Dear Dr. Brandon,

I am a member of Friends of Markham Hill, a group for anyone who wants to save Markham Hill from development and make it a nature and wildlife preserve. Markham Hill is one of Fayetteville's seven hills and is located between the University and the interstate highway 49. These secluded 144 acres of tree cover, natural habitat, and two wooded horse pastures are the last large acreage of trees where wildlife can take refuge this side of the highway. You may be somewhat familiar with Markham Hill in that four acres on top contain a luxury B&B called Pratt Inn and an Event Barn. Julian Archer, a Pratt family descendent, renovated and enlarged the old Pratt family home to build the Pratt Inn.

The Pratt family settled on Markham Hill in 1900. The two Pratt daughters, Joy Markham and Evangeline Archer, inherited the land and added on to it. Joy Markham continued living in the Pratt family home after her parent's death and Evangline Archer built her home nearby. Joy Markham ran a boys and girls camp on the mountain from 1921-1941. Evangeline Archer's home is on the National Register of Historical Places and the 40-acre Markham Camp is on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places.

Markham Hill was in the Pratt family for over 100 years until Julian Archer went bankrupt. Developer Specialized Real Estate Group paid off the $3.1 million bankruptcy note to obtain the 144 acres and everything on it and investor RMD Properties bought it from them for $3.2 million. They are a joint venture. They want to develop this basically undisturbed and isolated urban forest and natural habitat by building around 500 houses, a hotel, a restaurant, other commercial buildings, along with roads, pavement, utilities, parking lots. They call it conservation development and their words, brochures, and website sound and look beautiful and wonderful, but they are destroying this precious wilderness.

The reason I am writing you is that the Friends of Markham Hill believe there is evidence of Native American culture on Markham Hill. There is a small shelter in one of the bluffs we locals have always called Mossy Rock Cave. Also, Julian Archer told me that growing up on Markham Hill he found some arrow heads on the land and a great deal of flint surrounding one of the major springs on top of the mountain. He was told by his grandparents that this spring (which filled the swimming pool for the Markham Camp during 1921-1941) ran all year round, the Indians knew that, and so it was a stopping place on their travels. He also said that his family passed down a bowl made out of chiseled rock as part of their house decor which he assumed was found on the land.

Is all this enough reason for you to request an archaeological survey of Markham Hill? Of course we are hoping so. Not only because many of us are interested in Fayetteville history and archaeology but also because we want to stop any possible development on this land. We would like RMD Properties and Specialized REG to donate all 144 acres of Markham Hill as a conservation easement with the NWA Land Trust so that we can make it a nature and wildlife preserve for the City of Fayetteville. RMD Properties and Specialized REG can still make a fine profit by selling the Pratt Inn and Event Barn for what they are worth.

The City Council meeting to decide on the developer's request for rezoning for his large development project is Sept 18 at 5:30pm at City Hall. Would you be able to make a formal request to stop all rezoning and development for the purpose of an archaeological survey of the ruins (1910's dam in the lower Markham Hill woods to create a neighborhood swimming hole, the remains of the 1920's Markham Camp swimming pool, the original Pratt family home under the Pratt Inn) and especially of the remains of Native American life and culture on Markham Hill?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Sincerely,
Lisa Orton