FAMOUS CONNECTION...

A lot of the smaller towns I bicycle through often laid claim to some famous person.

The super small community of Linden , Texas had been home to Don Henley of the Eagles.

Popular TV talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres went to high school in Atlanta, Texas.

And, of course, Hope, Arkansas is all about William Jefferson Clinton. Born in Hope in August 1946, the city has made Clinton's birthplace on Hervey Street a presidential landmark. Clinton's boyhood home on 13th Street is also marked and the old train depot features a timeline of President Clinton's life on his journey from Hope to the White House.

There was an interesting thank-you letter in the collection from Hillary Clinton to Dale Drake, a cousin of Bill Clinton.

Dated March 13, 1980 the letter noted how Chelsea "was so excited to receive real money.

She put it in her bank but thinks she'll use it to buy a baby giraffe," wrote Hillary.

The Clinton's weren't the only people to turn heads in Hope. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee hailed from Hope.

There were a series of musicians that toured Hope, stopping in town via the train.

Black-and-white photos showed piano player Count Basie in Hope during 1932 and Duke Ellington and his 13-piece orchestra from 1935.

There was also a small tribute to Elvis Presley who rocked Hope in Feb. 1955. Admission to the City Hall Auditorium was one Holsum bread wrapper or one Campbell's soup can.