Collections Blog

This month’s blog features quilts by Black Arkansas. Our first quilt was made by Docella Johnson of Bradley, Arkansas; she was a cook and general housekeeper for the McKinney family. When she quil ... Read More

For this month's collections highlight, we are featuring musician, comedian and actor Bob Burns. Burns was born in Greenwood, Arkansas, on August 2, 1890, and grew up in Van Buren, Arkansas. He be ... Read More

Our collection is privileged to be the home of over 8,000 architectural drawings by Charles Thompson, one of the most successful architects in Arkansas history. His firm designed more than 2,000 b ... Read More

This month we are featuring an opera gown worn by Marjorie Lawrence in her performance as leading soprano Delilah in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah. Marjorie’s costume consists of a white ... Read More

With the arrival of the holiday season, the Old State House Museum’s collection staff would like to highlight a selection of greeting cards sent out by the governors of Arkansas a ... Read More

In 1991, Patsy Montana marched in the 65th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, after which she and her fellow marchers received a plaque commemorating the experience. The plaque consists of a p ... Read More

In March 1888, the Woman’s Chronicle was launched by Catherine “Kate” Campbell Cuningham, Mary Burt Brooks and Haryot Holt Cahoon in Little Rock. The establishment of the Chronicle followed hot on ... Read More

Scott Joplin was born sometime between July 1867 and January 1868 and raised in Texarkana, Arkansas. As a child, his mother encouraged his musical education, which led Joplin to study with German  ... Read More

Elias Nelson Conway was born on May 17, 1812, in Greeneville, Tennessee, to Thomas Conway, a planter, and Ann Rector. He spent most of his childhood in Missouri and received his formal ... Read More

The Collections Department spotlight for July highlights Major F.R. Earle, who served in the 34th Regiment of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Fontaine Richard Earle was born January ... Read More