Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park

State park in Arkansas, United States

Location in Arkansas

Prairie Grove Battlefield

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

NRHP reference No.70000133^[1] (original)
92001523^[1] (increase 1)
05001167^[1] (increase 2)Significant datesAdded to NRHPSeptember 4, 1970Boundary increasesNovember 9, 1992
October 27, 2005

The Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is a state park located in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. It memorializes the Battle of Prairie Grove, fought on December 7, 1862, during the American Civil War. The battle secured U.S. Army control of northwestern Arkansas.

Description and administrative history

In 1908, the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) purchased 9 acres (3.6 ha) at the center of the Prairie Grove battlefield. The UDC maintained it as a meeting spot and in commemorations of the battle for almost 50 years. A local business owner and politician, J. Sherman Dill, procured $10,000 ($339,000 in today's dollars) while serving in the 38th Arkansas General Assembly to improve the park. These funds led to the construction of the stone archway at the park entrance, a wooden bandstand, and a gravel driveway around 1925. However, the park fell into disrepair during the Great Depression and was fenced off from use for years.

In 1953, a newly formed Lions Club chapter adopted the park as a club project, raising money through community events and constructing benches, picnic tables, and sidewalks. In 1957, a 55-foot (17 m) stone chimney from nearby Rhea's Mill Township was carefully moved to the park site. Other historic buildings from the area, including an 1834 log home and blacksmith's shop, were moved to the park site in the following years.

A museum was constructed following a bequest by Biscoe Hindman, the grandson of C.S. Major General Thomas C. Hindman who commanded the 1st Corps, Army of the Trans-Mississippi, during the battle. Dedicated on May 31, 1964, the museum was named Hindman Hall. The park was added to the state park system in 1971 in a joint effort among Governor Dale Bumpers and state legislators Morriss Henry, Hugh Kincaid, and Charles W. Stewart. The state park grew through land acquisitions and donations in 1980, 1992, and 2005.^[2]

The portion of the state park within a 64-acre (26 ha) triangle formed by North Road on the northwest and Highway 62 was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The area of this district was increased in 1992 to 65.8 acres (26.6 ha) and then again in 2005 to 707.8 acres (286.4 ha).^[1]

Prominent features of the state park include its battle monument, a chimney carefully relocated here from the site of a skirmish, and the Hindman Museum.^[3] The Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is opposite the entrance to the park on Highway 62.^[4]

Battle of Prairie Grove reenactment

An American Civil War reenactment is held at the state park during the first weekend in December of even-numbered years.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ Rice, Maylon (June 23, 2021). "Battlefield State Park Turns 50". Washington County Enterprise-Leader. Vol. 81, no. 24. Farmington, AR: Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. pp. 1, 5A. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "NRHP nomination for Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park (original nomination)" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
^ Bowden, Bill (November 20, 2015). "Arkansas phone booth is first of its kind to make National Register of Historic Places". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. WEHCO Media. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
^ Kutter, Lynn (December 16, 2020). "Park Staff Stay Busy In Downtime". Washington County Enterprise-Leader. Vol. 80, no. 49. Farmington, AR: Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. pp. 1, 8A. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.

Official website
Prairie Grove Battlefield at American Battlefield Trust
"Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park". Tripadvisor.

Protected areas in Arkansas

Federal

National Park	Hot Springs
National Historic Sites	Fort Smith Little Rock Central High School President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home
National Forests	Ouachita Ozark–St. Francis
National Memorial	Arkansas Post
National Military Park	Pea Ridge
National River	Buffalo
National Wildlife Refuges	Bald Knob Big Lake Cache River Felsenthal Holla Bend Logan Cave Overflow Pond Creek Wapanocca White River
Wilderness Areas	Big Lake Black Fork Mountain Buffalo National River Caney Creek Dry Creek East Fork Flatside Hurricane Creek Leatherwood Poteau Mountain Richland Creek Upper Buffalo
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Big Piney Creek Cossatot Hurricane Creek Little Missouri Mulberry North Sylamore Creek Richland Creek

State

State Parks	Arkansas Post Museum Bull Shoals-White River Cane Creek Conway Cemetery Cossatot River Crater of Diamonds Crowley's Ridge Daisy Davidsonville DeGray Lake Delta Heritage Trail Devil's Den Hampson Archeological Museum Herman Davis Historic Washington Hobbs Jacksonport Jenkins' Ferry Battleground Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine Lake Charles Lake Chicot Lake Dardanelle Lake Fort Smith Lake Frierson Lake Ouachita Lake Poinsett Logoly Louisiana Purchase Lower White River Museum Mammoth Spring Marks' Mills Battleground Millwood Mississippi River Moro Bay Mount Magazine Mount Nebo Museum of Natural Resources Ozark Folk Center Parkin Mounds Petit Jean Pinnacle Mountain Plantation Agriculture Museum Plum Bayou Mounds Poison Springs Battleground Powhatan Prairie Grove Battlefield Queen Wilhelmina South Arkansas Arboretum Village Creek White Oak Lake Withrow Springs Woolly Hollow
State Forest	Poison Springs State Forest
Wildlife Management Areas	List

Arkansas portal

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