Former Movie Theater, Carlisle

What was it like to watch a movie in downtown Carlisle? I don't know, and this building isn't telling me anything, except for the obvious ticket booth on the front. It may have had a neon sign, or a huge canopy, and maybe long lines down the street, but I don't know, and not even Cinema Treasures has any wisdom for me. So it goes.

Marooned Passenger Station, Carlisle

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Carlisle, Arkansas, is located right along the old Rock Island Railroad. In 1931 (to pick a random year), you could board a train in downtown Little Rock and go straight to Carlisle. Now, the town is bare of railroad, but the old passenger station remains - in remarkably good shape. Some more photos after the jump.

Lonoke County Courthouse

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Ah, the stories that are contained within every small town courthouse. This one bucks the trend by actually being in the city that goes with the name of the county. Ever notice that about Arkansas? Searcy isn't in Searcy County. Hot Springs isn't in Hot Spring County. Conway isn't in Conway County. And so on...

Anyway, the point is, old courthouses are beautiful, this one included.

Strange Abandoned Church, Lonoke

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Here's an artifact of a building I spotted as soon as we drove into town. We stood on the corner for a while, pondering over it. It's in a strange, rambling craftsman/tudor style that I've never seen used on a place of worship. Turns out it's listed on the National Register for Historic Places, and it was built in 1916. More after the jump...

Restored Rock Island Depot, Lonoke

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Our drive along Highway 70 paralleled the old Rock Island railroad. Many of the towns along the highway had beautiful depots in outstanding conditions. Lonoke's in particular was in excellent condition and had been turned into a modest museum with meeting spaces. It's a 1915-or-so structure built to replace a late 1800s depot that burned. A photo of the interior after the jump.

Under the Harahan Bridge

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Here is a place left abandoned by humans for more than half a century...