War Eagle Mill
Encyclopedia
War Eagle Mill is a working gristmill
in Benton County
, Arkansas
. A mill has been located on the site as early as 1832, but was destroyed three times, and last rebuilt in 1973. The mill currently operates as an undershot gristmill, and houses a store and restaurant. The mill is located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the city of Rogers
in War Eagle, Arkansas
, United States
.
. Business prospered as the local population increased. After 1860, with the Civil War
, northwest Arkansas residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting Missouri
ans just a few miles north. The Blackburns' five sons enlisted in the Confederate Army, while the Blackburns took the rest of their family to Texas
, returning four years later.
In 1862, the Union Army
moved into northern Arkansas and the War Eagle Valley, and used the mill to grind grain. As the Confederate Army advanced into the area, the Union Army concentrated near Pea Ridge, Arkansas
. Confederate soldiers used the mill for two days, but burned it down to prevent it being used again by the Union. After the Battle of Pea Ridge
, the surrounding country was laid waste by the retreating Confederates and bands of looters. Many residents abandoned their homesteads and fled.
. Their sawmill, reportedly the largest in Arkansas, led J.A.C. to become known as the "Lumber King" of northwest Arkansas. Lumber cut at the War Eagle sawmill was used to build much of Fayetteville, Arkansas
-- including Old Main
on the University of Arkansas
campus. After winning a seat in the Arkansas Senate
, J.A.C. sold the mill to the Kilgore family who operated it until 1924 when the mill burned down. This fire left only the foundation and remnants of the building.
s and rebuilt the mill for the third time. The design was modified slightly to bring back the undershot water wheel that had been used over 100 years earlier. War Eagle Mill is the only working watermill
in Arkansas, and is powered by an eighteen-foot cypress
water wheel. They mill and sell organic grain, cereal and flour products commercially on site.
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in Benton County
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. A mill has been located on the site as early as 1832, but was destroyed three times, and last rebuilt in 1973. The mill currently operates as an undershot gristmill, and houses a store and restaurant. The mill is located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the city of Rogers
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
in War Eagle, Arkansas
War Eagle, Arkansas
War Eagle, Arkansas is a community in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. It is the location of War Eagle Bridge, which carries CR 98 over War Eagle Creek and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also home to the 1832 War Eagle Mill which is still in operation as an...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
First mill
Sylvanus and Cathryn Blackburn moved to the War Eagle Valley in 1832 and built a mill next to War Eagle Creek. In 1848 a flood pushed the mill into the river, washing it downstream and completely destroying it.Second mill
The Blackburns rebuilt the mill and expanded it to include a sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. Business prospered as the local population increased. After 1860, with the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, northwest Arkansas residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
ans just a few miles north. The Blackburns' five sons enlisted in the Confederate Army, while the Blackburns took the rest of their family to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, returning four years later.
In 1862, the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
moved into northern Arkansas and the War Eagle Valley, and used the mill to grind grain. As the Confederate Army advanced into the area, the Union Army concentrated near Pea Ridge, Arkansas
Pea Ridge, Arkansas
Pea Ridge is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The name Pea Ridge comes from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of an Ozark Mountains ridge, and for the hog peanuts or turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by...
. Confederate soldiers used the mill for two days, but burned it down to prevent it being used again by the Union. After the Battle of Pea Ridge
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
, the surrounding country was laid waste by the retreating Confederates and bands of looters. Many residents abandoned their homesteads and fled.
Third mill
After the war ended in 1865, the Blackburn family returned to find only their house still standing. Sylvanus' son, James Austin Cameron (J.A.C.) Blackburn, reconstructed the mill again by 1873. J.A.C. decided to expand mill production by adding a more powerful grinding machine run by a turbine engine instead of a water wheelWater wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
. Their sawmill, reportedly the largest in Arkansas, led J.A.C. to become known as the "Lumber King" of northwest Arkansas. Lumber cut at the War Eagle sawmill was used to build much of Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
-- including Old Main
Old Main (University of Arkansas)
Old Main is the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University , and of higher education in general in Arkansas.- History :Old Main was constructed between 1873 and 1875 as part of a land grant for the...
on the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
campus. After winning a seat in the Arkansas Senate
Arkansas Senate
The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 76,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have full-time jobs during the rest of the year. The...
, J.A.C. sold the mill to the Kilgore family who operated it until 1924 when the mill burned down. This fire left only the foundation and remnants of the building.
Present mill
In 1973, Jewel Medlin purchased the property. His wife Leta and daughter Zoe Medlin Caywood found blueprintBlueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
s and rebuilt the mill for the third time. The design was modified slightly to bring back the undershot water wheel that had been used over 100 years earlier. War Eagle Mill is the only working watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in Arkansas, and is powered by an eighteen-foot cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
water wheel. They mill and sell organic grain, cereal and flour products commercially on site.