TRI-LAKES AREA — “Sesquicentennial” is a word Arkansans will be learning to say and perhaps to spell over the next five years as the state commemorates the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.
“The war was a vital part of Arkansas and United States history,” said Mark Christ, community outreach director of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. “Everything changed with the Civil War. The nation changed politically, socially and culturally.”
Christ conducted a meeting Monday night in Arkadelphia to talk about the importance of the commemoration and how communities can take part in the event.
“The main goal of the commission is that the local story be told,” Christ said. “Every city and county in Arkansas was affected.”
Christ invited historical societies, local museums, civic groups, scholars and residents of the counties around Arkadelphia to look for ways to bring attention to what happened in their area between 1861 and 1865 as the war tore through communities and families in Arkansas.
“One of our core guiding principles is inclusiveness so that everyone’s story is told,” Christ said. “We are talking with African-American groups, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Sons of Union Veterans organizations.”
A way to highlight the events in a community is to request a sesquicentennial marker thatwill tell visitors what happened on the site and around the marker that was historically significant during the war.
People will be able to submit ample research about the site, and it could be selected for a marker that carries the emblem of the commission.
The markers are supported by the National Parks Service’s Preserve America program. The markers cost $1,000, and the Parks Service and the commission can contribute up to $1,000 for the plaque and its placement. Christ said the rest of the cost can be paid by the historical societies, private contributions or support from local businesses.
The first marker to go up was at the OldArsenal in Little Rock.
“The war almost started there instead of Fort Sumter,” Christ said. “It was much the same story with Federal troops holding weapons, and the local authorities wanted to take them over after secession.”
Christ tells those interested in the markers that it can be hard to find the right things to say on the plaque.
“It is like haiku,” he said. “You have 13 lines with 41 characters to tell the story, and you have to be careful to work within those limits.”
The commission also hopes to promote historical signs and special events to drawvisitors from scores of places around the state, including the sites around Clark and Nevada counties.
“Heritage tourism will bring an older, well-educated, higherincome type of tourist than we normally see, and they will be staying longer,” Christ said. “These are the kinds of people we want to see coming to the state.”
The Civil War commission will sanction events across the state and will institute a passport program for visitors.
“Tourists will go to different locations and can collect a stamp on their special passport,” Christ said. “There will be 23 state stamp locations and ... twice that in associated areas based locally where visitors can get stamps. They will then be able to send the passports in to receive a special coin or a patch.”
Laverne Todd, director of the Clark County Historical Museum, attended the meeting at Henderson State University, along with museum coordinator Delisa Seale.Todd said plans for a special event in conjunction with the commission are in the works, but she was not ready to announce the details.
“I will just find out what they want and how we can help,” she said.
Seals said three sites in the region would be of interest to those exploring the events of the Civil War.
“There is the Bozeman House about four miles from Arkadelphia, where there was eight hours of savage fighting ion April 1, 1864,” she said.
The skirmish killed scores of men, and more than 400 Union soldiers became prisoners, according to records of the war.
A larger action took place as Union forces were crossing the Little Missouri River in Clark County and Confederate forces attacked, Seale read from materials in the museum in Arkadelphia.
Another engagement will draw attention like honey. The Battle of the Bees occurred in April 3, 1864, when the units of the two forces clashed in a pecan grove about a mile north of Okolona. Between the fighting and a thunderstorm that hit the field of conflict, a huge swam of bees attacked both sides.
“The soldiers left the battlefield to their stinging tormentors,” Seale read from a report from the scene.
Christ said the commission hopes “artifacts and manuscripts will come to light” about the period as the interest in the war increases and events take place around the state.
“At the end of five years,” Christ said, “we want to be back and see a lot of activity and have seen more research into the period.” - wbryan@ arkansasonline.com
Tri-Lakes, Pages 58 on 07/22/2010