The Arkansas History Commission and the Southwest Regional Archives (SARA) will be hosting their annual history symposium on Saturday, October 18 from 9 a.m. until noon at the 1914 Schoolhouse at Historic Washington State Park in Washington. The symposium’s theme, “Murder, Mayhem and Lies: Investigating Some of Arkansas’s Historical Cold Cases,” will feature speakers Brian Irby, Amanda Paige and Peggy Lloyd. Topics will include On the Hunt of the Texarkana Moonlight Phantom, a look into the unsolved 1946 serial killings in Texarkana; E.A. Hitchcock Investigates: The Case of the Missing Chickasaw Money, which will explore the investigation into the defrauding of the Chickasaw nation during their removal to Oklahoma during the 1830s; and The Maxwell Case, the 1949 court case, State of Arkansas v. Herman Maxwell, which was appealed to the Supreme Court and ended in an execution, contributing to the early stirring of the Civil Rights movement at Hope.
The seminar is free but registration is required. Check-in
will begin at 8:15 a.m. Teachers can
earn up to three professional development hours through attendance. Registration is limited and deadline for
registration will be Monday, Oct. 13.
The Arkansas History Commission, located in Little Rock, is
the official state archives of Arkansas and maintains the largest collection of
historical materials on Arkansas in the world. The Southwest Arkansas Regional
Archives is a resource center for historical research, dedicated to the purpose
of collecting and preserving primary source materials that bring together the
unique history, culture, and heritage of Southwest Arkansas. SARA is located in
the former Washington Elementary School at 201 Highway 195 South, Washington,
Arkansas.
For more information about the symposium or to register, contact
us at history.commission@arkansas.gov
or call us at 501-682-6900.
