One bit about the history of Clay County that should not be lost is the coming of Dr. James Rouse. The doctor was the county's first and greatest cosmopolitan and, settling here in his later days, he created the Rouse Springs Sanatarium, a hope of his old age. In the Northeast Arkansas history (published about 1889*) he is written up in the leisurely manner of that time.

The doctor seems to have been a brilliant and a born nomad. Of a family distinctive in war and social life, he was educated in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Scotland. He traveled widely, fought in many wars, performed difficult operations for which he was awarded titles, decorations, and gold ink stands, and wa a thorough-going cosmopolite. He passed through Arkansas while a young man and never forgot the lush plant life and pleasing climate.

In ill health, he settled south of Piggott in 1883 and became company physician for the railroad which would stop its trains any time to take him on or let him off. He erected a huge rambling house for the sanatarium and grew plants and medicinal herbs around it.

The doctor took care of the victims of railroad accidents and many patients came from the north and east to be under his care. Growing old, he would sometimes fall asleep while filling a prescription. Awakening with a start he could never remember what he had compounded and would have to throw the medicine away and begin anew. Sometimes this would be repeated several times before he would get one prescription filled.

There were many dark stories, based upon nothing more reasonable than people's pleasure in morbid fancies, of the doctor slipping out a night to the Lowrance cemetery, near his home, and removing newly buried bodies for gruesome and occult experiments in his laboratory. Long after the old physician was gone, there were many stories about him and his name was used to frighten the children.

The house, slumping from decay and weathering, was supposed to be haunted and the spirits of many men held revelry in its empty rooms.

The doctor, his wife and son, were buried in the Lowrance Cemetery.

(*Transcriber's note: He must be referring to Goodspeeds Biographical & Historical Memoirs of N. E. ARK.)