‘Governors of Arkansas’ exhibit opens at Old State House Museum

   
(Image: Courtesy Talk Business Arkansas)

After a one-year delay due to COVID-19, the Old State House Museum has opened its “Governors of Arkansas” exhibit, a new gallery that examines the state’’ 45 governors, according to a Talk Business Arkansas report.

The new exhibit is a complement to the “First Ladies of Arkansas” exhibit, which has been open for several years.

In 1951, the Old State House became a museum and began collecting artifacts belonging to Arkansas governors a year later with the acquisition of a portrait of Gov. Jefferson Davis. Since then, the collection has grown to include more than 2,000 items ranging from Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s iconic “WR” campaign pins and Gov. Orval Faubus’s chicken-shaped cufflinks to Gov. Mike Huckabee’s duck call and the shoes worn by Gov. Mike Beebe on the campaign trail.

Of course, Gov. Bill Clinton used the Old State House as the backdrop for his dramatic Presidential Election Night victory speech in 1992.

The latest update of the governors’ gallery takes advantage of technology with interactive kiosks, including one that allows visitors to become a part of history by capturing photos of themselves that are integrated into newspaper images from some of the state’s most historic moments.

The gallery features artifacts and images from different governors intermingled in sections that highlight different points along the governors’ journeys: origins, campaigns, inaugurations, terms in office and accomplishments after serving.

The Old State House Museum is the original state capitol of Arkansas.

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