Present Turns Into The Past At Washington, Arkansas

The weather has really been nice, a lot cooler than normal, especially for Texas this time of year.  Friday, there was a chance of rain, but we decided to make a visit to Washington State Park in Arkansas since it will be in the 90's next week.

Washington State Park is in Washington, Arkansas, about 11 miles from Hope and about an hour from where we are.  The town was established on George Washington's birthday in 1824. There are 30 restored homes in the park.

  

We checked in at the Visitor's Center and were given a map along with the list of houses that were open.  

Each house that is open has a docent in period costume who takes you on a tour of the house complete with stories of that time and answers any questions you have.

Goats were grazing in a fenced yard.

This is a large herbal garden that the docent took us through explaining what all the herbs were used for.

Wooden sidewalks are throughout the town.

At the Sanders Home, the docent took us through the entire house and then showed us the complete process of taking cotton from the picked cotton to the spinning it into yarn.

All the docents go to lunch from 12-12:30, so we went too eating at the Williams Tavern Restaurant in the park.

The magnolias are beginning to bloom.

There is an enormous magnolia tree that was planted in 1839.

We walked inside the massive tree to take a closer look.

Our next stop was the Royston Log Cabin.  The docent there took us to the back porch to show how early settlers made the house with logs and clay and then place siding over it as it became available.

Here's an early Murphy bed.

Washington was a major trading town on the Southwest trail. James Bowie, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and Stephen F. Austin all passed through on their way to Texas.

This is the blacksmith shop of James Smith who forged one of the original Bowie knives for James Bowie.

We also dipped candles at the candle making shop, but didn't have time to tour the Weapons Museum.  The clouds were building up and we decided to head back home after a wonderful day.

Washington is a little off the beaten path, but is certainly worth a visit.