Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
Samuel Whiteley owned a mill (bought from Abner Casey) in what is now Newton County. The post office,named in his honor ,was established in December of 1851.
Mr. Whiteley went to California and returned with a great deal of gold. Always fearing that his gold would be stolen,he was constantly changing the hiding place.
With the outbreak of the war,Newton county was not only under attack from Union soldiers, but bushwhackers as well...When Mr. Whiteley recieved word that a Union troop was in the area, he once again returned tothe woods to hide his gold.
When he returned ,his home was under attack (here is where accounts differ...Union troops or bushwhackers) and the ruffians had dragged his wife into the yard and had knocked her down. Mr. Whiteley,stepping from the woods shot the offender and then aanother man shot Mr Whiteley in the chest and died before he could tell his wife where he had rehidden the gold.
The town of Whiteley is now called Boxley.
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Boxley Mill
Located on Arkansas Highway 43 one mile north of Boxley, this old mill was built in 1870 to replace a small mill built in 1840 by Abner Casey. The mill, pond, race and spring remain virtually unchanged. A turbine powered the mill, and the shafts and gears remain. The building is a large three-story frame and clapboard structure on a foundation of unmortered stacked stone. Hand-hewn oak beams are 10" x 12" x 40’ long and rafters are solid cedar poles. These are in excellent condition though the remains are deteriorating. Clyde Villines, grandson of the original miller, ceased operation in the 1960s due to lack of business. The mill may be restored as a feature of the Buffalo National River.
Mr. Whiteley went to California and returned with a great deal of gold. Always fearing that his gold would be stolen,he was constantly changing the hiding place.
With the outbreak of the war,Newton county was not only under attack from Union soldiers, but bushwhackers as well...When Mr. Whiteley recieved word that a Union troop was in the area, he once again returned tothe woods to hide his gold.
When he returned ,his home was under attack (here is where accounts differ...Union troops or bushwhackers) and the ruffians had dragged his wife into the yard and had knocked her down. Mr. Whiteley,stepping from the woods shot the offender and then aanother man shot Mr Whiteley in the chest and died before he could tell his wife where he had rehidden the gold.
The town of Whiteley is now called Boxley.
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'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Boxley Mill
Located on Arkansas Highway 43 one mile north of Boxley, this old mill was built in 1870 to replace a small mill built in 1840 by Abner Casey. The mill, pond, race and spring remain virtually unchanged. A turbine powered the mill, and the shafts and gears remain. The building is a large three-story frame and clapboard structure on a foundation of unmortered stacked stone. Hand-hewn oak beams are 10" x 12" x 40’ long and rafters are solid cedar poles. These are in excellent condition though the remains are deteriorating. Clyde Villines, grandson of the original miller, ceased operation in the 1960s due to lack of business. The mill may be restored as a feature of the Buffalo National River.
