The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) announces deadlines for the newest round of grants. These grant programs include the division’s popular County Courthouse Restoration Grants and Historic Preservation Restoration Grants. Letters of intent are due on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. A free application workshop will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. via Zoom. RSVPs for the workshop are required by calling or emailing Joia Burton at 501.324.9883 or Joia.Burton@arkansas.gov. “If you plan to submit a grant and have not gone through the process before, I highly recommend attending the work ..read more

Students from Marion, Phillips, Pulaski, Benton, Sharp and Van Buren counties were the top winners in the 29th annual “Preserve Our Past” Art & Essay Invitational, sponsored by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The winning submissions will be on display at Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., in Little Rock, on Friday, Sept. 11, during its virtual Second Friday Art Night event and will remain on display for visitors to the museum through Oct. 8. Brooke Bitely of Pulaski Ac ..read more

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Committee (WSCCC) has had a very successful two years working to educate the public about the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right to vote to women. Aug. 26 is the 100th anniversary of the amendment being added to the constitution. To mark that important date, Gov. Hutchinson issued a proclamation. In it he called upon all citizens to “reaffirm the vital importance of studying, understanding and commemorating the efforts of the women’s suffrage movement and the role of women in our democracy.” That evening the bridges in d ..read more

Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, announced today that communities participating in the Main Street Arkansas program, a part of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, will receive increased funding through their yearly Downtown Revitalization Grants. The total grant awards for FY2021 will be $559,000, an increase of $249,500 over FY 2020, and will be funded by the Real Estate Transfer Tax. “Our Main Street businesses are the anchors of our communities. Main Street owners know their customers and see them every day,” said Secretary Hurst. “I ..read more

The planting of a yellow rose bush in every Arkansas county, which began with Gov. Asa Hutchinson and First Lady Susan Hutchinson planting the first one at the Governor’s Mansion on July 28 of last year, is now complete. The bushes commemorate the centennial of the passage of the 19th amendment, which was added to the United States Constitution on August 26, 2020. “Congratulations to the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Committee (WSCCC), which worked hard to coordinate this effort in time for the observance of the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote being guaranteed by the 19t ..read more

Jimmy Bryant, director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, announced today that grants of up to $5,000 are available to help nonprofit organizations develop local events and projects that promote awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas heritage. The grants are designed to help foster awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas heritage and to assist in planning and implementing meaningful Arkansas projects such as exhibits, events or festivals and curriculum or teaching tools. “Our constituents always tell us how important these grants are to their communities and organizations,” said Stacy Hurst, secre ..read more

Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism (ADPHT), today named Travis Napper as director of Arkansas Tourism, a division of ADPHT. He replaces Jim Dailey, who retired at the end of 2019. Napper will oversee the ADPHT’s Tourism Division in its mission to improve the economy of Arkansas by generating travel and enhancing the image of the state. This is carried out through the work of four areas within the Tourism Division: sales, research and development, communications and welcome centers. He will begin work on April 1 at a salary of $112,0 ..read more

Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism (ADPHT), is now accepting grant applications for the Small Museum Grants Program, which funds projects for up to $2,500 for Arkansas history museums, historical societies, historic houses and sites and military museums. The deadline for applying is April 17, 2020. “Arkansas communities have great stories to tell from every corner of the state, and many small museums with wonderful volunteers, who work to tell those local stories,” said Arkansas Heritage Director Jimmy Bryant. “But too often, th ..read more

Fifteen organizations from around Arkansas received an Arkansas Heritage Grant at a ceremony held at the Division of Arkansas Heritage headquarters in Little Rock on Jan. 13. The grants ranged in size from $1,400 to $5,000 for each institution and will fund such things as tours, special programming and exhibits. “Arkansas communities are proud of their individual heritage stories and have so much to share,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism. “We are delighted that these grants can provide much needed support for their work.” Grants we ..read more

Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism (ADPHT), announced today that the terms of the agreement to cease operations at a large-scale hog farm near the Buffalo National River have now been consummated. The owners of C & H Hog Farms, Inc. have received the $6.2 million held in escrow since last August and, in exchange, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, a part of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, now holds the conservation easement to the property near Big Creek, 6.6 miles from where it flows into the Buffalo National River. Per t ..read more