War Eagle Mill celebrated its centennial rebirth in 1973 when Jewell A. and Leta Medlin and Zoe Medlin Caywood built the fourth mill on the original site and foundation.
The new mill stands as an authentic reproduction of the 1873 mill in preserving the historical significance of the gristmill as the hub of the rural community during the late 1800's and early 1900's. The War Eagle River powers a set of stone buhr grinders in the new mill by an 18-foot undershot waterwheel.
The first mill was built in the 1830's by Sylvanus Blackburn, but washed away in 1848. The second mill was burned by order of a Confederate general to prevent the Union Army's capture and use of the mill. James A.C. Blackburn, son of Sylvanus, reconstructed a third mill in 1873.
The fourth mill is the first new grist mill built in Arkansas in 90 years. A visit to the historical mill provides a taste of nostalgic reminiscence of the pioneering spirit of the founders and subsequent millers who ground grains for the daily table in the 1800's. And now, since 1973 War Eagle Mill once again graces the War Eagle River bank and its serene valley with the sound of stone buhrs grinding and the spirit of its Arkansas past being carried on within its doors.
Crafts made by artists in the War Eagle area are for sale at the Mill. Antiques and tools for everyday living in the late 1800's are displayed throughout the three-story structure. The "Bean Palace" Restaurant on the third floor features the Mill's wholegrains for breakfast and lunch. Visitors are always welcome to step back into history and observe the process of stone buhr grinding as it was done 150 years ago
