WASHINGTON, Ark.-Our area's rich railroad history is the theme at the upcoming 10th annual Red River Heritage Symposium at Historic Washington State Park.
Held 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23, this year's conference explores railroads of the Red River, specifically shedding light on the way the railroad in the Great Bend Region of the Red River affected life here. The symposium takes place at the park's 1914 Schoolhouse Auditorium.
Scheduled to talk about this topic are four speakers: Peggy Lloyd of Hope, Ark., who will discuss the Cairo and Fulton Railroad; Melissa Nesbitt of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives discussing Fort Smith and Texarkana's railroad connection; Dr. Beverly Rowe of Texarkana College talking about Texarkana history; and Dan Reed, an independent historian, talking about Northeast Texas railroads.
Keith Shelton of DeKalb, Texas, is the post-dinner speaker. He will discuss the Northeast Texas Rail Trail Coalition, which seeks to convert the railbed between New Boston and Paris into a hiking trail, said Josh Williams, curator at the state park.
The idea behind the symposium, said Williams, is to "promote more research into the area we know as the Ark-La-Tex." It's a unique area, rich in history, he said, describing it as "almost a state within in a state."
Previous symposium themes have visited such topics as the Bowie knife or the Civil War. The railroad here is yet another area with fertile territory for exploration, as it helped form so many local towns: Ashdown, Hope and Prescott, in addition to Texarkana.
"All those towns were basically formed because of the railroad," Williams said. Today, we may take this history for granted, but chances are Texarkana and other local towns wouldn't be here without the railway's development.
Part of that heritage is the remaining railbeds like the one the coalition hopes to repurpose as hiking trail.
"When it is completed, it would be the longest one in Texas, this type of trail," Williams said.
The symposium includes a Friday and Saturday workshop for teachers on resources related to transportation in the Red River region. Twelve credit hours are available for teachers. The workshop includes lunch and a Saturday morning tour to the Reading Railroad engine near Prescott, Ark.
If space is available, others can choose to attend the Saturday morning railroad engine tour for $15. Space is limited. Morning check-in for the workshop is 8 a.m. at the 1874 Hempstead County Courthouse Visitor Center.
(Red River Heritage Symposium cost: $30, or $60 for both the teacher workshop and symposium. Workshop admission itself is $40. Register by Wednesday by calling 870-983-2684.)