Growth is Learning Something New

As of October first 2010, the newly restored War Eagle Bridge IS OPEN! Many great visionaries came together to protect and restore this historic landmark, and we owe them a great deal of thanks. We hope you can visit us soon to see the result of this historic project. Please read below f you would like to learn more and see some photos of the process.


The Perfect Location for a Mill

Sylvanus Blackburn was a young man when he began construction on the War Eagle Mill. The Mill was built along the banks of the powerful War Eagle Creek, where the Mill wheel could be constructed as an "undershot," meaning the water flows under the wheel to turn it--instead of dropping over from above (the more common method). With the Mill in place along the creek, the community living to the south could only access the Mill by fording the rocky creek with their wagons, horses or by foot. It would be almost another 60 years before a strong enough bridge could be built to span the flood-prone War Ealge Creek.

Spanning the Creek

The construction of the 182-foot-span bridge at the ford of the War Eagle Mill was inspired by the growing economy in northwest Arkansas, in large part thanks to an updated new grain Mill and the addition of a lumber Mill at the War Eagle site. The War Eagle Bridge was built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company in 1907, and is one of six "Parker Through Trusses," and one of only seventeen "steel truss" bridges in Arkansas. Even though the structure of the bridge is made of steel, the decking is made of wide wooden planks. (photo: Library of Congress Archive)

Restoring a Landmark

In the summer of 2010, the historic steel and wood structure is undergoing a full restoration by Benton County. Doug Walsh, general manager of War Eagle Mill, says that they were happy to see the historic nature of the site preserved. “The War Eagle Bridge is a significant contribution to the history of this area. Restoring the bridge is a great signal to the importance of preserving our regional heritage.” War Eagle Mill will remain open through the process, and visitors coming from the south will need to take a detour. If you are visiting from the north (Rogers, Bentonville, Branson, Eureka Springs) you will not be affected by the bridge being closed.

(photo: Library of Congress Archive)

Come on out and see the progress!

The Mill is open everyday from 8:30 until 5pm, so as part of your visit it will be fun to come out and see the restoration process in person. When you come from the north off of Highway 12, you will be driving right through Hobbs State Park, Arkansas’ largest state park. The park’s beautiful new visitor center is just a few minutes away from the Mill. With its numerous hiking and biking trails, a visit to Hobbs followed by lunch and cobbler with ice cream at the Mill makes for a great day trip.”

<< War Eagle Bridge as it stood in the 1950's

(photo: Library of Congress Archive)



PHOTO GALLERY OF BRIDGE RESTORATION JULY 2010

A Fresh Start for a Historic Bridge >>

Over the years, all of the bridge traffic and visitors to the Mill had worn the wooden planks that made up the decking on the original bridge. The first week in July 2010, all of the old decking was prepared to be carefully removed. The parallel slats that the cars drove on have been removed first, and the base decking will soon be removed to expose the metal joists below.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 5 July 2010)

<< Removing the old deck

Work began swiftly with most of the bridge’s decking removed in a few days. It’s rare to see timber as large as what is being removed. The contractor plans to recycle most of the wood for other projects. Moving the huge timbers is a tedious process as the heavy equipment can only move on areas of the bridge that still have the decking in place.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 12 July 2010)

Down to the Metal >>

All of the old decking is now removed and the metal joists under the old decking are being restored. The restoration crew is in harnesses full-time to ensure that they will not fall between the joists. Lots of summer rain is helping the War Eagle Creek flow quite well for this usually dry time of year. A full-running creek means lots of water for our mill wheel to grind the daily grind!


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 19 July 2010)




<< A Temporary Deck

By the third week of July, the crew has moved on to restoring the old steel while adding more steel along the base of the bridges joists to increase its strength. They installed temporary sheets of plywood so that they could work on the steel trusses overhead at the same time that they were working on the metal joists below. The crew found several surprises when they removed the last of the wood decking, including a water moccasin snake! With cars no longer crossing the bridge, we could see where it might be an appealing place to take a warm, quiet nap (if you were a snake).


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 26 July 2010)






Bring in the Tarps >>

The restoration team is being very attentive to the sensitive delicate creek environment, and they are going to great lengths to ensure they have minimal impact. To protect water below, a series of overlapping tarps have been hung under the bridge to catch any falling debris. War Eagle Creek flows into Beaver Lake, which flows into the White River through the Beaver Lake dam, and then eventually on to the mighty Mississippi River at the Arkansas-Mississippi border on the far southeastern side of the state.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 26 July 2010)




<< The Creek Keeps on Flowing!

Summer rains have continued to fall, and our mill wheel grinding away full-time. We are impressed by the restoration team's dedication--when they get rained out they have even come back to work on the weekends. At the end of July they are pronouncing that they are still ahead of schedule. Great work team!


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 29 July 2010)


New Decking >>

All of the old decking is being replaced from the center toward the ends. In this photo you can see that where the deck in the center of the bridge is the new boards, while the boards close to the camera at the bridge entrance are still the original deck boards.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 04 Aug 2010)


<< Structural Support

While the decking is taking place, a portion of the restoration team is carefully removing the old stones from the support column, and strengthening the top of the bridge’s column with a new concrete top. We hope this will insure the strength of the bridge for another 100 years!


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 12 Aug 2010)


On the Surface >>

Now the new decking is nearly complete! The bridge deck is now made up of completely new boards, and the whole surface is beautifully smooth. What a transition!


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 20 Aug 2010)


<< Getting Ready to Paint

In this photo, the restoration crew is suspending a platform beneath the bridge so they can begin painting the steel portions of the bridge. Look very carefully and you can see two brave members of the crew out on the edge of the platform--YIKES! Great care is being taken to prevent any stray construction material from entering the river ecosystem.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 29 Aug 2010)


Stout Materials >>

Here is a close up of the humongous timbers that make up the new deck and runners. This is some serious wood! Also the runners are much wider that the originals, so those of you with large trucks or SUVs will feel like you have a better fit. Our box truck delivery truck seems very happy. Of course the hight limit is still 10 ft., so please leave your tour buss at home. Also you can see the nice new coat of black metal paint, that should keep all the metalwork in great shape for years to come.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 09 Oct 2010)


Ready for the Fair >>

Fall is here, color is in the leaves, and we are so happy to have our bridge back and looking FABULOUS for the Fall Arts and Crafts fair October 14-17. We do hope you can come out and try out the bridge for yourself.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 09 Oct 2010)


<< And the restoration is complete!

On October 1st, 2010 the "new" bridge opened to a ribbon cutting ceremony. Cars, trucks and motorcycles were lined up on both sides, eager to try out the bridge. With all new decking, runners and new concrete support, everyone who has driven across agrees that the new bridge feels as sturdy as it looks.


(Photo War Eagle Mill, 09 Oct 2010)



Wheat!