Legacies & Lunch today – “Big News from Old Stuff” with State Archeologist

legacies The University of Arkansas Museum Collections may contain prehistoric collections, but they are far from ancient history. Dr. Ann Early, State Archeologist, will give a talk at the Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program on Wednesday, March 5, at noon in the CALS Ron Robinson Theater.

Dr. Early will discuss a sample of recent and ongoing research projects that use old collections, some nearly a century old, kept safe here in Arkansas. The results include major advances in Arkansas studies and contributions to studies of human history on a national and international scale. Archeological collections may not always be on constant view, but they are living laboratories that are continually used by researchers, educators, descendant peoples, and citizens interested in history. People come back to these collections with new research questions and new methods of analysis. Like libraries and archives, museum collections will continue to offer new discoveries and new insights into Arkansas history far into the future.

The Arkansas State Archeologist is Dr. Ann M. Early, whose office is located in Fayetteville at the Arkansas Archeological Survey. The duties of the State Archeologist involve all aspects of public archeology from site reporting, to liaison with public agencies, to public education.

The State Archeologist works closely with the Arkansas Archeological Society on such projects as the annual Society Dig and Training Program and Arkansas Archeology Month. She oversees the Survey’s Education Program, which produces a variety of educational materials, such as books, exhibits, and informational flyers for teachers, students, and the general public.

The State Archeologist nominates Arkansas sites to the National Register of Historic Places and can provide information on reporting sites in Arkansas. Information on state laws pertaining to archaeological sites in Arkansas can also be obtained from her office.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Programs are held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, contact 918-3033.

Wilbur Mills Focus of Legacies & Lunch Today

native arkansas exhibitionKay C. Goss, will discuss the complicated life and times of Congressman Wilbur D. Mills.   Goss is an educator and long-time aide to President Clinton in the Governor’s Office and at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, will discuss her biography of Arkansas’s longest-serving congressman, Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills.

The book covers the entirety of Mills’s life (1909-1992), including his work on fiscal issues and his relationships with the eight presidents under whom he worked. Goss’s work also delves into Mills’s personal battle with alcoholism, his successful recovery, and his legacy of supporting substance abuse treatment.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The program is held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Main Library’s Darragh Center. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

For more information, call 918-3086.

Legacies & Lunch today at noon – History of Weapon Laws in Arkansas

legaciesLegal issues of violence and gun possession were as prevalent in Spanish colonial Arkansas as they are today. Dr. Michael Dougan, distinguished professor of history emeritus of Arkansas State University, will discuss the history of Arkansas’s anti-gun laws in his talk, “Black Powder & Bowie Knives:  Violence and the Law in Arkansas,” at noon on Wednesday, October 2, in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

The talk is part of Legacies & Lunch, a monthly lecture series hosted by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS).

Early American Arkansas passed a law against carrying concealed weapons that triggered a major case for the newly established Arkansas Supreme Court. The majority upheld the law, and anti-gun laws remained a part of Arkansas until well into the twentieth century.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council.  Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

CALS Legacies & Lunch today at noon explores early banking

cals_int_sponsor_butlerStereotypes hold that rural people in early Arkansas kept their money under their mattresses. Maybe they had the right idea back then. The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host “The High Costs of Arkansas’s Early Banks,” a free talk by Dr. Scott Lien, as part of its monthly Legacies & Lunch lecture series, Wednesday, July 3, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

Lien will discuss Arkansas’s experiences with the state’s first two chartered banks, from the days before the Civil War. The banks offered help to some while foreclosing opportunities for others. Lien is a history professor at Lyon College in Batesville. His research focuses on how democracy has affected opportunities of all Americans.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

For more information, call 918-3086.