Judsonia and Bald Knob

I was driving through the small town of Judsonia the other day (as one does), and stopped to get a few pictures. There is a very photogenic old bridge here, which was built in 1924 across the Little Red River.



It is a cantilever swing bridge, and it used to swing out across the river for boats to float by.



Judsonia sits along Hwy. 367, which used to be designated as Route 67. Like old Route 66, Route 67 was once a busy road for travelers and there used to be several old motels here. Most of them are abandoned or torn down now, like this old motel. Nothing exists of it anymore, except for this weathered and faded sign.





And down the road is another old motel, the Texas Ill Motel. It was built in the 1940s, and was in operation up until the 1990s.



The motel probably got its name because it sat at the midway point of Hwy. 67 (which ran from Texas to Illinois).



Near the old motel was this gas station, which has also been abandoned.



And a quick peek inside:





And next to it is this old abandoned building:



Not sure what it was used for, except that it was an office for something.



I headed over to the small and amusingly-named town of Bald Knob. Along the railroad tracks, by the old train station, is this abandoned hotel.



The hotel was built in 1910. According to the "Abandoned Arkansas" website, this was one of three hotels along Bald Knob's Skid Row. Back then, "'Skid Row' was a famous strip of bars, brothels, and boarding houses in the area around 1920 to about 1970...These hotels were notorious for prostitution and hide-outs for passing through criminals."



There was nothing that nefarious going on this day, just some guy walking around taking pictures.

Bald Knob

Most people know Bald Knob since it's one of those amusingly-named Arkansas places (like Blue Ball, Toad Suck, Possum Grape and Weiner). Bald Knob was actually named after a bald knob - a large outcropping of stone that was a landmark back in the olden days. The town was founded in the 1870s, with development sparked by the rail lines passing through. Today, the town has a population of about 3,000. The center of town has a good collection of older buildings.



On the other side of the building is this old ghost sign, long obscured under a coat of paint but now being revealed as the paint chips away.



A few blocks away is this old movie theater, boarded up and abandoned...



And next to the old train station was this old hotel, which is also closed and abandoned. It's a shame that it's closed, since it appears it did once have fancy amenities like satellite TV.