| Historic Washington State Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The Old State House, Washington, Arkansas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Historic Washington State Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Washington, Arkansas, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°46′26″N93°41′03″W / 33.773797°N 93.684121°W /33.773797; -93.684121[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 101 acres (41 ha)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | 1973[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Administered by | Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States historic place
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Historic Washington State Park (formerlyOld Washington Historic State Park) is a 101-acre (41 ha)Arkansas state park inHempstead County, Arkansas in theUnited States. The museum village contains a collection of pioneer artifacts from the town ofWashington, Arkansas, which is a former pioneer settlement along theSouthwest Trail.[1] Walking interpretive tours are available throughout the 54 buildings. Washington served as a major trading point along the Southwest Trail, evolving into the Hempsteadcounty seat and later the capital of Arkansas from 1863 to 1865 whenLittle Rock was threatened during theCivil War.[2] The original plat of Washington was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1972 as theWashington Historic District.[3]
During the 1820s and 1830s, Washington was a stopover for travelers going to Texas. It was originally thecounty seat of Hempstead County until a new courthouse was completed in Hope, which was designated the seat of government in 1939. The park emphasizes regional 19th century history from 1824 to 1889.[4] It is located in southwestern Arkansas east ofTexarkana and near the entrance toInterstate 30.
The Southwest Trail ran fromSt. Louis, Missouri, to theRed River port ofFulton in Hempstead County some twelve miles from Washington. At the time, the Red River was the border between the United States andMexico. The trail was a route taken by people headed toMexican Texas.William B. Travis,Sam Houston, andDavy Crockett each separately traveled through Washington on their way to Texas.[2]
On February 14, 1820, Washington was authorized for a post office. That facility remains the oldest continuous postal operation west of theMississippi River. A new postal building was dedicated on May 29, 1988, by then U.S. SenatorDavid Hampton Pryor.[5] Washington became a town onGeorge Washington's birthday, February 22, 1824.[1]
From 1863-1865, Old Washington was the site of theConfederate capitol of Arkansas after the fall ofLittle Rock toUnion forces. The originalArkansas Confederate capital, where the refugee government fled, still exists in the park. It is a part of theCamden Expedition Sites, named in part for the town ofCamden, Arkansas, in southern Arkansas.
In 1958, thePioneer Washington Restoration Foundation began preserving the unique buildings and sites that currently lie within the park. The park was established in 1965 and opened eight years later. The Southwest Regional Archives was established there in 1978. Since that time, more than 200,000 artifacts related to 19th century life have been recovered in the park and is the site of ongoing archaeological research on small-town life.
The historic buildings provide excellent examples of the architectural styles popular in the 19th centuryAmerican South. Examples on display areSouthern Greek Revival,Federal architecture,Gothic Revival,Italianate, and the rough-hewn timber or brace-frame construction of the frontier.
Visitors follow plank board sidewalks along streets that have never been paved. AMoon tree was planted in the town on March 15, 1976.[6] The largestmagnolia tree in Arkansas, planted in 1839, also graces the town. Everything within the original 1824 boundaries of the town are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
Historic Washington houses the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives which is the primary center for historical and genealogical research in the region. The archives contain rare books, court documents, newspapers, census information, photographs, scrapbooks, sheet music, and assorted family histories.[4]
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hempstead County, Arkansas
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