Dogtown

A few weeks back, some massive storms brought some heavy rains to the state. In between the rounds of storms, I managed to find time to head out and try to take a few pictures. I drove over to North Little Rock, and went through Burns Park. The first stop was the old pioneer cabin, which was built before the Civil War.



Across the street from the cabin is a concrete path that heads up a hill to a small cemetery.



A little bit of fog began to develop, slightly obscuring the vibrant green of the tree's new Spring leaves.



And then I headed down to the old covered bridge:





I grew up in North Little Rock, so I felt it was my civic duty to make a visit to The Old Mill. I arrived and was a little surprised to see that there wasn't anyone else there. I guess the heavy storms kept everyone else away, but it was a little strange to have the entire place to myself. The only other creatures there were some ducks, who lazily drifted about in the water.



My grandparents used to live in Lakewood, just a few blocks away from the Old Mill. So I've made tons of trips to the Old Mill over the years, and I don't think I've ever seen this much water flowing over the waterfall here.





And from there I headed to the edge of North Little Rock, where the city meets the flat lands of the Arkansas Delta. Sitting in a field is an old house, slowly collapsing away.





A guard dog approached and barked a few times and then headed over to the field and posed for a few pictures by the old house.

The Old Mill

Last week, Jonah and I visited the Old Mill in North Little Rock. I actually grew up in NLR, so I've made many trips to the mill over the years. My grandparents used to live a few blocks away, and we would always walk over there when we would visit. It's nice to see that the Old Mill still hasn't changed all that much - it's like an old reliable friend.

Whenever I visit the mill, I can't help but remember one of my teachers in high school. Way back in the olden days of the 20th century, I was a student at North Little Rock High School. There was a school literary magazine, which even had a photography contest. So I submitted a few pictures, including one of the Old Mill. As a true native of Dogtown, it's impossible to resist the lure of the Old Mill when you have a camera.

So my senior year, I actually joined the staff of the literary magazine as one of my electives. I soon learned that the Creative Writing teacher in charge of the literary magazine had some pretty strict policies on what could be accepted into publication. There were certain things that were instantly declined when they were submitted, like lovey-dovey or "dark night of the soul" poems, which did certainly help in keeping out some of the more angsty teenage poetry. But one of the teacher's biggest pet peeves was in photography, specifically Old Mill photos. She was so tired of seeing so many Old Mill pictures that she forbade any Old Mill picture from being published. Over the years, the magazine had received so many Old Mill photos that they even set up massive boards that displayed all of the collected images as a massive collage. So as a new member of the staff, I went over and saw the boards and soon found the Old Mill picture I had submitted from the year before. It was there, along with all the other rejects.

The Old Mill has been attracting photographers since it first opened (in fact my grandfather took pictures of it back in 1934). And with my most sincere apologies to Mrs. Ward, here is one more Old Mill photo to add to the mix:

The Old Mill

Traffic was starting to back up on I-40 on our drive back home from Dagmar, so we detoured into North Little Rock and made a quick visit to The Old Mill. I'm a native of Dogtown and have made many trips here over the years. My grandparents actually lived in Lakewood, just a few blocks from the Mill, and we used to walk over there regularly.

But of all the times I've been there, I think this was one of the few times when there weren't any other people there. I guess it helped that it was pouring down rain while we were there.

North Little Rock High School

The Art-Deco North Little Rock High School building was constructed back in 1930, and was designed by noted architect George Mann (who also designed Little Rock Central High and the Arkansas State Capitol). I have a strong connection to the school - my Grandparents were students there and became high school sweethearts while attending the same class. I followed their footsteps a few decades later, and graduated from here in 1997 (go Charging Wildcats!). 

The school had a major role to play in history, albeit one that is mostly forgotten now. In 1957, North Little Rock attempted to desgregate their schools by having six African-American students enroll at the previously all-white NLR High. But this all occurred at the exact same time as the crisis at Little Rock Central High School, where the Arkansas governor called out the National Guard to prevent that school from being desegregated. In response to the governor's efforts at Central High, the NLR School Board voted to postpone their integration plans. 

Undaunted, the six African-American students (Richard Lindsey, Gerald Persons, Harold Smith, Eugene Hall, Frank Henderson, and William Henderson), still decided to show up on September 9 for the first day of school. They were greeted by a crowd of white students who pushed and shoved them as they tried to walk up the steps. They were ultimately blocked from entering the school by a mass of white students and segregationists. The NLR Six were then instructed by the School Superintendant F. Bruce Wright to enroll instead at Scipio Jones High School, the city's African-American high school. The Superintendant told them that "I don’t think integration will work at this time, judging from the temperament of the crowd.” The North Little Rock schools would not be desegregated until 1964, when eight African-American students were admitted to two all-white elementary schools. 

 

I grew up in North Little Rock, but never heard about the NLR Six until a few years ago. It was not something that I ever learned about it in school, even if it occurred just outside of the room where I had attended American History classes. 

The old 1930 Art-Deco building stayed in use until 2016, when a brand-new school building was constructed right by the old one. So the halls and lockers and classrooms of the old building are silent and empty now. The city had a difficult time finding a usage for the old building. Because it is located next to an active school, access would be limited (so no apartments) and there were other limitations (you can't smoke or drink alcohol on the property). But a few months ago they decided to use the building as administrative offices and to use some of the classrooms for a "Center of Excellence." As a NLRHS alumni, I'm very grateful the building will be preserved.

Bridges of Pulaski County

The covered bridge in North Little Rock's Burns Park has to be one of the most popular photo spots in central Arkansas. In fact, I think all residents of North Little Rock are contractually obligated to have their Wedding, Engagement or Senior picture taken either here or at The Old Mill (I say this as a native son of Dogtown). So here is one more shot of the bridge, taken a few weeks ago...