The Old House In Pine Bluff

Whenever I'm in Pine Bluff, I try to make a stop at the old R.M. Knox house. It's one of the most beautiful old homes in Arkansas. But sadly, it has been left to rot and crumble and it probably won't be around for much longer.



In the last few months, part of the roof over the decorative two-story porch has collapsed. There's no telling how much longer the rest of the house will be able to continue its lonely struggle against weather and gravity.



The house was built in 1885, and has been called one of the state's most elaborate examples of the Eastlake style. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, but was also listed in 2011 as one of the most endangered historic properties in the state by Preserve Arkansas.



It is frustrating, because the state of Arkansas pretends to care about historic preservation when it comes to taking down statues of confederate soldiers or taking down a confederate flag. But we have lost, or are on the verge of losing, so many great historic properties. And when this house is gone, which is the path it seems to inevitably be on, what will replace it? A parking lot?





But it is a reminder of why we need to photograph and document these places. There's no telling how much longer it will be with us. And when it's gone, that bit of shared history will be gone forever.