the story behind the story found on America’s roadside historical signs and markers.  

 Have you ever had a favorite book that you loved so much that you read it many times?  Such is the case with me.  In today’s episode I want to talk about one of my favorite authors and my favorite book of all time written by him.  I’m talking about Harold Bell Wright and his masterpiece book, Shepherd of the Hills.  Harold Bell Write was one of America’s favorite authors for several decades in the early 20th century.  

 When I was a young boy our school librarian, Mrs. Livingston taught a class on vocabulary.  Believe it or not, it was an interesting class.  We learned how words were formed and how to understand words by their prefix and suffix.  Little did I know that I would someday make a career from writing.  But the best thing about the class was that each week instead of teaching us about words and such, Mrs. Livingston would read aloud to us from Shepherd of the Hills.  

 I was fascinated with the story.  We were living in Northwest Arkansas not far from where the story took place in Branson, Missouri.  It fed my imagination.  I could visualize each character and feel the emotions of the events in the story.  I’ve since made it a point to read the book at least once a year.  I even gave a copy of it to my future wife as a valentine’s gift.  

 After it was first published in 1907, the book sold over a million copies.  For that time, this was an amazing testimony to its popularity.  The book is also credited with creating widespread interest in the Ozarks and today Branson, Missouri, remains a favorite for tourists.

 The inspiration for the book was a real-life couple from the Ozarks, John and Anna Ross.  Wright brought them to life through the characters of Old Matt and Aunt Mollie Matthews.  He frequently stayed on their property and gained further inspiration from other characters in the community, and the beauty of the Ozarks.  You sense this as you read how Wright weaves the rich tapestry of a simple people living by primitive means in the beauty of the Ozarks.

In addition to being an author, he was also a minister. He started preaching at small church in the community when the preacher didn’t show up.  This real-life event is mirrored in the book. This might have been a bit of a revelation of the dreams of Wright. 

The main character and namesake of the book, Daniel Howitt was a preacher from the big city that craved the peace and tranquility of the Ozark community.  He would frequently fill in as the preacher.  Here’s a quote from the book about this role.

 “At the occasional religious meetings in the schoolhouse at the Forks, Mr. Howitt was always present, an attentive listener to the sermons of the backwoods preacher. And then, seeing his interest, they asked him to talk to them one day when Parson Bigelow failed to make his appointment. “He don’t holler so much as a regular parson,” said Uncle Josh Hensley, “but he sure talks so we’uns can understand.” From that time they always called upon him at their public gatherings.”

“So the scholar from the world beyond the ridges slipped quietly into the life of the mountain folk, and took firm root in their affections.  And in his face, so “preachin’ Bill” said, was the look of one who had “done fought his fight to a finish, an’ war too dead beat t’ even be glad it war all over.”

 I love the rich and colorful language Wright captured in the story.

 Harold Bell Write eventually left the ministry to become a full-time author.  He lived in several cities and traveled a lot.  He would stay for a while in a location and use it for settings for his novels.  

He was born in Rome, New York on May 4, 1872.  He was challenged most of his life with lung disease.  He eventually died of bronchial pneumonia in 1944 at the age of 72.  He is buried in the Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, California.

 Well friends, there you have it.  A story behind the story from America’s historical signs and markers.  I hope you enjoyed this episode.  I invite you to subscribe and continue listening as we bring more episodes about the rich heritage of our great nation.

Please share this podcast with others.  If you have interesting stories about historical signs and markers, email me at: americanhistoricalmarkers@gmail.com.  Maybe your story behind the story will be featured.

I’m your host Dave Laton and thank you for listening, and safe travels!