I have been told a story of a man that was found petrified and turned into wood noone knew how old he was or even who he was..and was told he was put in the court house there in prescott..If anyone has any information about this please let me know..Thank you Lori

"Old Mike" was a resident of the local mortuary. As I heard the story he had been found dead and embalmed but not buried. No one claimed the body until the allotted time had passed. When the time came to bury him, the story was picked up by the national news service. His family saw the story and claimed the body.

I remember as a child, being dared to touch the "petrified man". I don't know who was more petrified though.

I always thought it was a fascinating story that after all those years of not knowing what happened to himk, his family finally found him.

Old Mike was found dead in the city park in 1911. He was embalmed by the local mortuary. Efforts were made to identify him, but they were unsuccessful. He was given the name "Mike". Many people visited the mortuary to view Old Mike over the years. Finally, he was ordered buried by the state in 1975. His identity was still unknown. A small grave marker with the name Mike marks his grave in DeAnn Cemetery.

Would you happen to know the family name that claimed him? Reason I am asking is because my mother at one point was told he possibly could be related to her..that is why I am trying to track down this information.

I have a newspaper article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette dated October 20, 2005 that tells the story of Old Mike. According to the article, several people viewed the body in the hope he was a lost relative, but no one claimed the corpse. Finally, on May 12, 1975, Old Mike was buried at the insistence of the state. Cornish Mortuary bought a plot in DeAnn Cemetery and provided the casket and flowers. Rev. Jerry Westmoreland conducted the graveside service. The mortuary also provided a tombstone which simply reads "Old Mike", Died August 21, 1911.

The article also has a picture of "Old Mike" taken in 1921.

would there be any chance that I could get a copy of that news paper? I would be more then happy to pay any charges that come up from making copies and mailing it..or if you could send it through email that would be wonderful as well..Please let me know

As a youngster (I am now 70), we lived in Shreveport but my grandparents,

David Asberry McKinnon and Nora Campbell McKinnon lived in Prescott. Most

trips to Prescott were for a Reunion or Funeral. My father would take me to Cornish Funeral Home to see Old Mike. My grandfather told me that he was a drifter and was found dead in the park near East Main St., on a park bench, just the other side of the railroad tracks. No one ever claimed the body. I was grown before the State made them bury him. I thought he was a black man but he was not. He looked a whole lot like an Indian and stood in a big pine box.

Looking for Lori A. Smith possibly daughter of Frank J Smith from Jersey City NJ.

My Grand-mother took me to see him at the funeral home down town when I was a child ( and my brother and sister) I was told by my grandmother they found him in the park dead and they embalmed him and kept him for someone to identify him. No one ever did. I don't know why he got so hard, but he was there a very long time. I am 61 and was a young child when I saw him. I never heard he turned to wood, only thart he was continually perserved.

I also went many times to see "

My grandparents took my sister and me to see Ol' Mike at the Cornish Mortuary on more than a couple of occasions. I recall opening the wooden box he had been propped-up in, whereupon there was Ol' Mike, hand near a pull string for the light that was on, leaving the impression he just turned the light on. Weird.

When I was a teenager, I went to see the petrified man, in Prescott, I thought he was at some funeral home down town, I think they called him Uncle Mac.That has been about 42 years ago, I did have a pic.