One of North Little Rock's most famous landmarks is being renovated. If all goes as planned at the Old Mill, water will flow over a 50-foot rock wall for the first time in over 70 years. Sandra Taylor Smith, director of the North Little Rock History Commission, hopes the new waterfall will help make the tourist attraction even more appealing.
"The big pond between where the waterfall is coming and the mill building sometimes would get very stagnant, so we were looking at solutions to try to keep that water moving and not be so stagnant," she said.
Terry Hartwick, director of North Little Rock's Department of Parks and Recreation, says they pulled an old grocery shopping cart from the pond after draining it last week. According to Hartwick, the renovations are expected to cost approximately $60,000 and will involve new plumbing, a new pumping station, and a new roof for the main mill building.
"We think it's going to be worth it," said Hartwick. "That Old Mill is a treasure for our city and it's a shame that it hasn't worked before. So now let's make it work and make it look right."
The Old Mill, a replica of an 1880s grist mill, was featured in the 1939 movie "Gone With The Wind" and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The tourist site is closed until the grand re-opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
