T. R. Pugh Memorial Park

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T. R. Pugh Memorial Park
North Little Rock mill.JPG
The Old Mill
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Location in Arkansas
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Location in United States
Location3800 Lakeshore Dr.,
Near the junction of Fairway Ave. and Lakeshore Dr.,
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Coordinates 34°47′30″N92°14′57″W / 34.79167°N 92.24917°W / 34.79167; -92.24917
Areanearly one acre
Built1931 (1931)
Built by Justin Matthews
Architect Frank Carmean & Dionicio Rodriguez
NRHP reference No. 86003585 [1]
Added to NRHP1986

T. R. Pugh Memorial Park (or The Old Mill) is a re-creation of an 1880s era water-powered grist mill located in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It was used in the opening scenes of the movie classic Gone With The Wind . [2] In 2010, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

The Old Mill Ml18-fotor-202307220215mill1.jpg
The Old Mill
The Old Mill Ml2-fotor-2023072204222mill2.jpg
The Old Mill
T. R. Pugh Memorial Park Ml11-fotor-2023072204833mill3.jpg
T. R. Pugh Memorial Park

The park was built in 1933 by Justin Matthews and named in honor of Thomas R. Pugh, of Portland, Arkansas, who was a close friend and benefactor of Matthews. The park was developed as a tourist attraction for the nearby Park Hill and Lakewood subdivisions, also built by Matthews. [3] The architect for the park and the mill was Frank Carmean with artist Dionicio Rodriguez serving as sculptor of the concrete work to simulate wooden, iron, and steel structures in a style known as faux bois , or fake wood. [4]

Several elements within the Old Mill are original to the time period the park depicts. An iron gristmill on the first floor was donated by the Cagle family of Pope County, Arkansas from their family mill and is dated 1828.

In the present day, the Old Mill serves as the backdrop for weddings and portrait photography.

In 2008, the roof was set on fire, but no permanent damage resulted. [5]

See also

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Old Mill". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  3. "The Old Mill". City of North Little Rock. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  4. Crawford, Sybil F. (2002). "Dionicio Rodriquez: The Faux Bois Sculptor". Pulaksi County Historical Review. Little Rock, Ark.: PCHR. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  5. "Old Mill Fire Causes Little Damage". Littlerock.about.com. Retrieved January 9, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]