WAR EAGLE

Settlement of War Eagle began in 1832 when Sylvanus and Catherine Blackburn built a grist mill and saw mill along the War Eagle, a tributary of the White river.

During the 19th Century War Eagle was best known as a lumbering center. In 1869 Peter VanWinkle settled nearby and built a large saw mill which supplied the lumber for numerous buildings in Northwest Arkansas, including University of Arkansas' Old Main.

The Blackburn and Van Winkle families united when Sylvanus' son, J.A.C., married Peter's daughter, Ellen. J.A.C. Blackburn took over the saw mill in 1882, built a store, and became known as the "Lumber King of Northwest Arkansas."

Little remains of War Eagle. The Blackburn home still stands, along with a working reproduction of the 1873 grist mill. Today the area is best known for the annual War Eagle Arts and Crafts Fair.

War Eagle mill and bridge, circa 1910. (Neg. #N008238)