ARKANSAS SIGHTSEEING: Morrilton teems with history, even 'skyscraper'

Built as a Carnegie Library a century or so ago, this building now serves as the Conway County Library.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Marcia Schnedler)
Built as a Carnegie Library a century or so ago, this building now serves as the Conway County Library. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Marcia Schnedler)

MORRILTON — A lot in life is relative. In New York or Chicago, the old First National Bank of Morrilton building would be a mere pipsqueak dwarfed by a forest of high-rise towers. In this seat of Conway County, it's whimsically referred to as the local "skyscraper" — the tallest building in town.

Rising five stories in the Arkansas River Valley community of 6,700, it's also a fixture in one of Morrilton's three districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Together, they encompass 107 buildings notable for history and/or architecture. They're close enough together for a comfortable driving or walking tour (buttressed by face masks and social distancing when needed).

It may seem surprising that a locale Morrilton's size boasts three districts on the National Register. That's more so since the population was only 770 in 1880 when its name was changed from Lewisburg, about the time Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad's arrival heralded prosperity.

The Morrilton Commercial Historic District includes 60 buildings of note in an area of nine square blocks. The current Missouri Pacific freight line bisects the district, passing the Morrilton Railroad Station, one of the district's four properties separately honored on the National Register.

Now housing the Morrilton Depot Museum at 101 E. Railroad Ave., the single-story brick station was built around 1907 by the Missouri Pacific Railroad in that line's typical Mediterranean styling. It closed to rail service in 1954. A communications method once vital but now bygone is marked by the projection on the trackside that once served as the telegrapher's bay.

A short block north of the train station, at the corner at Moose Street and East Broadway, stands the "skyscraper," likewise on the National Register. The design of architect Charles L. Thompson, First National Bank of Morrilton was dedicated in 1925.

The Central Arkansas Library System Encyclopedia of Arkansas describes it as "an unusual blend of Classical Revival and Craftsman styles."

Its narrow facade still dominates downtown Morrilton's busiest corner. The entrance is framed by two bronze columns atop granite plinths. The upper four stories are relatively unornamented, set with windows in groups of three. It no longer houses a bank.

Also a design of Charles L. Thompson and also separately on the National Register, is the Coca-Cola Building, 210. N. Moose St. It was completed in 1929, just as the Great Depression slowed building projects, in a streamlined Art Deco style. The state's fifth Coca-Cola plant, it was opened with a citywide celebration where guests danced to an orchestra and drank unlimited Coca-Cola. It later housed Morrilton's first Wal-Mart and now is used by city government.

The Morrilton Post Office, 115 N. Division St., likewise has its own National Register spot. Built in 1936, it houses a New Deal mural titled "Men at Rest" painted by Richard Sargent as federal project during the Great Depression.

In Moose Addition Neighborhood Historic District, south of the Commercial District, stands one of Arkansas' two remaining Carnegie libraries still serving that function. This network of libraries was founded for the public in the early 20th century by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It's at 101 W. Church St.

Another noted Moose Addition property, south of the Commercial District, is the Moose House at 711 Green St. It was built back in 1832 along the Arkansas River in Lewisburg. After the Civil War, it was moved to Morrilton by James Miles Moose, co-founder of the town with Edward Merrill. Constructed of wood frame, it has a gabled roof and weatherboard siding.

West Church Street Historic District, Morrilton's third such national enclave, is entirely residential. It features 23 homes, built mainly between 1926 and 1942. There are no structures as impressive as the "skyscraper" bank building, but the district makes for a pleasant stroll.

For information, visit morrilton.com or call (501) 354-2393.

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