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Arkansas State Archives

Here you can find research sources, search historical records and archival collections, check out upcoming events, and get help in exploring and discovering your Arkansas history! Take a look around!

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News & Events

Celebrate Arkansas's Territorial Bicentennial

February 28, 2019
On March 2, 1819, Arkansas was established as a territory. To mark this special occasion, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and its divisions will host a family-friendly event with special interactive exhibits, displays, activities and music from the 1800s. Governor Asa Hutchinson will make remarks at 10 a.m.
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Arkansas History Commission

Wednesday’s Wonderful Collection - James M. Hanks diaries, MG.00100

March 13, 2019
James Millander Hanks (1833-1909) served in the United States Congress as a representative from Arkansas, 1871-1873. A life-long resident of Phillips County, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law at Helena for many years. He served as a judge for the First Judicial District of Arkansas, 1864-
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The Birth of Little Rock as the Capital of the Arkansas Territory

March 07, 2019
Arkansas Territory map courtesy of the Arkansas State ArchivesThe story of how Little Rock went from a population of one family to becoming the capital of the Arkansas Territory in the space of a few short years is one of political deals and questionable ethics. It also reveals how politics was prac
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Prophecy Dooming Pine Bluff Caused Stir in 1903

March 07, 2019
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Circa 1900, two unidentified meCourtesy of the Arkansas State ArchivesMany people have made end-of-the-world predictions over the years, but in 1903, one young woman prophesied the city of Pine Bluff would meet its end.In the spring of 1903, Ellen Burnett Jefferson, a 22-year-o
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Wednesday’s Wonderful Collection - Marion Reed Biddle papers, MS.000397

March 06, 2019
The youngest daughter of Howard and Eva Massingill Reed, Marion Reed was born December 22, 1919, in Heber Springs Arkansas. She was inducted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on August 25, 1942. After basic training, she became a cook and baker (C'B). She was accepted for Officer Train
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NEARA

Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives
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SARA

Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives
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ASA Archival Collections

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