Arkansas State Government Resources: History and Historical Sites

The mission of the Arkansas Arts Council, AAC, will advance and empower the arts for the benefit of all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program was created by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1969. The AHPP’s mission is to fulfill the objectives of the National Historic Preservation Act through the identification, preservation and protections of the cultural heritage of the State of Arkansas.

The mission of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, ANHC, is to preserve natural diversity, to promote choice among beneficial uses of the environment, and to promote a balance between development and environmental protection in the State of Arkansas for this and succeeding generations.

The Arkansas State Archives, located in Little Rock, is the official state archives of Arkansas and maintains the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world.

Delta Cultural Center in historic downtown Helena is a museum dedicated to the heritage of the Arkansas Delta. The Arkansas Delta region is steeped in rich sights, sounds, people and events. The museum preserves, interprets and presents the cultural heritage of this legendary 27-county region through exhibits, educational programs, annual events, and guided tours.

The Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) was created in 1975 to preserve and promote Arkansas’s natural and cultural heritage as a source of pride and enjoyment for all. The original legislation named the agency the "Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage" and grouped together culturally oriented agencies in one department. The agency name was changed to its current title in 1985.

Step back into Arkansas’s frontier history at Historic Arkansas Museum to find out how pioneers lived and what they can teach us about living today. Historic Arkansas Museum is the state’s foremost interpreter of frontier Arkansas and home of the largest collection of Arkansas-made fine, mechanical and decorative arts.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center honors Arkansas’s African‑American history and tells the story of the Mosaic Templars of America, an African‑American fraternal organization founded in 1882. Founded and headquartered in Little Rock, the Mosaic Templars of America represented a thriving black‑owned business enterprise. The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and celebrating African‑American history, culture and community in Arkansas from 1870 to the present. It educates the public about black achievements – especially in business, politics and the arts.

The oldest surviving state Capitol west of the Mississippi, the Old State House Museum bears testimony to Arkansas’s political history. Over its lifetime, this National Historic Landmark has experienced as much turbulence as the history it chronicles.