Look inside the October 2016 Issue for these and other features!
State Archives Introduces Main Street Arkansas Materials
As you may have noticed in last month’s issue, October is American Archives Month. Every year, we focus on a different aspect of the archival craft, and this year we are focusing on the role of archives in preserving historic properties. The Arkansas State Archives holds a wide variety of resources useful in researching and documenting private and commercial structures around the state. The past twenty years have witnessed a revitalization of many of Arkansas’s historic downtowns. What were once neglected and blighted areas have been restored to bustling commercial and residential areas. Many Arkansas downtowns have been helped by the Main Street Arkansas program, part of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program at the Department of Arkansas Heritage. The ASA has a collection of architectural drawings created by the Main Street program.
Goodbye Broadway Bridge
On October 11, 2016, residents in and around Little Rock held a collective breath. The work in offices ground to a halt as employees gathered around computers; shoppers at malls stopped to stare at the tiny screens of their cell phones; and those at home found themselves glued to their television sets. They waited in rapt attention for the demise of one of Little Rock’s most historic landmarks, the Broadway Bridge.
Black History Commission News
There is no question as to the power that photographs hold in helping us recount our past. We are certainly glad that the ASA and the BHCA have been able to collect so many photographs through the years. This month, we wish to highlight a collection of photographs taken by an African American
photographer from Helena, Arkansas.
From the Director
American Archives Month is a great time to raise public awareness of the important role that record-keeping agencies play in our society, as well as the necessity of preserving records, historic and official. Records, and the repositories that preserve them, provide us with a connection to our past, both on a personal level and collectively. Preserving records that document the work of our government — city, state or federal —protects us as citizens and promotes transparency among public officials.
