World War II Japanese American Internment Museum

After entering World War II, Pres. Franklin Roosevelt created the War Relocation Authority, resulting in 10 incarceration sites for Japanese-Americans for national security. Rohwer and Jerome (Drew County), established in March 1942, were the WRA’s easternmost camps. The two would eventually house over 17,000 people. Rohwer, northeast of McGehee, opened Sept. 18, 1942, closed Nov. 30, 1945, was one of the last to cease operation. Remains include several commemorative markers and small cemetery. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; a National Historic Landmark. Permanent home of “Against Their Will,” an exhibit about those interned at Jerome and Rohwer; located inside the McGehee Depot. Actor George Takei (Star Trek) lived at Rohwer as a small child.