On July 1, 2024, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a proclamation declaring the State of Arkansas’ intention to “participate fully in the commemoration of this important anniversary of our great nation.” To lead this effort, Governor Sanders established the Arkansas 250 Commission to plan and coordinate events in celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial. Several members of the Arkansas State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (ASDAR) were invited to participate in commission meetings, and the Arkansas Daughters are poised to play a vital role as planning efforts continue.
As Arkansas celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States, the focus will be on the museums that dot our great state. The state is home to several world-renowned museums, such as the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
But Did You Know?
- The Gann Museum in Benton is housed in the only known remaining structure made of bauxite.
- The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock has two vessels that bookend WWII. The USS Hoga tugboat was present at Pearl Harbor and the USS Razorback submarine was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.
- The Fort Smith Museum of History is the oldest, continuously operating museum in Arkansas. It features the stories of Hanging Judge Isaac, who ruled the Arkansas Frontier.
- Situated on two city blocks in downtown Little Rock, the Historic Arkansas Museum has several historic structures on its grounds including the city’s oldest original building – circa 1827 – and a transplanted 1850s Farmstead. The museum is also the state’s primary collector of decorative and fine arts by Arkansas artists and artisans.
- The Mosaic Templar Cultural Center was the first publicly funded museum of African-American history and culture in Arkansas. It preserves the history of the Mosaic Templars of America, once the largest black fraternal society in the United States.
- The Old State House in Little Rock holds the distinction of being the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Steeped in history, it was the site of a dramatic and tragic event in 1837, when a state Representative was fatally wounded during a knife fight on the third floor amidst a session of the Arkansas General Assembly.
- Crater Diamond is the only place in the world where the public can search for real diamonds.
- The Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers houses the world’s largest Daisy BB gun.
- The Hoo-Hoo International office and Museum celebrate the traditions of the lumber industry in Gurdon.
- Elvis Presley received his first Army buzz cut at the Chaffee Barbershop Museum.
- Johnny Cash’s boyhood home is located in Dyess, Arkansas. It was part of a New Deal-era resettlement project that started to help impoverished farmers.
- There is a museum in Lincoln, Arkansas, which celebrates the county doctor.
- You can walk into an immersive history on the deck of the Ozark Queen Steamboat in Calico Rock.
- The Eddie Mae Herron Museum preserves the rich history of African Americans in Pocahontas.
