North Little Rock’s Old Mill
North Little Rock is famous for many things. It’s where silver was discovered in the 1820s — hence its one-time name of Argenta, which comes from the Latin word for silver. It’s also the home of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team (at least for now) and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.
But the city is probably most famous for being the home of the legendary Old Mill.
Through the decades, the Old Mill has been the site of thousands of weddings and the subject of countless photographs. While many believe it’s an actual old mill, the truth is that it’s a replica of the grist mills that dotted the landscape of rural Arkansas in the late 1800s.
The Old Mill was the brainchild of real estate developer and businessman Justin Matthews, who was responsible for the development of the Park Hill and Lakewood subdivisions in North Little Rock, as well as the Sylvan Hills community in Sherwood. Matthews also served on the Arkansas State Highway Commission and helped build Highway 107, which runs through North Little Rock and Sherwood, and the old Broadway Bridge.
Matthews’ company built two other historic structures in central Arkansas: the Roundtop Filling Station and the Sylvan Hills Golf Course, now known as The Greens at North Hills, both in Sherwood.
Around 1930, Matthews envisioned a working replica of a vintage grist mill and surrounding park as the centerpiece of his Lakewood subdivision in North Little Rock and a tribute to his friend and business partner, Thomas R. Pugh. In fact, the mill’s real name is Pugh’s Mill and the surrounding park is the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park.
Matthews asked his company architect, Frank Carmean, to design the mill and park. In 1932, he hired artist Dionico Rodriguez of Mexico City to sculpt the concrete work that was made to represent wood, iron or stone, and to design the parks’ foot bridges, seats and benches.
Rodriguez was so secretive about the process by which he produced his work that he would mix the products in the trunk of his car and slam it shut if anyone approached him. He was also known to break the jars of his ingredients and remove the labels so no one could copy him. Not even the family members who worked for him knew all his secrets.
When the Old Mill was completed and officially dedicated by Matthews and Arkansas Gov. Charles Brough in August 1933, Rodriguez briefly spoke with the help of an interpreter. According to a report in the Arkansas Gazette, he told the crowd that the Old Mill and park was “his greatest commission ever in the United States” and that he “used only the finest grade of cement and the best structural steel and copper so the creations would live in the sight of any who may live or visit in this community for centuries.”
The mill is arguably most famous for being the last remaining structure to be featured in the classic 1939 movie “Gone
With the Wind.” The mill appears for about 6 seconds toward the end of the film’s opening credits. No one knows why producer David O. Selznick chose to place the Old Mill in the movie or even how he knew of the structure, but trust me — it’s in there.
The Old Mill and T.R. Pugh Memorial Park was officially given to the city of North Little Rock as a gift by the Justin Matthews Co. in May 1976 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 1986. The mill and park are located on Lakeshore Drive in North Little Rock, open to the public free of charge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Weddings can be held there, but one needs to contact the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for permission.
Speaking of Old Mill weddings, as an ordained minister, I’ve performed a few, including for one of my cousins. The ceremony was going smoothly until both rings fell out of my open Bible into the thick grass.
We had to search for a moment to locate the lost symbols of love. Now the only hidden treasure at the Old Mill is the beauty and wonder that reminds us of Arkansas’ past.
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A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at Allaroundarkansas.