Redfield

About halfway between Little Rock and Pine Bluff is the small town of Redfield. For being a pretty small town (population around 1,300), there are several historic landmarks here. The old Lone Star Baptist Church was built in 1901 for an African American Baptist congregation, and was used until 1976. The church was then deeded to the city of Redfield where it's now used by the Redfield Historical Society.

 

Behind the church was an old Redfield fire truck, quietly rusting away in the shade of the nearby trees.

 

Another landmark in Redfield is the old West James Street Overpass, which carries traffic over the Union Pacific railroad tracks. The wooden bridge was built in 1924 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

   

And of course, another iconic landmark in Redfield is the Mammoth Orange Cafe. The orange-shaped burger joint was built in 1966 and was inspired by similar restauraunts in California. If this makes you hungry just remember that it's cash only.

   

 On the way out of town I drove by this grocery store, which looks like it may not be quite abandoned (there might be some sort of junk shop there now, maybe?). I stopped and got a few shots anyways...

 

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.

 

White County

There is an old barn that we drive by while on the way to visit relatives in Searcy that sits right along the side of the road. Well awhile back, I actually had the camera with me so I pulled over to get a few quick pictures (luckily my family was patient while I trudged through the tall grass on the side of the road).

And in front were these overgrown widlfowers, growing against the faded and weathered boards of the barn.

Brinkley

Most people might now the town of Brinkley because of its important location on I-40 - about halfway between Little Rock and Memphis. But there is more to the town than a place to use the potty. Brinkley has a nice little downtown, with several older and historic buildings. A few of them are empty, and since I'm finishing a project on abandoned and threatened buildings in the Arkansas Delta, I stopped to take a few pictures while I was driving through.

Brinkley was established in 1872, along the just-completed railroad that snaked through the swampy Delta lands and connected Memphis and Little Rock. The original name for the settlement, which they totally should have kept, was Lick Skillet. Legend says that the crew that built the railroad would cook their dinners over an open fire, and would retire for the evening only when the last skillet was licked.

This was written on the side of a building that used to be the home of a bar. It sits by the railroad tracks that still pass through the heart of the town.

It was getting close to sunset, and the sun was casting a golden glow on some of the buildings.

Also sitting by the train tracks was this old auto parts store. The large ad on the side of the building still stands out, even if the paint has faded and chipped away in places.

And the sign that sits on top of the store, which was in a neat old art-deco building.

Just down the block was this massive ghost sign, stretching along the entire length of the wall of this old building. The ad was for Kis-Me Gum.

Kis-Me Gum was actually the first ever gum to have fruit flavors. The gum's slogan was that it was "Far Better Than A Kiss."

Marvell

From Helena, I passed through the small town of Marvell. The town was established way back in 1871, and was named after the person who owned most of the land the town was built upon (and not, apparently, named by fans of Captain Marvel from The Avengers). The singer Levon Helm grew up here, and the small cabin he lived in has been restored and is now on display.

Main Street in Marvell runs by a few blocks of older buildings, many of which appeared to be empty. The old bricks echoed the sounds of a bunch of kids playing basketball in a park nearby.