MACARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY
(FORMERLY:   LITTLE ROCK ARSENAL)
MacArthur Park 
Little Rock, AR 72202, 
(501) 376-4602
 
 

United States Arsenal at Little Rock. (Photo courtesy of the UALR Archives)

The Old Arsenal, also known as the Tower Building, constructed in 1840, was surrendered to Arkansas Governor Henry M. Rector on February 8, 1861, after state militia troops threatened to seize it by force. From August 10, 1862 until Little Rock was captured by Union troops in September 1863, the Arsenal was used to manufacture gunpowder and repair small arms for Confederate forces. It remained in Union hands until the end of the War.

Future General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was born at the Arsenal then called the Little Rock Barracks, in 1880 while his father, Captain Arthur MacArthur, was stationed there. The old US Arsenal building now houses the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.

In the main stairwell of the building is a stained glass window commemorating David O. Dodd, Arkansas' "Boy Martyr of the Confederacy" and artifacts relating to Dodd. A granite marker approximately a block west of the Arsenal building marks the site of St. John's college, where Dodd was executed as a spy on January 8, 1864. 

Opening on May 19, 2001, the museum interprets Arkansas' military history from the territorial period to the present. Exhibits will relate the Arsenal's contribution to the Civil War during both Confederate and Union occupation. 

"Capital in Crisis and Celebration" examines the Arsenal Crisis in February 1861, the Federal campaign against Little Rock in the fall of 1863, and the David O. Dodd story. 

"War and Remembrance - The Confederate Veterans Reunion of 1911" relates the United Confederate Veterans reunion held in Little Rock on the 50th anniversary of the Civil War in May 1911.

"From Turbulence to Tranquillity - The Little Rock Arsenal" depicts the Arsenal's early history and changes in the Tower Building since its construction. 

The World War II Gallery includes an exhibit on the Jeep's development and its impact on warfare and a collection of press photographs from World War II. "The War to End All Wars - Arkansas Fights World War I" examines the contributions of individuals to the war effort and the use of Arkansas sites, such as Camp Pike, as training facilities for American troops. 

Not open to the public until May 19, 2001

Directions: From I-30, take the East Ninth St. exit. (Intersection of Ninth and Commerce Streets), MacArthur Park lies west of the interstate, one block from the exit.