Tag Archives: Old State House Museum

“Arkansas and the Cold War: Titan II Missiles in Cow Pastures” explored at Old State House Museum today at noon

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MK6_TITAN_IIDue largely to the political largess of Wilbur D. Mills, Arkansas was home to numerous Titan II missile silos throughout the Cold War era.

Today at noon at the Old State House Museum, John Rowley explores this little-known or largely-forgotten part of Arkansas history. “Arkansas and the Cold War: Titan II Missiles in Cow Pastures,” was the basis for his master’s thesis at Arkansas Tech.

During the Cold War era, the sparsely populated, agrarian state of Arkansas seemed far removed from the realm of nuclear proliferation. Washington D.C., Moscow, New York and Havana easily come to mind when considering nuclear threat or strategic defense. Damascus, Judsonia, Antioch, Blackwell, and Searcy seemed insignificant in comparison. However, Arkansas’s role in the Cold War was more significant than one might think, playing an integral role in national defense and the United States’s policies of communist containment.

Arkansas’s Cold War involvement became apparent when eighteen Titan II missiles were commissioned and activated within the state in the early 1960’s. The arrival of these weapons coupled with mismanagement by federal agencies changed both the physical landscape and the political atmosphere of the state.

Holiday Open House and Sweet Potato Pie Baking Contest today at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

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mtcc-say_it_aint_saysThe Mosaic Templars Cultural Center will host its annual Holiday Open House this afternoon from 2pm to 5pm.  

One of the features is the “Say It Ain’t Say’s” Sweet Potato Pie Baking Contest.  The Holiday Open House is a festive and fun opportunity to enjoy a day full of holiday cheer. We will have a wide variety of entertainment and this year’s event will feature our 3rd annual “Say It Ain’t Say’s” sweet potato pie contest, in honor of Little Rock’s black Santa, Robert “Say” McIntosh. Bring the kids to check out an awesome variety of holiday craft stations. Free and open to the public.

Two of the MTCC sister museums will also have holiday events this afternoon.  The Old State House Museum and the Historic Arkansas Museum will also be hosting holiday open houses.  All three museums are programs of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

The 47th Annual Christmas Frolic & Open House today at Historic Arkansas Museum

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hamfrolic2014This marks the 47th year that Historic Arkansas Museum has hosted an annual Christmas Open House.  For many families, attending this event on the first Sunday afternoon in December is a multi-generational family tradition.
This event celebrates Christmas as it was in the 1800s with living history, carols, reenactments, live music, dancing and more. Visitors come from across the state every year for our famous hot cider and ginger cake, as well as Arkansas Made holiday shopping in the Museum Store.
Among the activities will be blacksmithing demonstrations, the Arkansas Country Dance Band, Lark in the Morning, Sugar on the Floor, fiddler Ricky Russell and friends, Carolers in the Kitchen and the Aeolus Recorder Konsort.
Admission is free. The event runs from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Two of HAM’s sister museums will also be hosting holiday events today.  The Old State House Museum and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center both have Holiday Open Houses this afternoon.  All three museums are agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Old State House Holiday Open House this afternoon

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IMG_9317[1]Today from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Old State House Museum will host its annual Holiday Open House.

The traditions of joyous family holiday celebrations past can be relived at Holiday Open House. Visitors will find the Old State House colorfully decorated for the season.

Fun, hands-on activities will be available to children; they can create unique holiday cards and more. Delightful carols will be performed by local music groups.

Visitors will also enjoy delicious cookies and punch.

Call (501) 324-9685 for more information. Admission is free.

Two of of the Old State House Museum’s sister institutions, Historic Arkansas Museum and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, will also be celebrating the holidays with activities today.  All three museums are agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Red, Blue and Brownbag – Election Analysis by Jay Barth at the Old State House today at noon

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Barth, Jay- 2012(2)As the season of Red States and Blue States gives way to Red & Green Christmas decorations, the Old State House Museum offers a final chance for post-election analysis today as part of the Brown Bag lecture series.  The program will take place at noon today.

Dr. Jay Barth will present a wrap-up of the recent elections in Arkansas, and provide an analysis of how they may affect local, state, and national politics moving forward. Dr. Barth is the M.E. and Ima Graves Peace Distinguished Professor of Politics at Hendrix College, and has long followed the trends of the Arkansas electorate.  His political analysis has been featured locally, regionally and nationally.

He is the 2014 recipient of the Diane Blair Award for Outstanding Achievement in Politics and Government from the Southern Political Science Association.  In 2008, he received a Butler Center Fellowship, The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.  He is the author, with Diane Blair of the 2nd edition of Arkansas Politics and Government: Do the People Rule?

Old State House Key to Clinton Story

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1992apg-horizontalIn conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Library opening, many people are visiting the Old State House Museum.  It was at this location he announced his bid in 1991.  In the same spot (but with many more people) he delivered his acceptance speech on Election Night in 1992. Four years later, he again delivered his acceptance speech in 1996.

Current exhibits at the Old State House Museum include Pillars of Power; On the Stump: AR Politics. 1819-1919; Legislative Chambers and First Families of Arkansas. In addition the museum features “Different Spokes” and “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!”

The Old State House Museum is free.  It is open from 9-5 Monday through Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday.

The Old State House Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Justice Jim and the Red Scare focus of Old State House Brown Bag talk today

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Justice JimNovember’s Brown Bag Lunch Lecture is presented by Marie Williams.

Arkansas Senator and state Supreme Court Justice, James D. “Jim” Johnson has been portrayed as one of the most outspoken racist politicians of Arkansas’s history. His legacy includes an Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that gave Arkansas the right to nullify federal law. He is also remembered for being a constant thorn in the side of Governor Orval Faubus.

A look at the evidence surrounding Johnson’s political career suggests that Johnson was not purely motivated by race. Johnson started the White Citizens’ Council of Arkansas in 1955 in response to the integration of the Hoxie School District. Hoxie became Johnson’s soapbox and the Citizens’ Council became his campaign vehicle. The tactics he used to fight integration in Hoxie were unlike those of other Arkansas segregationists. Instead of citing race as the reason for his campaign in Hoxie, Johnson brought the Second Red Scare to Arkansas. He appealed to a wider audience by accusing integrationists of being communists.

Using primary source information, this presentation outlines the methods used by Johnson in 1955 as he started his campaign for governor. Marie Williams is currently finishing her Master’s Degree in History from Arkansas Tech University. She is an Arkansas native who lives in Dover with her husband and their two children.