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.
