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History of the Park • Our Mission • Contact Us History of the Park Bowie Knives Washington, Arkansas was founded in 1824 on the legendary Southwest Trail that connected St. Louis, Missouri, to the nearby Fulton Landing on the Red River. This route was one of the eight major trails that pioneers traveled on their way to Texas and the Great Southwest. Washington was a thriving community and a major service center for area farmers and plantation owners. Washington was the cultural, political and economic center of Southwest Arkansas. Items of historical note include: Historical FiguresSam Houston, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie each traveled separately through Washington, Arkansas, before they fought for Texas independence from Mexico. Many of these prominent people lived in Washington for a time including:
 Cemetary Bowie Knife HistoryJames Black made a weapon for Jim Bowie that would become famous as the "Bowie Knife." African-American HistoryJohn Williamson established the Haygood Seminary, one of the South's Preeminent Black Institutions of Higher Learning, in 1883, to educate black teachers, ministers, and musicians. Native American HistoryIn 1831-33 more than 3,000 Choctaws from Mississippi passed through Washington. The Choctaw were being forcibly removed to what is now southeastern Oklahoma. Military and Political HistoryIn 1846, ten companies of men met in Washington and formed the first regiment of Arkansas Cavalry before heading south to fight in the Mexican War. In the fall of 1863, the Confederate Government of Arkansas fled to Washington after the Union Army captured Little Rock. The 1836 Hempstead County Courthouse in Washington became the new capitol building from 1863 to 1865. Building RestorationThe historic preservation movement of Washington began in 1929. Members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Patrick Cleburne Chapter petitioned the state legislature to fund the restoration of the 1836 Hempstead County Courthouse, the old confederate capitol. In 1958, a group of Washington citizens formed the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation to preserve the town's old structures and interpret the history of Washington. They operated tours of some of the historic homes for 15 years. Historic and Notable Trees
Washington Becomes a State ParkIn 1973, the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation invited the Arkansas State Park System to help preserve and interpret the town. The Foundation donated property, buildings, and antiques to the newly created state park. Historic Washington State Park became the thirty-eighth Arkansas State Park when it opened on July 1, 1973. Our MissionHistoric Washington State Park preserves and interprets to our visitors, the history of Washington, Arkansas, emphasizing its cultural and architectural historu from 1824 to 1889, and the historic restoration process. Contact UsQuestions or comments can be sent to the park at: 
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