Conway Cemetery State Park is located in Lafayette County in the town of Bradley. 

“Conway Cemetery State Park is a small, peaceful park that is home to the family cemetery of Arkansas’ first governor, James Sevier Conway,” said Heather Runyan, park interpreter at Logoly State Park. “At this park you can see the resting place of Governor Conway, as well as some of his family. Interpretive panels help guests understand the history of the place and include the layout of the cemetery with who is buried at each spot and how they are related.” 

This small state park has no staff or visitor services on site. Due to its location near the park, staff at Logoly State Park have been tasked with helping look after Conway Cemetery State Park. 

Along with being the state’s first governor, James Sevier Conway was also a surveyor and founder of Lafayette County. 

The land where the park is has ties to the Conway family and to being a cemetery for them. The land was initially an orchard behind the Conway house, a plantation house named Walnut Hill. After the passing of one of their young daughters, this orchard was repurposed into a cemetery and the daughter became the first to be buried in what was to become the family’s private cemetery. When Governor Conway passed in 1855, he was buried near this daughter. 

The state park is small but full of history. 

“Make sure to pay your respects at the gravesites of Governor Conway and his wife, Mary Jane Bradley,” said Runyan.

Conway’s wife, Mary Jane Bradley, has ties to the history of the area too. Her uncle and other settlers helped found Bradley County in the state. 

Members of Governor Conway’s extended family are also in the cemetery. The grave of William Crabtree Bradley, who Bradley County is named after, is there. As well as many other members of the Conway and Bradley families. The cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places and was dedicated as a state park in the 1980s. 

“Conway Cemetery State Park is the only cemetery designated as a state park in Arkansas,” said Runyan. “Although a few parks have cemeteries on the grounds, that is not their main focus. This park has important ties to the history of the state as the resting place of the first governor of Arkansas. While we often focus on the public lives of prominent figures, it is important to remember that they were people with homes and families. Family cemeteries like this one remind us of the mortality of these people, but also of the everyday lives that they led.”

More details about Conway Cemetery State Park can be found at arkansasstateparks.com/parks/conway-cemetery-state-park.