MOUNTAIN PINE — The Mountain Pine Municipal Building contains more than just offices of those involved in the day-to-day operations of the city. The building now houses the Mountain Pine Historical Museum, which reflects the history of the city during its heyday from the 1930s through the 1970s.
According to information found on The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture’s website, encyclopediaofarkansas.net, Mountain Pine was established in the late 1920s by Dierks Lumber and Coal Co., later known as Dierks Forests Inc. In 1969, Dierks sold the lumber mill to the Weyerhaeuser Co., which closed the mill in 2006.
Mountain Pine was a “company town” for Dierks lumber company, which constructed, and owned, houses for its employees to rent, as well as other buildings in the town.
Jimmy Long, 64, is a lifelong resident of Mountain Pine and worked for the lumber mill for more than 30 years. He has memories of the lumber mill and has many photographs of both the mill and the town.
“I worked in the mill when it was still Dierks and then for Weyerhaeuser,” he said. “I worked until they shut it down.”
In 2015, Long took it upon himself to create a diorama of the town, as it was “back in the day.”
Using his memories and photos as guides, Long crafted the diorama from balsa wood.
“I used balsa wood because it is easy to work with,” Long said recently at his home, which has been remodeled but was one of the original “shotgun” houses that Dierks built for its employees. “I cut [the balsa wood] with a pencil.”
The diorama, which is prominent in the first room of the museum, is built in several stages — one shows the mill; another, the town; and yet another, the shotgun houses. The diorama shows that the town included a school, a hotel, a jail, a doctor’s office and a movie theater, among other structures.
Elsewhere in this room, visitors will see old photographs placed on the walls.
Brenda Long, who grew up in Glenwood, said the museum plans to create a Wall of Honor, where photos of previous employees of the lumber mill will be placed.
“That could be 1,000 people, easily,” she said.
Among the items in the second room of the museum are a rope bed, old plows, a saddle and a wheelchair that dates from the 1800s.
Virgil Redwine has provided many of the items for the museum.
Jimmy Long said Redwine, who is 85, contacted him not long after an article about the diorama appeared in the Hot Springs newspaper.
“He called me and said, ‘I’ve got something you’ve got to have,’” Long said, laughing. “That item was a long aerial photograph that showed the mill and the town in 1938.
“Since then, he’s brought in all kinds of stuff,” Long said.
Redwine, who said he worked at the lumber mill “when I was real young,” said he found the aerial photograph at a flea market in Hot Springs.
“Since then, I’ve taken lots of stuff over there. We’ve donated all of it — my wife, Jessie, and me,” Redwine said.
“I’ve been collecting for over 50 years. I can’t take it with me,” he said.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said, adding that he and Jessie just celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.
“That diorama Jimmy built is awesome,” Redwine said. “Just this morning (Wednesday), we took a picture of us and the Longs and put it under that [aerial] photograph.”
Redwine also delivered for the Jackson Cookie Co. for 21 years, working 11 counties in Arkansas. Another item he has donated to the museum is an old cookie jar promoting Jackson’s cookies. On the jar are photographs of Redwine with some of his old delivery trucks.
Jimmy Long said he first approached the former mayor of Mountain Pine in 2015 about displaying the diorama in City Hall, then approached officials at the Mountain Pine School District.
“We had it in City Hall for two months, then at the school for a month,” Long said. “Now it’s back at City Hall, and we’re developing a museum around it.”
Brenda Long said the current mayor, Rick Petty Sr., “has been real receptive to the idea of the museum.”
The Longs have been in contact with Liz Robbins, executive director of the Garland County Historical Society.
“She has been quite helpful in our efforts to establish this museum,” Jimmy said.
Brenda said she and Jimmy now spend most mornings down at City Hall.
“We are there from about 8:30 a.m. until noon. We are willing to talk to anyone who comes in,” she said.
“We are planning an open house. The tentative date is March 10. We are going to try to have some kind of ceremony that day around 10 a.m.,” Brenda said.
“We are also open for school tours. We have talked to the counselor at Mountain Pine and hope to set up a tour soon for some of the students,” she said.
“We want the museum to be open to anyone,” Brenda said. “If any school or other group wants a tour, all they have to do is call me at (501) 760-1650.
“This museum is a walk through history.”
Jimmy said they are also trying to get a sign erected on Mountain Pine Road, directing visitors to the museum, which is in the Mountain Pine Municipal Building at 241 Main St.