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I will never forget my first known encounter with a site on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas. I was attending the dedication service for the Damascus CCC Camp. A friend of mine worked on the designation and dedication in honor of his late father, and I was proud to be there to support the event.
As I listened to stories of historians, community members, family members and donors, I was taken aback at the personal nature of this old stone structure. We’ve all heard the term, “if these walls could talk.” But, on that day, I realized that history was writing out and telling us a story of bravery, hard work and preservation, all through a stone structure and the men who built it.
That day piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to know more about this state I was settling into as an adult. My new filter of listening to stories changed how I looked at beat-up, rusty and rundown properties, and I’ve been chasing down the details ever since.
Nearly 2,800 listings on the National Register of Historic Places commemorate structures and historical sites that uniquely tell the story of Arkansas. Typically structures like Victorian homes, vernacular wooden structures, old bank buildings, courthouses, commercial districts, log cabins, and marble monuments are directory listings. Still, some unexpected locations are National Historic Places throughout Arkansas.
So many incredible stories abound in the pages of these applications for entrance into the list. They build a greater understanding of everyday Arkansans and the stories that outlived them.
Rohwer Internment Camp – used with permission from Arkansas Parks and Tourism
23 Arkansas Properties on the National Register of Historic Places
- Rohwer Relocation Cemetery | Rohwer – located on a 1942-45 interment site for Japanese Americans
- Chapel of Transfiguration | Morrilton – Gothic-Revival style open-air chapel on Petit Jean Mountain
- Bird Kiln | Leola – 1843 pottery site of the Bird brothers’ salt-glazed goods
- Greek Amphitheater | Magnolia – 1938 collegiate outdoor space
- A.M. Bohnert Rice Plantation Pump #2 Engine | Gillett – a two-cylinder pump used to draw water for nearby rice fields
- Gillham City Jail | Gillham – single room, reinforced concrete outdoor jail
- Damascus CCC camp | Damascus – original CCC camp gathering spot including arch entrance and menu board
- Altus Well Shed and Gazebo | Altus – a water supply for the local railroad
- Cogburn Dipping Vat | Black Springs – used on local cattle during the Texas Tick Fever Eradication
- Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth | Prairie Grove – freestanding 1960s telephone booth
- The Homer shipwreck site | Camden – steamboat used by the Confederate army to supply Rebel troops
- Hoo-Hoo Monument | Gurdon – monument commemorating the founding of the Lumberman’s fraternity
- R.L. Leach Grocery Store | Dutch Mills – served as the center of the German immigrant milling community and post office – currently connected to Historic Cane Hill
- Cotter Bridge | Cotter – national historic civil engineering landmark
- Goodlett Gin | Washington – 1883 steam-powered cotton gin
- Titan II ICBM Launch Complex | Springhill, Center Hill, Vilonia – nuclear missile launch complex
- Look See Tree | Coleman – fire lookout spot in drew county in a white oak tree, circa 1930
- Adrian Brewer Studio | Little Rock – studio of Arkansas painter made from salvaged bricks and materials from nearby construction sites
- Century Flyer | Conway – miniature train built by the National Amusement Device Company
- Wiederkehr Wine Shelter | Altus – original cellar dug in 1880 for Wiederkehr vineyards
- Building No. 25 | Walnut Ridge – last remaining DH-1 airplane hangar from WWII
- Crockett’s Bluff Hunting Lodge | Crockett’s Bluff – mid-century lodge and cabins overlooking the White River
- Strengthen the Arm of Liberty Monument | Pine Bluff – an eight-foot-tall copper statue replica dedicated to the Boy Scouts of America
General National Historic Properties and Listings
- CCC built properties
- Historic cemeteries
- Prehistoric and Native American Mounds
- Historic Churches
- Trains, Depots, Caboose and railcars
- Historic Theaters
- Arkansas Courthouses
- Arkansas Battlefields
How can I learn more about Arkansas Preservation and the National Register of Historic Places?
- First and foremost – research locations near where you live and visit them!
- Arkansas listings on the National Register of Historic Places
- National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas
- Arkansas Preservation Properties
- Arkansas Preservation Resources
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas
- Arkansas Historic Preservation Plan
- Grants available for Historic Preservation
- Arkansas Endangered Places
- Historic Theaters of Arkansas
- Finding Arkansas’s First Schoolhouse
- National Forests in Arkansas
- Historic Train Depots in Arkansas
- Arkansas Bluff Shelters
- Exploring Arkansas Railroads
- Haunted Places in Arkansas
Here’s a challenge for you – next time you plan a trip to a new Arkansas town, take a moment and research what National Historic Places or Arkansas Preservation properties are in the city. Making a scavenger hunt of these properties is fun to create new memories and discover new places.
Like this story? Read more from Keisha Pittman McKinney
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6 responses to “Arkansas Properties on the National Register of Historic Places”
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Hey, Keisha! This is a great article, representing a LOT of research! I’m so glad you wrote it!
I hope one of those other sources listed includes my favorite, which is the old school in Langley.
Happy writing! 🙂
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