Dreaming in Arkansas — The sweet little house in Gillett
Peering in the window of the sweet little house, it is easy to imagine little ones playing house in their own little cottage. The little playhouse was built in 1933 for little Harriett by her parents, Grover and Bertie Carnes. He was a state representative from DeWitt and owner of a lumber company.
Everything in the little playhouse is built to scale and it is just fascinating to see. It is preserved at the Arkansas Post Museum located at 5530 US-165 in Gillett. We took our youngest to see it when she was a little girl, and again when she was 10. She is now 13, and I want to get another picture of her on the front porch of it as a teen. She was almost door-height then; since she is taller than I am, I am curious if she will bump her head now!
The playhouse is protected from the weather inside the Peterson Building at the park. It features all of the original toys and furniture and has a real, wood-burning fireplace, electricity and a screened back porch with a swing.
The little white house is trimmed in green both inside and out. The front porch features double columns on each side of the stoop and two little trellises on either side of the door, next to each window. A semi-circle of brick steps escorts you up the porch. It is easy to imagine the trellises covered in roses.
While no one is allowed inside the little house, the windows allow one to see what things might have looked like for the more well-to-do with its original living room furniture and wooden floors. The kitchen features Mickey and Minnie Mouse wallpaper, cute kitchen doodads and fully electrified ceramic light fixtures. A lovely little tea set perches on the little dining table while silver items rest atop the cabinet. A four poster bed in its little-girl size makes for a pretty little bedroom. It really is just so sweet to see.
But that little playhouse is not all the Arkansas Post Museum has to offer. The Peterson Building was built in 1974 and was named in honor of Judge John L. Peterson for all of his work in establishing Arkansas Post County Museum. Besides the little playhouse, other exhibits include Native American artifacts, military memorabilia, agricultural implements, a general store and a large collection of toys from the 1920s and 1930s.
The main “house” is the entrance to the site’s complex. Documents, clothing, and artifacts dating back to the Colonial period are on exhibit. A pioneer kitchen on the grounds has an open fireplace and showcases early cookware and utensils.
The park also has the Refeld-Hinman Loghouse. Built in 1877, the dog-trot cabin is located within a half-mile of its original site. During the 1930s, the house was moved and used as the headquarters at the park. In 1967, the State Park became a National Memorial and was moved to its current location. It is furnished in the state of the late 1800s.
The park is located at the southernmost point of the Grand Prairie in the Arkansas Delta region and is a site for prairie grass restoration. With the combined efforts of Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a four-acre site has been planted with different species of grasses with plans to continue planting until the project is complete.
This park is a look at various times in the state’s history, but it all works together to tell the story of our Arkansas. The story that we want to tell our children. Something like a little playhouse is a great way to start the love of history.