ROGERS, Ark. — A carving was uncovered in War Eagle Cavern that could prove a connection between the historic cavern and War Eagle Mill, dating back 150 years.
On Friday, Feb. 24, War Eagle Cavern announced that while working on an expansion project, employees noticed a carving that spelled out the name "Blackburn."
According to the announcement, the name references Sylvanus Walker Blackburn, a well-known Northwest Arkansas figure who built the first grist mill in Benton County. The location where the original mill was built is open today as a tourist attraction and historical reproduction called War Eagle Mill.
Although the two places aren't directly related, the Mill and the Cavern have worked together for years to show visitors the historic beauty of the area.
“We are very excited by this discovery. Over the years we have explored those areas in the cavern many times and discovered hundreds of signatures, but we have never noticed the Blackburn signature because of how high up it is. The construction of this new walkway will allow future visitors to view this previously unseen carving," said Guy Schiavone, the general manager of the War Eagle Cavern.
Tom Rasmussen, a historian and guide at the War Eagle Mill, says that the carving may not have been done by Blackburn himself. His gut feeling, however, is that it was made by one of his eleven children or someone related to him directly. Rasmussen is currently conducting more research to figure out who could've carved the name.
War Eagle Cavern will reopen on March 4, 2023. The expansion will also open, which was previously inaccessible to the public—along with the Blackburn carving.
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