One aspect of the Old State House Museum's mission is to interpret Arkansas history through the acquisition, preservation and presentation of artifacts. The museum's collection contains more than 26,000 artifacts that are representatives of Arkansas rich heritage. The Old State House Museum plans to make all of its major collections available on our website through interpretive, interactive exhibits.
Quilts made by Arkansas's African American community from 1880 to present are a major collecting focus of the Old State House Museum. Currently the museum has 90 quilts in this collection, which is regarded as not only regionally, but nationally significant. In 2003 we presented them here online in the Web version of our exhibit A Piece of My Soul: Quilts by Black Arkansans.
The quilts were joined by our famous collection of Civil War Battle Flags. Many of these are so fragile that we dare not exhibit them for fear that exposure to light might damage them. Thanks to this online exhibit, however, they will always be available to Civil War enthusiasts in Arkansas and around the country.
In 2004 we added our First Ladies Gowns collection to our website, one of the largest such collections…and family photos as well.
In addition to artifacts related to Arkansas governors and their families, the museum has an extensive collection of other Arkansas political memorabilia. In 2007 we will be expanding our First Families exhibit into the adjoining gallery so that more of these items might be placed on permanent display.
In the near future Arkansas Art Pottery will also be added to our website. With hundreds of pieces from the Ouachita, Camark, and Niloak potteries, ours is the largest collection of Arkansas Art Pottery and we intend to make every piece available for viewing online.
The museum also has thousands of architectural drawings by Charles Thompson, Arkansas's first architect of note, and his associates dating from the 1890s through the 1930s. The drawings are currently being digitized so we might also make them available online.
The museum will continue to add other collections as they are interpreted and developed, providing unprecedented access to the treasures of Arkansas's heritage.
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