COLUMNISTS

Our history marches on

— This is my 501st column, and I want to use it to address the general status of Arkansas history. It is a mixed report, but on the whole encouraging. Arkansas has a long tradition of neglecting its history. It is true that a small group of Little Rock residents did establish the Arkansas Antiquarian and Historical Society in 1837, but it never got off the ground. The Civil War proved destructive to historical documents, especially a ridiculously unprepared effort by Confederate Gov. Henry M. Rector to evacuate the state archives when Union troops approached Little Rock. A steady rainfall ruined many records since not all wagons were covered.

The coming of peace did little to improve the preservation of Arkansas’ historical resources. It was not until 1905 that the state legislature created the Arkansas History Commission-though it appropriated no funding. Gov. Jeff Davis vetoed the legislation as too expensive, but the legislature overrode the veto. Still, the state did not staff the History Commission until 1911.

In the century since its formation, the History Commission has had mixed success. Despite puny appropriations, the commission and its directors, who are also the official state historians, have made modest progress through the years. Two directors, Dallas T. Herndon and John L. Ferguson, together served 87 years. Currently, the History Commission is preparing to hire a new director, so there is hope that a farsighted and experienced leader will be selected to guide the commission into its second century.

In the years following World War II, considerable progress was made in building an infrastructure to rescue Arkansas’ history and preserve it for the future. A state historical society, the Arkansas Historical Association, was established in 1941 and started a state history journal, the Arkansas Historical Quarterly. The state’s first county historical society, in Washington County, was launched in 1951. Since that time, many counties have established historical societies-though not all have survived.

Arkansas has done well preserving historic structures and archeological resources. Arkansans can take pride in creating the Arkansas Archeological Survey, a program that operates out of a state office in Fayetteville and regional offices around the state. It was established in 1967 by Robert McGimsey and Hester Davis, two professional archeologists with considerable political skills. The Archeological Survey is now in the process of selecting a new director, Thomas Green having retired.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program was established in 1969 as a part of the state Planning Commission. Later, it became a part of the Arkansas Department of Natural and Cultural Heritage, a Cabinet-level agency created during the tenure of Gov. David Pryor. The work of the Preservation Program is aided by the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, a private nonprofit.

Arkansas became the last Southern state to establish a university press in 1980, but the University of Arkansas Press has done a great deal to make up for lost time. Despite a threat to close it in 1997, the press continues to publish a large number of books on various aspects of Arkansas history, literature, the environment and culture. It recently began producing electronic resources.

Other agencies have also emerged to bolster the effort to save and share our heritage. In 1967 the University of Arkansas Libraries created the first college archives, the Special Collections Department. County and regional libraries have built extensive local history collections. The Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock has become a major player in Arkansas history, creating the Richard C. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in 1997. Recently, CALS also built the Arkansas Studies Institute, which is a partnership between the Butler Center and the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture. Arkansas State University has evolved into a major player in preserving historic sites in eastern Arkansas, plus its graduate program in heritage studies has turned out a raft of history professionals.

County and regional museums have grown up across Arkansas in the years following World War II. The oldest museum in the state, the University of Arkansas Museum, was established in 1877. A strong-willed widow and writer named Bernie Babcock almost single-handedly convinced the city of Little Rock to create the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in 1927. A whole string of museums and historic sites were brought into the state Department of Parks and Tourism over time.

In 1997 a coalition of individuals and organizations convinced the legislature to adopt legislation requiring Arkansas history in the schools of the state. This legislation has met with mixed success, especially in the lower grades.

Perhaps the most significant advancement of recent years was the creation in 2003 of the online Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture by the Butler Center. This is the perfect occasion to recognize the crucial role Dolores Bruce played in getting the encyclopedia off the ground. Dolores, who died recently, gave $25,000 to hire a part-time staff. This gift, along with the major support of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation under its president Sybil Hampton, put the encyclopedia on a sound footing.

We still have a long way to go in recovering and sharing the history of Arkansas. But, we should not forget the considerable progress which has been made.

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Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist. Email him at [email protected].

Editorial, Pages 76 on 02/10/2013

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