Our Arklahoma Heritage: Joke between Polk County community members in 1913 turned into long-standing tradition
- Dennis McCaslin
- Apr 28, 2025
- 2 min read
B. S. Petefish, the founding president of the Polk County Possum Club (PCPC), shaped a unique tradition in Polk County, Arkansas.
From 1913 until his death in 1934, he led the club, turning a local hunting challenge into a community cornerstone.
Born to Jacob Petefish and Nancy C. Strickler Petefish in Cass County, Illinois, Benjamin grew up in a large family with eight siblings. His family had roots in pre-Revolutionary War Virginia.
In 1884, he married Martha J. “Mattie” Deardorff (1859–1917), and they raised three children in Acorn: Harry J. (1885–1974), Jennie C. Heaslet (1889–1982), and Nellie May Bare (1893–1968).
Mattie was 25 years younger than Berryman on their wedding day, and it appears they may have lived in both Kansas and Missouri before finally settling in Arkansas.
Petefish settled in Acorn, a small community north of Mena, working as a Kansas City Southern railroad agent and serving as postmaster.
In 1907, when the Acorn Post Office faced closure, he led a successful petition to reinstate it by April 1908, earning respect as a community leader.
In 1913, a possum-hunting contest between Mena mayor John H. Hamilton and attorney J. I. Alley ended in a tie.
As a joke, Alley and Sheriff H. W. Finger sent Petefish fifty questions about opossum hunting.
His thorough responses inspired the creation of the PCPC, with Petefish elected president.
The club hosted annual hunts and banquets, featuring baked opossum and side dishes. The first major banquet, on November 6, 1915, at the Hotel Mena, drew 106 attendees.
By 1933, notable guests included Governor Junius M. Futrell and Senator Joe T. Robinson. In 1932, Petefish opened the banquet to hungry travelers, sharing food during the Great Depression.
B. S. Petefish died on February 3, 1934, at age 74. His wife, Mattie, had passed away in 1917, and he was survived by his three children.
The club continued its banquets until 1947, with a revival in the 1990s.
He was buried in Pinecrest Memorial Park in Mena, and his funeral drew PCPC members and locals who valued his contributions.
Petefish’s leadership made the PCPC a symbol of Polk County’s community spirit.
His family, spread across the nation, carries forward his memory.
