This year is a bicentennial year for Washington, Arkansas. The town, which is named after George Washington, the first U.S. president,  was founded in 1824 when the state of Arkansas was still a territory. 

Historic Washington State Park is located in Washington, Arkansas and a main aim of the park is to preserve and share the 19th century history of the town. 

A free exhibit called “Washington, Arkansas: Celebrating 200 Years” is available for visitors to see at the state park until the end of the year. The exhibit is located at the park’s visitor center inside the 1874 Hempstead County Courthouse.

“The goal of the exhibit is to show the rich history of the community of Washington, Arkansas over 200 years and highlight some of the many men and women that helped make the town,” said Josh Williams, curator at Historic Washington State Park. “Some of the highlights of the exhibit are copies of school photographs of children from all the different schools in Washington over the years. Also on display is the oldest known County Sheriff badge in the state of Arkansas, given to Hempstead County Sheriff James W. Williams in 1874.

Washington, Arkansas was first established on the “Hill of the Five Trails,” a location noted for being where five roads came together. “Between 1816 to 1824 local Methodists in the area established a campground in that vicinity since it was a central point for many in Hempstead County to travel to,” said Williams. “It was a religious campground named “Ebenezer Campground” and was a location for religious retreats and services. Because of the centrality of this intersection, it was decided to establish the county seat and the community of Washington there in 1824. The “Southwest Trail”, also known as Military Road, was one of the five trails and was the main road going through connecting St. Louis to the Texas boundary.” 

Today, visitors to Historic Washington State Park can learn about the 19th century history of town and visit sites that now have the distinction of being the largest collection of 19th-century buildings in Arkansas. 

“Some of the main highlights of the park and popular spots are the Blacksmith Shop that tells the story of the Bowie Knife and the large Magnolia Tree planted in 1839 by local lawyer Grandison D. Royston,” said Williams. “People also enjoy visiting the B.W. Edwards Weapons Museum which showcases the Edwards weapons collection of over 600 firearms and weapons. You also can eat in an original tavern building for lunch at Williams Tavern restaurant that dates from circa 1835 and owned by John D. Williams.”

This specific timeline in history was intentionally honed in on by the state park. “The focus of the 19^th century began with the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation and the stories documented by Charlean Moss Williams in her book “The Old Town Speaks,” said Williams. “The focus has continued to this day with Historic Washington State Park. The majority of the historic structures in town also date from around circa 1850. Washington, Arkansas reached its peak as a town in 1860 in terms of size and population. After the Civil War, it began to slowly decline in size.” 

History can be experienced in many ways at the park, from special events and programs to guided tours and self-guided walking tours. Even the streets in town have history to share as they were named after Americans who made an impact in history. While walking in town visitors will come across familiar names like Franklin Street, named after Benjamin Franklin, and Hamilton Street, named after Alexander Hamilton, etc.  

“Historic Washington State Park is different from other state parks because it is located in the middle of a “living” town,” said Williams. “The majority of other state parks have specified boundaries, but Washington is not like that. Since we interpret a trail the city streets are the trails through town compared to the hiking trails in natural state parks. Historic Washington has preserved some of the best examples of middle class housing from the mid-19^th century in the United States South. Many times these homes have not survived or have been torn down. Through these homes people can see how middle class Americans lived in 19^th century America.”

The state park first opened in the early 1970s as Old Washington Historic State Park. In 2006 the name was changed to the name we know today. The aim of the park has remained the same throughout, to preserve the history of Washington, Arkansas. 

“At Historic Washington our goal is to bring the 19th century past alive and show that there are many similarities between the people that lived then and people that live today,” said Williams. “Historic Washington also helps educate people on the importance of preserving our historic treasures in our communities.” 

Washington, Arkansas has 200 years of history and many impactful moments helped shape the town over that time period. Williams shares some of these moments below. 

 Circa 1831- Blacksmith James Black forged a knife for Jim Bowie.

 1831-1833 – Choctaw and Chickasaw members came through Washington during “Indian Removal” on their way to southeast Oklahoma. 

 Fall 1863 – May 1865 – Washington, Arkansas became the state capital of Confederate Arkansas.

 April 8, 1875– The new railroad line bypassed Washington, Arkansas and the new town of Hope, Arkansas was incorporated, beginning the decline of Washington, Arkansas  in population. 

 1875 and 1883 – Fire broke out destroying part of the business district of Washington, Arkansas in both 1875 and 1883.

 1883 – Haygood Seminary was established, a vocational school for the African-American community.

 February 28, 1907- A major tornado hits Washington, Arkansas. 

March 27, 1929 – Act 247 was passed by the Arkansas Legislature appropriating the first use of public funds to preserve a historic structure in Arkansas. The funds were used to restore the 1836 Hempstead County Courthouse that was used as the Confederate State Capitol during the Civil War. 

April 3, 1934 – The first All-Women City council was elected along with Mayor Charlean Moss Williams.

May 27, 1958  – Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation was founded.

July 20, 1973 – Old Washington Historic State Park dedicated and open for business.

For more information on Historic Washington State Park, visit HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com.