Spotlighting African-American History
Perhaps no place is better for Arkansan's to explore Civil War is in Helena-West Helena. Freedom Park includes exhibits that explore the African-American experience in Civil War Helena. The exhibits follow the journey of the African-Americans from fugitive slave to freedom; and for some, enlistment in the Union Army and participation in the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation exhibit is the centerpiece of the park. Freedom Park has been named as a part of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the first site in Arkansas to receive the prestigious designation.
The Eddie Mae Herron Center in Pocahontas preserves and displays nearly 200 years of African-American history in Randolph County. Throughout February, the center commemorates Black History Month with special events tied to the black experience in the region.
