Among all of the quotes about history, there are many which rightly remind us that if we do not study history we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again,

Although this is quite true, my favorite quote about history’s relevance focuses not so much on human failings that tend to plague each generation, but rather on what makes us inextricably tied to history and to those who preceded us.

Long before it was discovered that we carry the DNA of our ancestors within every cell in our bodies, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

“. . .man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose flower and fruitage is the world. ” 

As I will explain later, this point was driven home to me just a couple of months ago.

The Blackburns and the Van Winkles

Last week, we posted an essay about one of NW Arkansas’ earliest settlers, Peter and Temperance Van Winkle. We ended just as the Van Winkles returned from the Civil War to find their home had been burned, and the lives they had so painstakingly built had to be reconstructed, just as the Union itself had to be rebuilt after being torn asunder by war and violence.

Although it is known their home was burned, it is unclear whether Confederate or Union soldiers torched it. Some accounts claim that the Union, wishing to decimate the source of lumber the Confederates received during the Rebellion destroyed it, while other accounts contend that in an effort to keep the Union from taking over the lumber mill, the Confederates took action to keep potential booty from being confiscated by the North.

Whichever side was guilty, the result was the same.

After the war, Van Winkle’s emancipated slaves chose to continue to work for him — undoubtedly a huge help with all of the work that had to be done.

What is left of the slave quarters on the Van Winkle farm

Although the cost of living and land values were relatively cheep after the war, money and food were scarce and Confederate money was worthless.

However, over time, Van Winkle rebuilt the lumber mill, and soon, it outshone it’s former glory. Van Winkle provided the lumber for a number of projects, including the construction of Old Main at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in the 1870s.

Two Influential Pioneer Families

One of Van Winkle’s daughters married J.A.C. Blackburn, the son of Sylvanus Blackburn (of War Eagle Mill fame).

JAC made a name for himself in his own right — instrumental in creating infrastructure in Rogers, AR, he and his wife lived near the downtown most of  lives. Toward the end of their lives, Peter and Temperance also resided in Rogers.

The Rogers home of J.A.C Blackburn

It was in Rogers in February of 1872 that Peter and Temperance, as was their routine, took a walk with their son one February evening.

This was Peter’s last sojourn; while on the walk he collapsed and died immediately – the result of a massive stroke. The new state had lost a pioneering icon; NWA Arkansas had acquired a legend.

Knots and Roots

Back to the Emerson quote. In May of this year, I took a trip to see my aunt, Nancy Howell Stevens, and cousin Paige Carlile Kerr.

Soon after arriving, Nancy mentioned that her husband’s physical therapist, knowing  I lived in Arkansas, asked if I’d heard of a renowned, historical mill located in NW Arkansas. My mouth literally fell open! Not only had Lynn and I been to the mill several times, I’d done extensive research on Sylvanus and Catherine Blackburn, which we wrote about in an earlier post.

That was astounding in itself, but it got even better. As we wrote previously, Sylvanus and Catherine had many children – but John (the physical therapist) was a descendent of JAC Blackburn, tying him directly not only to the Blackburns, but to the Van Winkles as well.

Some would blithely say that it’s a small world, and it is; but even more than that? We truly are a “bundle of relations, a knot of roots.” And that, my friends, is why Lynn and I truly love bringing you stories of Hidden Treasures in the Ozarks.

Peter and Temperance Van Winkle

On a chilly morning in February of 1882, a crowd gathered at the Frisco train station in Fayetteville, AR to greet an overnight train that had been specially dispatched the night before.

The train’s melancholy mission completed, a group of men stepped up and forlornly unloaded the coffin of one of the most prominent and well-known citizens in the entire state, Peter Manelis Van Winkle.

The pall-bearers  loaded the coffin into a horse drawn carriage; Van Winkle’s family members filled the carriages immediately following the hearse.

The processional traveled down Dickson street, then turned south onto College, where they traveled approximately three blocks before turning on to Center street. In the middle of the thoroughfare, the horse-drawn hearse came to a stop in front of the Van Winkle Hotel.

The building was draped in mourning, signifying the death of of someone significant; there, the body of Van Winkle was carried into the hotel, where it laid in state from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon.

Where it all Began

Peter Van Winkle and his wife, Temperance had arrived in Northwest Arkansas from Illinois nearly fifty years earlier. Soon after their arrival, Van Winkle purchased 80 acres in Washington County for $1.50 per acre.

Thirteen years later, in 1851 the Van Winkles purchased land in Benton County, close to the historic War Eagle Mill. Here, Van Winkle built, owned and operated the largest lumber mill in the area.

For the rest of the decade, life was good for the Van Winkles; they raised a family and expanded the lumber mill into a force to be reckoned with . Although the magnificent, antebellum home is no longer present, the beautiful hollow where the Van Winkles built their home looks much the same as it did when they lived there. Stones from the terraced garden remain. As Lynn and I studied the layout of the estate, we discovered that the garden was in full view from the balconies of the upper stories, no doubt a pleasant respite from the intense heat of many an Ozark summer.

What remains of the terraced garden

The original retaining wall that graced the front of the Van Winkle mansion

The Civil War Years

The dawn of the 1860s brought a sense of foreboding to the area; a bloody war between the states was inevitable. What was once believed to be a short lived skirmish turned into four bloody years of all out war. The entire Van Winkle family was disrupted in a profound way.

Van Winkle played a pivotal role for the Confederate cause; as the owner of the largest lumber mill in the area, he was commissioned to build a headquarters of sorts for the Confederate army. He ultimately built 39 cabins for Confederate commanders in the area, along with five stables for their horses. The location of the compound was critical; only 18 miles from the Missouri border, it allowed Confederate leaders to keep an eye on Union activity across the state line.

Prior to the Battle of Pea Ridge, Van Winkle loaded up his family and slaves and waited out the rest of the war in Texas. Peter and Temperance’s 9th child,  Robert E. Lee Van Winkle, was born there.

After the war, the Van Winkles returned to their home near War Eagle — but what they came home to would have caused men of lesser fortitude to crumble. But Van Winkle was not defeated.

In our next post, we will share what life was life in post- war Arkansas, and how the Van Winkles  influenced the rebuilding of the entire area during the difficult Reconstruction years.