Listing Through Life

There wasn’t much open in Little Rock on Christmas Eve. There were a handful of tourists wandering about looking for things to do, but the trolley must not have looked inviting because I had it to myself except for one brief period when a man and four young boys hopped on to cross the river. I took the entire loop around Little Rock and North Little Rock. The conductor pointed out the sights and asked me a few questions about where I was from and why I was in Little Rock, but he never asked about the chair.

Crossing the Arkansas River on the Main Street Bridge. The USS Razorback, a WWII-era submarine that is now a museum, can be seen through the window.

I first saw this building when the conductor on the trolley pointed it out. He explained that it was the oldest continuously-operating pharmacy west of the Mississippi. Perhaps that isn’t a monumental claim to fame, but I thought it interesting. I checked to make sure it was open as we went by.

I should have gotten off the trolley right then, because by the time I got back to my car and returned, it was closed. The sign on the window said it was open until 1:00 on Christmas Eve and it was now 1:35. I took some photos anyway.

This is what remains of the rock formation that gave the city its name. Much of it was blasted away to make a foundation for the bridge. If I have my facts straight, it was the first rock visible along the banks of the river upstream from the Mississippi.

The Capitol is located only a block or so from Cotham’s. It seemed like a logical next stop. The ground were almost empty, and I walked around the building looking for a way to capture it in a Red Chair photo. Nobody was in sight of the front steps, so I set the chair about halfway up and walked up the sidewalk for this shot.

I glanced around for a better spot and when I looked back, I saw this.

Five or six adults walked up just as I took this photo. One of the men asked, “Where did the chair come from?” His wife saw me and immediately began apologizing. I laughed and said it was fine.

This is the middle of three front doors.

This eagle statue is in the center of a monument honoring Medal of Honor winners from Arkansas.

On Christmas Eve, I took off for the city. My first stop was the Old Mill in North Little Rock. The historical marker by the mill says:

THE OLD MILL at T.R. Pugh Memorial Park

Dedicated August 6, 1933, as Pugh’s Memorial Park, the Old Mill is a replica of an abandoned water-powered grist mill that would have been used by Arkansas pioneers in the 1800s. Although the Old Mill never actually operated as a mill, the iron grist mill on the first floor of the building is authentic and dates to 1828. It served the Cagle family of Pope County for three generations. Developer Justin Matthews intended for the Old Mill to appear as the ruins of a bygone era supplanted by modern methods. “Now completely forgotten by the hurrying world around it, the Old Mill quietly weathers the years in the depths of its secluded valley,” Matthew said of his vision. A memorial to his friend and business partner, Thomas R. Pugh of Portland, Arkansas, the Old Mill with its wheel turning symbolizes Pugh’s tireless energy. Millstones on the second floor of the building came from the Ashley County plantation of Tom Knoble, Pugh’s grandfather. Frank Carmean of the Matthews Company designed the park and Bob Massey supervised the project. Matthews commissioned Dionicio Rodriguez, a noted Mexican sculptor, whose faux bois (for fake wood) style was perfected in the details of this remarkable work of art. The Old Mill appeared in the opening credits of the 1939 movie, Gone With the Wind.