...Continued

In 1893, Mr. Hill attended the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where the telephone was exhibited. Realizing its potential, JW came back and built a private telephone system between his home, the Crescent Hotel and the stables. JW used the system to schedule the carriages, replacing runners that previously had to go up and down the hills to see how many people needed transportation to and from the railroad. JW then got a franchise from Eureka Springs and expanded the system, making it one of the earliest cities to be fully serviced by phones. The switchboard office was located on Hillside in a building near JW's stables.

The JW Hill Telephone Company Switchboard

Ada Hill died in 1901. She was 34 years old. JW Hill died in 1903. He was either 48 or 50 years old. In his will, JW left his estate to four of his children (those from his second marriage), with the provision that 20 percent of his income would be paid to Mrs. Ada Foster, his mother-in-law, who he also named as his children's guardian. He left Emmett, his son from his first marriage, the token sum of $1.00. Ada's aunt, Mrs. Emma F. Van Allen, was named executrix of the estate, and took charge of rearing the children.

In 1910, Mrs. Foster filed an affidavit disputing the will, stating that she alone owned the house, and had made all payments on it. The probate court judge disagreed, and on July 27, 1910 he awarded the children ownership of the house, and ordered Mrs. Foster to vacate the house. The court ordered the children to pay Mrs. Foster one fifth of the income from the JW Hill Telephone System, with a minimum payment of $30 per month.

On November 28, 1914 JW's children sold the house to CW Longcoy. On May 31, 1915 Mrs. Foster went back to the court, claiming she had been shorted income from the telephone company, and asked for a lien on the house to prevent the heirs from delivering title to the Longcoys. Mrs. Foster once again claimed ownership of Lots 1 and 2, saying "that claiming in reality she is the owner of said Lots...". The case was dismissed on October 29, 1915.

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