About an hour in Downtown Little Rock

The baby needed to have a routine test done at Children's Hospital the other day, but due to Covid restrictions I had to wait in the car. So I carried the camera along and tried to take a few pictures around downtown Little Rock during the appointment. The first stop was at the Old State House, which was built between 1836-1842 and is one of the oldest buildings in Little Rock.

 

On the lawn of the Old State House is an old canon, which isn't just some random yard decoration. The canon is named "Lady Baxter" and has a little bit of history behind it. The canon was originally used by the Confederate army during the Civil War, first as part of a gunboat and then used to defend Helena and Little Rock. But when Union troops moved on Little Rock, the city was abandoned by Confederate troops and the canon was spiked and then dumped into the river. There it sat until 1874, when it was dragged out of the water and repaired for use in the Brooks-Baxter War. That conflict originated when two canditates for governor disagreed over who won the election, and the disagreement turned into an armed conflict that saw over 200 casualties. The canon was repaired by the supporters of Baxter, who would end up being named the winner of the election (after an intervention from President Grant). Afterwards, the canon was put on display on the Old State House grounds, where it still sits today.

 

Along the sidewalk in front of the Old State House are several trees that have roots that are growing up and over the sidewalk, causing the decorative bricks to buckle. I was intrigued by the parking meters, which are defiantly placed right in the middle of the mass of tree roots.

   

While driving down Broadway I stopped to get this shot of the old Gay Oil Company Building, which was built in 1925 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is for sale, and last year was nearly torn down by a developer who wanted to put a car wash there. Luckily that sale did not go through and the historic building is still available (if I had the money I'd turn it into a nice art gallery).

 

I was starting to run out of time, but was able to make one last stop at the massive set of murals that decorate the 12th Street Overpass near the State Capitol. Several murals have been added this year in response to the killing of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that have followed.