Phillips County Museum News for July 19, 2017

While doing a search for genealogy I came cross a story I thought would be interesting to tell.

Thunder and lightning are common place events during the month of July in Phillips County as they were also in 1934. So, let’s travel back to the Phillips Ranch in south Phillips County. Taking cover in a camp wagon during a thunderstorm were Pat Barrow, Bert Jarvis, Frank Baker, and two unidentified men. Suddenly the men became victims of a stray lightning bolt. The bolt struck Barrow burning the metal ring from his watch and melting the glass crystal. From Barrow it jumped and traveled down Jarvis’s leg through his boot and loosened the heal. Both men experienced dizziness but recovered after a brief hospital stay in Malta. The wagon door was closed and no damage was done to the roof. “Evidently the lightning bolt entered uninvited and unannounced and left without leaving a trace of its point of entry” reported the news. If you are looking for a spot to escape a storm or escape the heat the PC Museum invites you to visit Monday – Saturday 10-5.