War Eagle Mill is a working

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

in Benton County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. 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.War Eagle Mill Website - History and Mystery
/ref> The mill is located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the city of

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

in War Eagle, Arkansas.

Historic mills at the site

First mill

Sylvanus and Cathryn Blackburn moved to the War Eagle Valley in 1832 and built a mill next to

War Eagle Creek War Eagle Creek is a stream in Benton County, Arkansas, Benton, Washington County, Arkansas, Washington and Madison County, Arkansas, Madison counties of northwest Arkansas, United States, that is a tributary of the White River (Arkansas–Missou ...

. 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

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. Business prospered as the local population increased. After 1860, with the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, northwest Arkansas residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

ans just a few miles north. The Blackburns' five sons enlisted in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, while the Blackburns took the rest of their family to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, returning four years later. In 1862, the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The name Pea Ridge is derived from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of an Ozark Mountains ridg ...

. Confederate soldiers used the mill for two days, but burned it down to prevent it being used again by the Union.Arkansas Ties - War Eagle Mills
/ref> After the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Federal forces, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, moved south ...

, the surrounding country was laid waste by the retreating Confederates and bands of looters.Encyclopedia of Arkansas
/ref> 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 A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

instead of a

water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...

. 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 () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

—including

Old Main Old Main is a term often applied to the original building present on college or university campuses in the United States. The building serves today as home to administrative offices, such as the president or provost, but in its early inception may ...

on the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

campus. After winning a seat in the

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 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

, 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

blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets. Introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842, the process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

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 A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

in Arkansas, and is powered by an 18-foot

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

water wheel. Organic grain, cereal and flour products are milled and sold commercially on site.

References

External links

War Eagle Mill

* ttp://www.millpictures.com/mills/details.cfm?millid=321 Mill Pictures - War Eagle Mill {{Coord, 36, 16, 1.9, N, 93, 56, 35.2, W, display=title 1832 establishments in the United States Buildings and structures in Benton County, Arkansas Watermills in the United States Grinding mills in Arkansas Flour mills in the United States Tourist attractions in Benton County, Arkansas