Poisoning of some of the vegetation outside North Little Rock's famed Old Mill at T.R. Pugh Memorial Park is causing the city to consider installing security cameras at the historic site.
Members of the Pulaski County Master Gardeners, who maintain the plants in the 3-acre city park, noticed the dead plants Tuesday, city spokesman Nathan Hamilton said Wednesday afternoon. The dead vegetation includes a Japanese maple, several azalea bushes and assorted others, or about 5 percent of the park's plants, Hamilton said.
A report was filed with the North Little Rock Police Department, he added.
"Someone apparently poured bleach on a few of the plants, or some type of poison," Hamilton said. "Our Master Gardeners noticed it immediately."
For anyone to cause such vandalism at the city's most famed attraction is perplexing, city Parks and Recreation Director Terry Hartwick said.
"Why anybody would want to do this beats me," Hartwick said. "We'll probably need to install some cameras in the area now so we can watch everything."
Hartwick said he hopes news media reports and the use of social media sites will help to find "somebody who may know something" about the vandalism.
The Old Mill, at Fairway Avenue and Lakeshore Drive, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and labeled as "a favorite attraction" of the city on the North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau website. The park, with the replica of an 1820s-era, water-powered grist mill and its colorful vegetation, is popular as a backdrop for wedding, engagement, tourist, reunion and school prom photos.
The Old Mill's biggest claim to fame comes from its brief appearance in the opening credits of the classic film Gone With the Wind. The replica mill was completed in 1933. The property was donated to the city in 1976.
The volunteer organization Friends of the Old Mill, which includes some Master Gardeners, heavily assists in maintaining the property.
"We are extremely disappointed," Hamilton said of the vandalism. "North Little Rock's Old Mill is one of our most prolific parks and we spend taxpayer dollars trying to keep it up. That's not even mentioning the amount of volunteer hours from our Master Gardeners. My heart kind of breaks for them."
Samples of the affected plants have been sent to the Pulaski County Cooperative Extension Service for testing, Hartwick said.
Metro on 05/12/2016