Digging historic Washington

— The sun was already high in the June sky by the time I and Paul Austin, the executive director of the Arkansas Humanities Council, arrived at Historic Washington State Park. In a small field in the middle of one of this state’s most historic communities, tarps helped keep the early summer sun off the professional archaeologists and volunteers who were hard at work.

This was the commercial district of Washington in the 1830s. What we now think of as the cotton country of the Arkansas Delta was mostly mosquito-infested swamps and impenetrable forests of bottom land hardwoods in those days. The cotton plantations were farther to the southwest with Camden and Washington as centers of trade.

We were greeted by Tom Green of Fayetteville, director of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, created in 1967 by the Arkansas Legislature, making this the first state to have a coordinated research and public-service organization of this type. The survey is responsible for studying archaeological sites, and managing and sharing information about those sites.

Longtime state Rep. John Bethell of Des Arc was interested in archaeology. As early as 1959, he sponsored legislation to create an archaeological laboratory on the University of Arkansas campus, and a bill protecting archaeological sites on state land. The work of the survey has been complemented through the years by the efforts of the Arkansas Archeological Society, formed in 1960.

In 1964, a series of weekend events began under the direction of University of Arkansas Museum archaeologists and society members. The Arkansas Archeological Survey partnered with the society in 1967 on these events. By 1972, what had begun as weekend excavations expanded into a 16-day training program held at various sites across the state.

The archaeologists were in Washington for a second consecutive summer, carefully removing everything from nails and pieces of pottery to coins. Meanwhile, life went on. Alarge lumber truck rumbled down the sunken gravel road that once was part of the Southwest Trail, the network of routes that linked St. Louis with northeast Texas. The trail entered the state at Hix’s Ferry across the Current River in Randolph County and exited the state southwest of Washington along the Red River. Sam Houston, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie were among those who passed through Washington on their way to Texas, and it later was a mustering point for troops marching south to fight the Mexican War.

Prior to 1820, Elijah Stuart had built a log house on a sandy hill at the site of what would become Washington. The house served as an inn and tavern. Stuart’s Tavern was designated as the first permanent seat of government in Hempstead County in 1824. A courthouse and Presbyterian church were built in 1836. The Washington Telegraph began in 1840 and was the oldest weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi River when it ceased publication in 1946.

A new courthouse was constructed in 1874, and the businesses that were at the site being excavated this summer began to move. A major economic blow came in the 1870s when the Cairo & Fulton Railroad bypassed Washington. A depot was built at what’s now Hope, incorporated in April of 1875. Devastating fires struck Washington in July 1875 and January 1883, furthering its demise as a center of commerce. As early as 1879, some were advocating that the county seat be moved to Hope, though the change didn’t take place until 1939.

The Legislature appropriated $5,000 in 1929 to help restore the 1836 courthouse. The United Daughters of the Confederacy played a key role in pushing for those funds and supplemented them with private contributions. In 1958, the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation was organized to raise money and plan the preservation of Washington’s historic homes and commercial properties.

During the administration of Gov. Dale Bumpers, when the state parks system was in an expansion mode, the Pioneer Washington group donated buildings and antiques to the state. On July 1, 1973, Old Washington Historic State Park opened. During my years working in the administration of Gov. Mike Huckabee, I regularly was contacted by noted Arkansas preservationist Parker Westbrook. He would say, “It’s not Old Washington. It’s just Washington.” Westbrook got his wish in September of 2006 when the state Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission voted to change the name to Historic Washington State Park.

The 101 acres in the park contain 54 buildings, 30 of which are historically significant. I’ve always been most impressed by the massive, gnarled trees at Washington. Trees planted in the 1800s for their shade and nuts survive.

Just across the street from where the archaeological work is taking place is an enormous magnolia reportedly planted in 1839. In sight of that tree, eight professional archaeologists worked with volunteers from across the country. Some of them have been participating in the 16-day program since the 1970s. Under a pavilion, 86-year-old Anna Parks, who has been a volunteer since 1976, helped bag items.

The past enveloped us as we walked through Washington. It’s among the most important historicaland cultural assets in this part of the country.

Freelance columnist Rex Nelson is the president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities. He’s also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.

Editorial, Pages 17 on 06/27/2012

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