Freda Cruse Hardison book signing at Old Independence Regional Museum Friday, November 20th
Local author Freda Cruse Hardison will hold a book signing at Old Independence Regional Museum Friday, November 20th from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to promote her new book Frank and Jesse James “Friends and Family.” The signing will coincide with the museum’s early “Black Friday” sale. All items in the museum gift shop will be at least 10% off, including Hardison’s book. The gift shop’s wide variety of locally made and handcrafted items makes for great Christmas shopping!
Freda Cruse Hardison has spent over a decade interviewing “Friends and Family” of the famous outlaw brothers Frank and Jesse James. Those treasured personal stories shared 100 years after Frank’s death reveal a rare, firsthand experience of the early years of the James Family. Told in the voice of Frank James, readers learn intimate details never before shared; Jesse James’ family nickname and how he got it and how Frank met his future wife Annie Ralston to details of the experience that earned William Thomason Anderson his moniker of Bloody Bill. Intimate family stories and relationships never before examined…why the family moved to Missouri when so many other family members moved to Arkansas and details after their father’s death that kept them out the their mother’s custody and guardianship living with the West family for over seven years before they ‘returned’ home as a family.
It is the relationships Frank and Jesse developed in the circle of “Friends and Family” that helped keep them safe both during and after the Civil War birthing the legend of their being Robin Hoods, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Like a puzzle without borders the stories of the half siblings, cousins, and friends have come together revealing never before discovered or told details on the early lives of Frank and Jesse James.
Freda Cruse Hardinson was born and raised in the White River Valley of the Arkansas Ozarks. She is author of Voices of our People and Places of our People. During work on her books of the Ozarks, Hardison realized she was hearing stories of Frank and Jesse James from almost everyone she interviewed. Hardison began compiling information on the James family with the help of fellow researcher Juanita Stowers. The process revealed a more involved picture of ta never before told story of Frank and Jesse James and their Friends and Family in the White River Valley of Arkansas.
Hardison has appeared on documentaries and shows including Travel Channel’s America Declassified and Jesse Ventura’s Conspiracy Theory. She is a contributing writer and photographer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Batesville Daily Guard, Melbourne Times, and White River Current.
The Museum gift shop has stocked up for the day with many new items for kids and families. Claudia Nobles, gift shop manager, notes that the gift shop has several great Christmas gift ideas such as plush animals, finger puppets, educational toys, and historical books
This humanities program is made possible by local support from Independence County and the City of Batesville, as well as by Challenge Grant Endowment funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Old Independence serves a 12-county area: Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff. Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820s Arkansas territory.
The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors and $1.00 for children. The museum is located at 380 South 9th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville. During your visit, stop by our gift shop. We stock many items from local artists, authors, and crafters, as well as historical toys and games.
