Historic Washington State Park is about to celebrate several anniversaries, and you’re invited to the party.

And with an exhibit opening Monday that portrays efforts to preserve the rich heritage of Southwest Arkansas, you’re also invited to learn how that history has been safely kept for decades.

Starting on Labor Day, “Celebrating Our Historical Jubilee” will be displayed in the 1874 Courthouse at the restoration village, located nine miles north of Hope, Ark., on U.S. Highway 278.

Curator Bryan McDade said the exhibit gives Historic Washington State Park a chance to show some of the other artifacts they have that depict the valuable history of the region.

“We have certain artifacts that don’t have a place in a specific house ... it’s items that have historic interest,” McDade said, noting an 1880 painting from a local artist as one example.

Other artifacts will help tell the tale of the first efforts made to preserve Washington.

“A lot of the exhibit too will have photographs talking about the early history and how Washington was built,” McDade said. A Methodist colony out of Missouri, he said, were the first settlers in the greater Washington area.

A photograph and an advertisement of a steamboat will picture the days when steamboats churned up the Red River and stopped in Fulton. Washington’s decline, explained McDade, was also related to transportation as the railroad bypassed the town.

A train ticket and telegraph key are among the many other artifacts that will be on display, along with panels describing the history of state parks in Arkansas and a section on law enforcement in the parks.

“The park rangers, too, are a public face of Arkansas State Parks,” said McDade, noting they’re present to assist motorists and keep the park secure.

A Jubilee weekend celebration Sept. 12-14 will be the formal grand opening of the exhibit, which will be on display through the end of the year. That Saturday, Sept. 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the park will host the exhibit opening celebration, including refreshments and door prizes.

It will also be a time for several anniversaries to be honored: the 75th for Arkansas State Parks, 50th for the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation, 35th for the Historic Washington State Park, and 30th for the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives.

“One of the beauties of these different organizations is that they not only have had a role in the past but we all continue to work together in preserving the history of Washington, Ark., and Southwest Arkansas,” said Melony Cumbie, promotions coordinator at Historic Washington.

The Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation worked to formally preserve the town’s old structures before the restoration village became a part of the state park system, she said.

About the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, Cumbie said, “While the archives are not actually a part of the state park, they are integral to us in that they preserve records of Southwest Arkansas.”

Jubilee weekend will include re-enactors demonstrating pioneer life and skills. Woodcraft, blacksmithing and outdoor cooking will give a look at Washington-area life in the 1800s.

Presented by the Southwest Arkansas Quilt Guild of Nashville, the Washington Quilt Show will also be held Sept. 12-13. It features miniature, heritage and new quilts. Various types of crafts will also be for sale.



(For more information, call 870-983-2684 or visit www.historicwashingtonstatepark.com. Park hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)