Arkansas Living History
Association
2014 Annual Conference
Living History at the Crossroads
February 21-23, 2014
Washington, Arkansas
Hosted by
Historic Washington
State Park
Conference Sponsors
Historic Washington State Park
Best Western of Hope, Arkansas
Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of
Commerce
Arkansas Department of Parks and
Tourism
Department of Arkansas Heritage
2
Lodging & Host Information
Hotel Information
Conference hotel has rooms at $75 a night and includes breakfast
Best Western Inn
1800 Holiday Drive, Hope, AR, 71801
Call and say you are with “Arkansas Living History Association” to receive group rate.
For reservation and more information: 870-777-9222, http://www.bestwestern.com/
Bunk Room Information
Historic Washington State Park
103 Franklin Street, Washington, AR 71862
Three Communal Bunk Rooms: 54 beds, $18 per night, plus tax.
For reservation and more information: 870-983-2684,
www.historicwashingtonstatepark.com
Camping Information
Historic Washington State Park
103 Franklin Street, Washington, AR 71862
Tent sites only
For reservation and more information: 870-983-2684,
www.historicwashingtonstatepark.com
Host Information
Historic Washington State Park
103 Franklin Street, PO Box 129
Washington, AR 71862
870-983-2684
www.historicwashingtonstatepark.com
Historic Washington State Park is located in southwest Arkansas near Hope, Arkansas.
To reach the park:

From Hope, take exit #30 off I-30, and take U.S. 278 northwest for eight miles.

From Texarkana, take I-30 east for 30 miles to Exit #30 at Hope.

From Little Rock, take I-30 west for 113 miles to Exit #30 at Hope.
3
From its establishment in 1824, Washington was an important stop on the rugged
Southwest Trail for pioneers traveling to Texas. James Bowie, Sam Houston and Davy
Crockett traveled through Washington. James Black, a local blacksmith, is credited with
creating the legendary Bowie knife here. Later, the town became a major service center for
area planters, merchants and professionals. During the American Civil War, Washington
became the Confederate Capital of Arkansas from late 1863-1865.
Established in 1973, the state park interprets Washington from 1800-1900. The 1874
Courthouse serves as the park visitor center. Visitors can also see the 1836 Courthouse,
Blacksmith Shop, Weapons Museum, several residences and other historic structures on
guided tours. Buildings open for touring vary each day. Lunch featuring delicious, Southern
country fare is served daily in the circa 1832 Williams' Tavern Restaurant.
The park also houses the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, a branch of the Arkansas
History Commission, that houses a resource center for historical and genealogical research
covering a ten county region of southwest Arkansas. For more information about Arkansas
State Parks historic, heritage and cultural parks, and museums, go to:
http://www.historystateparks.com/
Buildings of the Conference
Morrison’s
Tavern
1836
Courthouse
Presbyterian
Church
Royston
Town House
Sanders
Farmstead
4
1914
Schoolhouse
1940 WPA
Gymnasium
Scholarships & Certification
ALHA Scholarship Information
ALHA will offer four scholarships to this year’s conference. Two scholarships will pay
registration plus lodging (must share hotel room), two scholarships are for registration only.
Scholarship recipients must be members of ALHA, or must become members upon
acceptance. Scholarship recipients will also be asked to supply an article for the spring 2014
ALHA newsletter. To apply, please e-mail the following information to Kristyn Watts,
Kristyn.Watts@arkansas.gov, by January 24:





Reason for wanting to attend the conference
Reason for needing assistance
Current area of study (students) or current position
Year in school or length of time in position
Completed conference registration form
Apprentice, Journeyman, & Master Certifications
The Arkansas Living History Association encourages higher standards of living history
performances. The ALHA certification process was designed to recognize ALHA members’
efforts, and to assist educators, parks and museum staff, living history event sponsors, and
others in identifying quality living historians that are historically/factually accurate and
skilled in public performance designed to educate the public.
Interested person can visit the ALHA website to download requirements for the certification
process:
http://www.arkansaslivinghistory.com/!Userfiles/downloads/ALHA_Certification.doc
Anyone wanting to begin the process may sign up for the apprentice training workshop held
on Friday, February 21 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. See the pre-conference workshops
page. Any member of the Arkansas Living History Association who desires to be certified as
a journeyman level in a first- or third-person living history performance will submit an
application packet as posted on the website. Journeyman presentations will take place
Friday, February 21, from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.
For more information, or to sign up for the Journeyman certification, contact Kent Goff:
arkdept@hotmail.com, or call 870-588-4830.
5
Conference Agenda
Thursday, February 20, 2014
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Blacksmith Forging Workshop (2 days)
Friday, February 21, 2014
8:30 am
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
9:00 pm
Registration Table – 1914 Schoolhouse
AM Half Day Workshops
PM Half Day Workshop
Performances for ALHA Certification Panel –
1914 Schoolhouse Auditorium
Opening Reception – 1914 Schoolhouse
Hospitality Room – Best Western Breakfast
Room
Saturday, February 22, 2014
7:30 am
8:00 am to 11:45 am
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
10:00 pm
Registration Table – 1914 Schoolhouse
Concurrent Sessions – 1914 Schoolhouse,
Morrison Tavern,
1836 Courthouse, Royston Town House
Lunch and Annual Business Meeting – 1914
Schoolhouse
Field Trips
Silent Auction Preview –
1940 WPA Gymnasium
Dinner and Keynote Speaker –
1940 WPA Gymnasium
ALHA Ball – 1940 WPA Gymnasium
Hospitality Room – Best Western Breakfast
Room
Sunday, February 23, 2014
8:30 am
9:00 am to 11:45 am
12:00 pm
Registration Table – 1914 Schoolhouse
Concurrent Sessions – Morrison Tavern,
Presbyterian Church, Sanders House Yard,
1914 Schoolhouse
Lunch on your own
6
Workshops
Thursday, February 20 Full Two Day Workshop
9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Lunch Provided
Blacksmith Forging Workshop (Blacksmith Shop)
Billy Nations, Chief Interpreter at Historic Washington State Park
Cost: $50
Join the park smiths at the James Black Forge, home of the Bowie knife, for a hands-on class
covering the basic operations of blacksmithing. Participants will make simple art objects and
more functional objects with the beauty that only hand forging can give iron and steel! Materials
and tools are supplied. The minimum age is 16 (accompanied by an adult). Maximum of 6
people can attend workshop.
Friday, February 21 Full Day Workshops
9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Lunch Provided
ALHA Apprentice Workshop (1914 Schoolhouse)
ALHA Certification Committee
Cost: $7
A full-day workshop covering the basic of Living History 101: creating a character, basic
performance skills, research, dealing with special problems in living history, event planning
basics, and other topics. Certification guidelines can be downloaded from the Arkansas Living
History Association website:
http://www.arkansaslivinghistory.com/!Userfiles/downloads/ALHA_Certification.doc
Civil War Cooking Workshop (1914 Schoolhouse Pavilion)
David Fowler, Site Director George Murrell Plantation
Cost: $30
This year it’s all about civil War cooking. Session will cover soldier’s field ration and cooking on
the Home Front. Session will also cover how to make and prepare period field ration for your
event.
Friday, February 21 Afternoon Half Day Workshops
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Lunch Provided
Dancing to the Next Step (1940 WPA Gym)
Josh Williams, Curator of Historic Washington State Park
Cost: $10
Come and take part in learning dances from the 18th and 19th centuries. This class will work well
for those that are just learning about historic dances and also for those that have already learned
some basic steps and want to move on to more advanced dances. Emphasis will be on dances
common during the Colonial and Regency Period (1700-1830s) period and quadrilles that were
popular around the mid-nineteenth century . Class requires a minimum of four people.
7
Friday Evening
ALHA Journeyman Certification Review
4:00 to 6:00pm, 1914 Schoolhouse
ALHA members wishing to complete their Journeyman certification must stand for the review
panel. You must have already received your Apprentice certification, notified the committee,
and completed all other requirements for Journeyman certification. All ALHA members are
invited to observe the review process.
Opening Reception & Potluck
6:00 to 9:00pm, 1914 Schoolhouse and Auditorium
Welcome to Washington! Conference attendees are encouraged to bring a historic delicacy to
share during the potluck meal. The schoolhouse was built in 1914 and served as the public
school of Washington till the 1940s. The stage at the 1914 Schoolhouse will also be available for
any attendees with musical inclinations.
Conference Hospitality Room
9:00pm, Best Western Breakfast Room
Enjoy informal networking, camaraderie, and late night refreshment at the host hotel back in
Hope, Arkansas.
Saturday
Concurrent Session I, 8:00am
How Can Your Site “Cache” in with Geocaching?
Kerry Spears, ALHA Communications Director; Volunteer at Historic Washington State Park
1914 Schoolhouse–90 minutes
Show how geocaching can be used to bring visitors to your site, highlight your significant
resources, and augment special events. See how this technology can be used to highlight
particular aspect of living history for the general public. Participants are encouraged but not
required to bring a GPS or Smartphone. Class will walk outside around the park for most of the
class period.
8
Minority Biography and Arkansas History: Mary Lee McCrary Ray and the
Negro Home Demonstration Service
Debra Reid, Ph.D., Professor of History and Women’s Studies at Eastern Illinois University
1914 Schoolhouse–45 minutes
Participants will see copies of historical documents and can read sources and work in groups to
learn more about Mary Lee McCrary Ray and the Negro Home Demonstration Service.
Concurrent Session II, 9:00am
Beer in the Southwest
Ian Beard, Living History and Volunteer Coordinator at Old State House Museum
1914 Schoolhouse–45 minutes
The Old Southwest served as a crossroads for brewing over a century of European migration,
transplanted cultural institutions, and advances in technology. We'll explore beer's
development from hearthside cooking to industrial empires before prohibition brought brewing
to a crashing halt. We'll also look at period recipes and some modern examples that replicate
historic styles.
Living History at a Distance or in your Living Room!
Mekicia Henry and John Orr, Interpretive Guides at Historic Washington State Park
Morrison Tavern Taproom–90 minutes
Join Mekicia Henry and John Orr as they demonstrate how Historic Washington State Park uses
the internet to broadcast live living history programs to other locations across the United States.
Hear about what is required for the program and also how it can be used as a tool for living
history.
Refreshment Break, 10:00am
1914 Schoolhouse–30 minutes
Archeology Bringing Historical Economics Alive!
Dr. Jamie Brandon, Station Archeologist at Southern Arkansas University
Washington City Block 6–30 minutes
During the break, join Dr. Jamie Brandon as he provides an archeological tour of the original
business district of Washington. Hear about what was found at two major excavations of the site
and how it can help us bring alive living history economics. Tour begins at 10:30am.
9
Concurrent Session III, 11:00am
Storytime!
Margie Reed, Interpretive Guide at Historic Washington State Park
1836 Courthouse–45 minutes
Sharing stories has traveled across time. Learn how Historic Washington uses story time of the
past to connect with school children in 2014.
Living history at the home front- First person begins with you!
Michael Terral, Interpretive Guides at Historic Washington State Park
Royston Town House–45 minutes
First person Interpretation is to educate and facilitate discussion on people of the past. By acting
out the persons of subject in first person, it will give observers a chance to connect to and
interact with the past. Join Mike as he demonstrates his interpretation of General
Grandison D. Royston. At the end of the presentation he will discuss how he assimilated this
character and then instruct you on where to start and how to construct your own first person
character.
Luncheon and Annual Business Meeting, 12:00pm
1914 Schoolhouse Auditorium
Annual reports and election of officers. Please sit in the section reserved for your district.
Historic Washington and the living Archeological Story!
Dr. Jamie Brandon will talk about the various archeological treasures that have been found at
Historic Washington and what they can tell us about the lives of people that lived in Southwest
Arkansas.
Field Trips: 2:00–5:00pm
Meet in front of the 1914 Schoolhouse to find your tour guide and your shuttle. Space is limited
on some tours; preference will be given in the order conference registrations are received.
Southwest Trail Tour
Josh Williams, Curator at Historic Washington State Park
Arkansas State Park Bus
The Southwest Trail is a modern term for a pathway that pre-dates European settlement in
Arkansas. The road connected St. Louis, Missouri to Fulton, Arkansas on the Red River and was
the road that many settlers used to come into Arkansas and then into Texas. The road comes
directly through Washington and is called Franklin Street. On this tour, see where this road still
exists in the modern road network from Arkadelphia to Fulton, Arkansas.
Tour of the Southwest Proving Ground and Dooley’s Ferry
Keenan Williams, Local Historian
Dr. Carl Drexler, Assistant Station Archeologist at Southern Arkansas University
10
Visit one of the first concrete airports in the country that was built by the U.S. Army for World
War II as part of the Southwest Proving Ground. Here how some of the best land in Hempstead
County was turned into an ammunition dump. Afterwards, take a tour to the southern part of
Hempstead County to one of the older crossings of the Red River, named Dooley’s Ferry. The
area also contains some of the best preserved Civil War fortifications in the state of Arkansas.
Local Historian, Keenan Williams will be your guide along with Dr. Carl Drexler, who recently
finished archeological excavations of the nineteenth century community at Dooley’s Ferry.
Historic Washington Walking Tour
Billy Nations, Chief Interpreter at Historic Washington State Park
Explore and tour around Historic Washington State Park. At 3pm join the interpretive staff in a
living history street drama put together by park staff entitled “Town in Conflict” talking about
the years 1863-1864 in Washington.
Change into period attire
5:00 to 7:00pm
Put on your finest for the annual “best dressed” contest.
Silent Auction Preview
6:00 to 7:00 pm, 1940 WPA Gymnasium
Enjoy refreshments and take a sneak peek at this year’s auction items.
Banquet & Keynote Address
7:00 to 8:00 pm, 1940 WPA Gymnasium
“Living History at The Crossroads”: An Explanation
Debra Reid, Ph.D., Professor of History and Women’s Studies at Eastern Illinois University
and President of the The Association for Living History, Farms, and Agricultural Museums
(ALHFAM)
Silent Auction and George Washington Birthday Ball
8:00 to 10:00pm, 1940 WPA Gymnasium
Enjoy period dance moves and bid on fantastic items to help support conference fellowships.
This year the ALHA ball falls on the birthday of George Washington and also the founding of the
town of Washington in 1824. If you are able, bring or wear an item that is a reminder of George
Washington, our nations first president.
Conference Hospitality Room
9:00pm, Best Western Breakfast Room
Enjoy informal networking, camaraderie, and late night refreshment back at the host hotel in
Hope, Arkansas.
11
Sunday
Concurrent Session IV, 9:00am
Plants and Learning Medicinal Herbs
Vicky Schoeneweis, Interpreter at Historic Washington State Park
Morrison Tavern Taproom–90 minutes
Come and learn about the basis of herbs and all the purpose they were used for in the past and
how this can be used in a living history program today.
Reliving Religion of the Past: Struggles and Successes!
Josh Williams, Curator at Historic Washington State Park
Presbyterian Church–45 minutes
Religion is a key part of explaining any society. Come and here Josh Williams talk about religion
in the early nineteenth century up to the Civil War. Session will also include discussion time on
the pros and cons of using religion as a topic in living history.
Concurrent Session V, 10:00am
Living History and the Sultana
Charles Backlawski, Ph.D. Candidate in Heritage Studies at Arkansas State University
1914 Schoolhouse–45 minutes
This presentation will discuss living history plans that will be included in the sesquicentennial
celebration of the Sultana Disaster to take place in Marion Arkansas in April, 2015.
The Purpose and Practicality of the Personal Pot and Privy
Leita Spears, Historian at Historic Washington State Park
Sanders House Backyard –45 minutes
Learn about the little house out back and the little pot under the bed in the historical context of
the Sanders Urban Farmstead. Information will be provided on all things potty and how you can
interpret this at your site.
Concurrent Session VI, 11:00am
Arkansas’s Home Demonstration Clubs: Our Rural Women Facing Survival
Crossroads, 1912 through 1945.
Elizabeth Griffin Hill, Author and Historian from North Little Rock, Arkansas
1914 Schoolhouse –45 minutes
12
This presentation will introduce the ALHA members to Arkansas’s early home demonstration
clubs. Although current memories are likely to be of grandmothers (or great grandmothers)
preparing a favorite cake recipe as club members came for a monthly quilting meeting, the early
home demonstration work was raw and difficult and often dealt with families’ survival. The
female county agents—who were paid equally by county, state, and federal governments—taught
Arkansas’s women thrift and self-sufficiency during times of war, drought, floods, and economic
depression. And the women developed leadership skills as they became the trainers who
provided demonstrations for other women as one agent was unable to reach the county’s women
during times of primitive communication and transportation.
Eureka Springs Revisited: Untold Stories and the Myth of the Springs
Timothy Kovalcik, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History at Millikin University in Decatur, IL
1914 Schoolhouse –45 minutes
This project explains how the town was advertised in the 1880s and explores many of the
controversial issues surrounding the healing powers of the mythical waters. It also examines
such issues as the Ku Klux Klan, the African-American Community and the economic down-turn
that almost destroyed the city. All of these findings are based on new archival evidence and
primary sources recently discovered.
Conference Conclusion, Lunch On Your Own, 12:00pm
13
Registration
Name _____________________________________________________________
Institution __________________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________________
City _________________________________ State _______ Zip _______________
Daytime Phone #: ______________________ Cell #: __________________________
Email Address: _______________________________________________________
Full Registration: $50 ($65 after February 1) $________
Saturday Daytime Registration Only: $25 ($30 after Feb. 1) $________
Saturday Evening Registration Only: $25 ($30 after Feb. 1) $________
Sunday Registration Only: $15 ($20 after Feb. 1) $________
Total Registration $_______
Pre-Conference Workshops: (must register by Feb. 1)
Thursday and Friday All Day:
Blacksmith Forging - $50 $_______
Friday All Day:
ALHA Apprentice - $7 $_______
Civil War Cooking - $35 $_______
Friday Half Day PM:
Historic Dance - $10 $_______
Total Workshops $_______
All workshops include lunch
Fieldtrips (Please rank your choices)
Southwest Trail Tour _____
SpringHill and Dooley’s Ferry Tour _____
Historic Washington State Park Tour_____
Check here for vegetarian meals _____
Are you bringing an item for the Silent Auction? ______ Yes ______ No
Will you need vendor space?____ Yes ____No Will you need a table? ____ Yes ____No
Are you a current ALHA member for 2013?____ Yes ____No
If “No” please complete next section
14
Type of Membership:
___ Individual: $12 Any adult, 18 yrs of age or older. The member shall have full voting
privileges in the ALHA as a general member.
___ Institutional: $50 This includes 5 members with full voting privileges. $10 per additional
member over the first 5.
____ Number of Additional Members X $10 = ___________
Please list the 5 members to receive the newsletter and their email addresses:
1. _____________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________
Help us learn more about you.
Periods of Interest:
______________________________________________________________
Areas of Interest:
________________________________________________________________
What you would like to receive from ALHA: (this will help us develop training opportunities,
meetings, workshops, etc.)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $________
Make checks payable to ALHA and mail to: ALHA Registration, c/o Historic
Washington State Park, PO Box 129, Washington, AR 71862
15