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William Hope “Coin” Harvey

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William Hope “Coin” Harvey Famous memorial

Birth
Buffalo, Putnam County, West Virginia, USA
Death
11 Feb 1936 (aged 74)
Monte Ne, Benton County, Arkansas, USA
Burial
Monte Ne, Benton County, Arkansas, USA GPS-Latitude: 36.2858099, Longitude: -94.06614
Memorial ID
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Businessman. Known as "Coin" Harvey, he was an influential businessman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He built a resort in northwestern Arkansas near the town of Rogers and called it Monte Ne. He funded a railroad spur from Rogers to the resort, and in later years, as automobile use grew and railroad travel diminished, he started the Ozark trails at Monte Ne. This was the route extending from St. Louis to Roswell, New Mexico, and parts of this highway later became the infamous Route 66. He spent thousands of dollars out of his own pockets on this venture, described as being the beginning of good roads and highways in the central and western states. He authored numerous books on finance and economics. In 1896 he campaigned unsuccessfully for William Jennings Bryan on the "Free Silver" platform. In 1932, he became a nominee for President of the United States, representing his own Liberty Party, receiving approximately 53,000 votes. His swan song was a planned pyramid shaped obelisk to be built on the grounds of his Monte Ne resort. At the top of the obelisk would be directions reading "When this can be read, go below and find the record of and cause of the death of a former civilization." He believed that destruction would come to the area and the calamity would cover up all but the top of the pyramid. At the base was to be a vault which would contain history of the rise and growth of this civilization along with all of his written works. There was also to be a book to aid in translation into the language in use when the pyramid would be opened. His pyramid was never completed. He depleted all his finances, Monte Ne went bankrupt, and, in an ironic turn of events, his resort was covered, not by disaster, but by the building of an Army Corps of Engineers flood control project in the 1960s. Coin Harvey died at the age of 85 of peritonitis, and was buried in a concrete vault with his son on the grounds of Monte Ne. When the grounds were flooded in the 1960s, the Army Corps dragged his vault to a hillside nearby.
Businessman. Known as "Coin" Harvey, he was an influential businessman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He built a resort in northwestern Arkansas near the town of Rogers and called it Monte Ne. He funded a railroad spur from Rogers to the resort, and in later years, as automobile use grew and railroad travel diminished, he started the Ozark trails at Monte Ne. This was the route extending from St. Louis to Roswell, New Mexico, and parts of this highway later became the infamous Route 66. He spent thousands of dollars out of his own pockets on this venture, described as being the beginning of good roads and highways in the central and western states. He authored numerous books on finance and economics. In 1896 he campaigned unsuccessfully for William Jennings Bryan on the "Free Silver" platform. In 1932, he became a nominee for President of the United States, representing his own Liberty Party, receiving approximately 53,000 votes. His swan song was a planned pyramid shaped obelisk to be built on the grounds of his Monte Ne resort. At the top of the obelisk would be directions reading "When this can be read, go below and find the record of and cause of the death of a former civilization." He believed that destruction would come to the area and the calamity would cover up all but the top of the pyramid. At the base was to be a vault which would contain history of the rise and growth of this civilization along with all of his written works. There was also to be a book to aid in translation into the language in use when the pyramid would be opened. His pyramid was never completed. He depleted all his finances, Monte Ne went bankrupt, and, in an ironic turn of events, his resort was covered, not by disaster, but by the building of an Army Corps of Engineers flood control project in the 1960s. Coin Harvey died at the age of 85 of peritonitis, and was buried in a concrete vault with his son on the grounds of Monte Ne. When the grounds were flooded in the 1960s, the Army Corps dragged his vault to a hillside nearby.

Bio by: Osborne Genealogy



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Osborne Genealogy
  • Added: Nov 6, 2006
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16521863/william_hope-harvey: accessed ), memorial page for William Hope “Coin” Harvey (6 Aug 1861–11 Feb 1936), Find a Grave Memorial ID 16521863, citing William Hope Harvey Burial Site, Monte Ne, Benton County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.