Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives announces book lecture and signing

The Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives (SARA) and the SARA Foundation will host a lecture and book signing at 2 p.m. on Sat., Apr. 15, 2017, at the 1914 Schoolhouse in Historic Washington State Park, Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst announced today. 

Gary Pinkerton, author of Trammel’s Trace: The First Road to Texas from the North, will present the history of Trammel’s Trace, the first road from the United States into the northern boundaries of Spanish Texas.  The road was named for Nicholas Trammel and served as a smuggler’s road between the two areas.  Mr. Pinkerton will also sign copies of his book after his lecture. Light refreshments will be served.

The lecture is free but registration is required. Registration is limited and deadline for registration will be Thursday, April 13.

State Historian and Archives Director Dr. Lisa Speer noted that having Mr. Pinkerton to SARA to speak about Trammel’s Trace is especially fitting.  “Gary used the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives extensively in his research for this book,” said Speer.  “He built on the work of James and Mary Dawson, who had conducted research in the 1940s, and later donated their materials to the archives at Historic Washington.  In a sense, Gary’s lecture and book signing brings his research on Trammel’s Trace full circle.”

Located in Historic Washington State Park, the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is a branch of the Arkansas State Archives and is dedicated to collecting and preserving primary source materials that bring together the unique history, culture, and heritage of Southwest Arkansas.

The Arkansas State Archives is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and is responsible for collecting and maintaining the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world.

Other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage include the Arkansas Arts Council, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

For more information or to register, contact events.archives@arkansas.gov or call 501-682-6900.