Crystal Tree of Light

The Crystal Tree of Light at the Clinton Center is one of the most conversational pieces in the library. My girls get a close look at it on our last visit to the center.

One of the most interesting things at the Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock is the Crystal Tree of Light on the third floor.

President and Mrs. Clinton invited world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly to provide artwork for the White House Millennium celebration on Dec. 31, 1999. He created two identical towers of glass, both entitled Crystal Tree of Light. Both were installed in the Grand Foyer of the White House and were displayed until March 2000.

Four years later, one of the crystal trees was donated to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation and installed permanently in the Clinton Center. It is this piece that visitors to the Little Rock center can ogle.

My girls always think it's rather odd-looking, and at first glance it is. It looks almost like serpents winding their way around but upon closer look it more resembles flower bulbs!

Modern day monument making history

The Clinton Presidential Center sits on the south bank of the Arkansas River, in Little Rock. Not only is it one of only 13 presidential libraries in the country, it is a leader in environmentally-friendly building and upkeep practices.

The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center and Park (also referred to as the Clinton Center or the Clinton Library; I prefer the former) is a modern day monument that is making history in many different ways.

The center had free admission today! I took the girls up there for a visit. We had recently been there back in February on a work-related trip. It was nice to go again with our own agenda, and sans baby.

The girls' favorite part was the water feature in front of the building! I enjoyed sitting out on the grounds after our tour. It was cool and breezy on the Arkansas River though the weather was fairly warm everywhere else in Central Arkansas.

I'll have some more information about the different features of the center in the days to come. There is a lot about this center that is very interesting.

Black facts online

Frederick Douglass was the only male to play a prominent role at the first Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York. He seconded the woman's suffrage motion introduced by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. That happened 160 years ago on July 26, 1848.

That information comes from a site I found out about today, Black Facts Online. It's an online database of African-American historical facts. You can search by date, as I did to find the Frederick Douglass fact, or by name.

Douglass was one of my favorite historical characters.

Saturday Night Fish Fry!

There's going to be a "Saturday Night Fish Fry" this weekend in honor of Brinkley musician Louis Jordan this weekend!

The Arkansas Times gives all the details on this weekend's festivities in honor of the famed musician, who would have been 100 years old this month.

"Saturday Night Fish Fry" was one of his many fun-loving tunes about food and this weekend Louis Jordan fans can partake of some good down-home cooking in his honor. "Beans and Cornbread" is another, perhaps better-known, song of Jordan's about comfort food.

This weekend's festival is being overseen by Stephen Koch, a longtime fan of Jordan's and a champion of his music. In years past he spearheaded efforts to have this bust of Louis Jordan created. It is now on display in Brinkley's old train station, now the Central Delta Depot Museum.

North Little Rock High School

North Little Rock High School is one of the community's landmarks.


Looming majestically over North Little Rock's business district, North Little Rock High School is considered a historical treasure. Built from 1928-1930, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1993.

The "Laying of Corner Stone" program described the new building as "unsurpassed in architectural beauty."

The Old Mill (artist's rendition)

This painting of the Old Mill is on the corner of Fifth and Main in North Little Rock.


As I was snapping photos of the historic Baker House in downtown North Little Rock, I couldn't help but notice this beautiful painting of the Old Mill. I've posted about the Old Mill before; it is one of our favorite places to visit and is the only known surviving structure filmed in the 1939 classic "Gone with the Wind."

The painting was done by Phillip Kirkpatrick but I wasn't able to find out anything else. I hope to in the near future.

Argenta Drug Company

The Argenta Drug Company is in downtown North Little Rock and is the oldest drugstore west of the Mississippi River.


Argenta Drug Company in downtown North Little Rock is a charming addition to a beautiful downtown area. It was built in 1887 and is known as the oldest continuously operating pharmacy west of the Mississippi River. It's part of the Argenta Historic District.

This building is the city's oldest commercial building and has been the home of three pharmacies -- Humphreys Drugs from 1887 to 1903, Hall Drug Company from 1903 to 1916, and Argenta Drug Company starting in 1917.

It recently underwent a face lift and now is sharper than ever. It's also busier than ever, or so it seemed the other afternoon when I stopped to take this photo one day last week.

Another interesting fact about this landmark was that U.S. Congressman Marion Berry was a pharmacist here in the 1960s.

I pass by this building frequently while taking care of business in downtown North Little Rock or heading into Little Rock.