Big Sugar Creek - Communities Along Big Sugar

Communities Along Big Sugar

Several distinct communities shoulder Big Sugar and comprise the residents of the Sugar Creek Valley as it twists and turns through the Ozark hills. Most of these communities are little more than a name today, but at one time they included mills, general stores, small canning operations, schools, post offices and gas stations. In some, most traces of previous commercial establishment are all but obliterated, but others still retain recognizable evidence of a time before automobiles, when certain necessities had to be within a few miles.

Jacket — At one time this community included a mill, a general store, a gas station, a post office, a tomato canning plant, a blacksmith, a couple churches and a school. Today, all that remains in operation is a single church, Antioch Church of Christ, which is located on Highway KK and still holds regular services. Antioch Chapel and Cemetery are close by, on the opposite side of the highway. The old general store building, which also housed the post office and gas station, still remains standing and is used as a barn and the old Sugar Creek Baptist Church building, which was built in 1897 and remained as a Baptist church until the early 1985 when the congregation and the building was purchased and used as an Assembly of God church for about a decade, is now a private residence.

Mountain — This community, which was named for the hilly terrain of the area, included Henry JR Schell's mill, post office (called Schell's Mill), general store, and blacksmith shop, and later a gas station, churches and a school. Today, the general store and gas station building still stands, as does the school, and church, Mountain Bible Church, which continues to hold regular services.

Roller — This community sits near the juncture of Big Sugar Creek and Pine Creek, as well as the juncture of Big Sugar Creek and Trents Creek. It is named after the Roller family, who were among the early settlers of the area. Today, Roller still retains its quiet country charm, primarily thanks to the three historic structures that stand in a row across Highway 90 from the old Roller Cemetery. The three buildings date from the late 19th century until the first half of the 20th century. The oldest of the three structures is the one room Laughlin Chapel, named after James O. Laughlin and his brothers, who were the primary builders of it and are all buried in the neighboring cemetery. This building dates to the 1880s and while the Methodist congregation which initially used it disbanded in the 1950s, it was restored by the Roller Cemetery Association in the 1990s with donations from local residents, including descendants of its original builders. The one-room Roller Schoolhouse, also known as the Trents Creek Schoolhouse, was built in the early half of the 20th century and saw multiple generations of students pass its doors. This structure was also restored through contributions around the year 2000. The third building is Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, which has sat there for around a century. This church still holds regular services and has been added onto and renovated multiple times.

Powell — This community sits near the juncture of Big Sugar Creek and Mikes Creek. Powell is one of the better preserved communities along Big Sugar. One of its general store buildings still stands and is occasionally in operation as is the Albert E. Brumley and Sons/Hartford Music Company, which has operated out of Powell since the 1940s. Owned and operated by the late gospel composer Albert E. Brumley, the hymn and songbook publishing operation is now run by his son Robert Brumley. Albert E. Brumley's best known song, "I'll Fly Away (hymn)" has been recorded by multiple Grammy Award winning musicians and even inspired the name of a television series. Brumley also started an annual, though now defunct, craft fair and concert in a field next to his house in Powell. Through the years such celebrities as Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones, of Hee Haw fame, performed at the venue. Several other older structures also exist, but are no longer in use, such as the First Baptist Church building and an old gas station.

Cyclone — This community's name comes from a cyclone that swept through, destroying everything in its path. As the story goes, the Cyclone area was an Indian trading post for many years. An Indian baby was found here at the John Mullison farm. It was wrapped in deerskin and mummified. Indian burial grounds have been found in this area. The baby is now in the Smithsonian Institution. The first grist mill was built here about 1860 by Albert Cook. James Cowan built a store here and it was also used as a post office until 1873. The Cyclone Mill was purchased around 1883, by Henry Schell Jr. The original low water bridge and mill were used by movie makers for the Twentieth Century Fox movie of Jesse James (1939 film) in 1938, which starred Henry Fonda and Tyrone Power. In the 1920s, W.W. Chace opened a boys' camp on the edge of Cyclone and named it Camp Tilden. Today this is a popular campground, RV park and canoe outfitter.