08/25/2026
This is the reconstructed 1823 William Woodruff Print Shop Historic Arkansas Museum . Probably the finest building in Little Rock, Arkansas at the time when most buildings were log or wood frame. It was the site of where Woodruff established the Arkansas Gazette--and was the first lending library in the territory. Mistakenly torn down in the 1940's, it was meticulously researched before its reconstruction in 2010. Note the shutters and doors. Back in the 1820's, blacksmiths would make "Rosehead" nails. Their length would be about 1" or so longer than the thickness of the final door or shutter, allowing the carpenter to drive the nail through layers of wood, then hit it on the backside to 'clinch' it back through--making them very stable. In these photos, including an actual 1820's shutter in Virginia, you can see it very clearly. Prior to installing the strap hinges, also made by hand from a skilled blacksmith, a leather washer would be placed behind the head of the nail, which prevented squeaking. For security on the frontier, oftentimes you'd see an "Indian bar" spanning across the interior side of the door. Before industrialization, the blacksmith was one of the most important (and busiest) people in a town.
