Local museums preserve the history, culture of area
Preserving the past is an important part of the community fabric in Texarkana and the surrounding areas. If one doubts this, consider the myriad museums or places filled with historical significance in the Twin Cities or a short drive away. Following is an alphabetical listing of area museums and special buildings for exploration, entertainment and enlightenment.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, museums may have closed temporarily or modified their hours. Check with museums to confirm they’re open.
Texarkana Area Museums
Ace of Clubs House—420 Pine St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday tours at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; Sunday tours at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. Historic Italianate Victorian home also called the Draughon-Moore Ace of Clubs House. Distinctive architecture with octagon-shaped wings and interesting lore and history. Reportedly, money to fund its construction was won in a poker game, and the shape of a playing-card club guided its design.
Ag Learning Center—3700 E. 50th St. in Texarkana, Ark. 870-774-6455. AgLearningCenter.com. Local agricultural learning center located at the Four States Fairgrounds. Center promotes dairy education and hosts school groups and other groups, also open during events like Sparks in the Park and the Four States Fair and Rodeo.
Atlanta Historical Museum—101 N. East St. in Atlanta, Texas. 903-796-3296. Atlanta’s history is displayed primarily for Atlanta elementary students with local history explored through various Atlanta events and people, such as Bessie Coleman, the Caddo tribe and the Texas and Pacific Railway.
Discovery Place Interactive Museum—215 Pine St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Temporarily closed for renovations. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. Formerly the Discovery Place Children’s Museum, this downtown Texarkana museum features interactive and hands-on tinkering exhibits, animal exhibits, musical Tesla coils, science-themed exhibits and more. Hosts weekend programs for youth.
Forest Heritage Center Museum—North U.S. Highway 259 in Broken Bow, Okla., at Beavers Bend State Park. 580-494-6497. Forestry.ok.gov/ fhc. Hours: open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum explores McCurtain County’s connection to the local timber industry with dioramas, historical documents, homesteading memorabilia, woodworking and forestry tools, an art gallery, carvings and more.
Four States Auto Museum—217 Laurel St. in Texarkana, Ark. 870-772-2886 or 903-826-1250. FourStatesAutoMuseum.com. Hours: Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment for large groups. Car exhibits featuring antique cars and automobile memorabilia. Hosts the annual Spring Car Show every May and a Fall Car Show, plus other Cruise Night events.
Historic Washington State Park—103 Franklin St. in Washington, Ark. 870-983-2684. HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com. Hours: Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $9 for adults and $5 for children 6-12 for full tour. This 19th century restoration village is a veritable museum itself with many sites inside the park showing how Arkansans lived more than a century ago. Guided tours, workshops, a summer music in the park series and more. Park structures include the 1836 and 1874 Hempstead County courthouses, B.W. Edwards Weapons Museum, 1914 Schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, candle shop, print museum, Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, Morrison Tavern, Royston Log Cabin, Works Progress Administration Gym and Williams’ Tavern Restaurant.
Hope Visitor Center and Museum—100 E. Division St. in Hope, Ark. 870-722-2580. HopeArkansas.net. A former railroad depot, the City of Hope renovated this building to serve as the visitor information center. In the heart of Hope’s downtown, it houses items related to Hope’s history.
Klipsch Museum of Audio History—136 Hempstead 278 in Hope, Ark. 833-794-5287. KlipschMuseum.org. Hours: Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment. Admission: $5 or $3 for seniors, college students and children under 12, babies free. Museum explores the career of audio pioneer Paul W. Klipsch, called an “eccentric genius” who built his company from the ground up in Hope with high-quality Klipsch speakers. Speakers and other Klipsch-related artifacts are preserved and displayed here.
Museum of the Red River—812 E. Lincoln Road in Idabel, Okla. 580-286-3616. MuseumoftheRedRiver.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exhibits showcase art and archeological artifacts from the world over and the region with particular emphasis placed on groups native to the Americas. Also displayed is the Oklahoma state dinosaur, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. The museum houses 30,000 cultural objects that originate from six continents. Both permanent and temporary exhibits are displayed.
Museum of Regional History—219 N. State Line Ave. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. Regional history museum run by the Texarkana Museums System features permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the city, regional and state history, including Caddo tribes who called this area home before European-American settlers arrived. Touring exhibits also come to the museum. Historical archives are another resource.
P.J. Ahern Home—403 Laurel St. in Texarkana, Ark. 903-793-4831. TexarkanaMuseums.org. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday guided tours at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:25 p.m.; Sunday guided tours at 2:30 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. Admission: $5/person, 3 and under free. The fourth and most recent addition to the roster of Texarkana Museums System properties, this downtown Classical Revival mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the family home of an early retail giant in Texarkana and hosts monthly events.
Perot Leadership Museum—1024 Tucker St. in Texarkana, Texas, on the Texarkana College campus. 903-823-3215. Hours: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Located in the Palmer Memorial Library, the museum includes a replica Gabriel Ross Perot Cotton Sales Office exhibit and timeline mural highlighting events in the life of Texarkana native and successful businessman H. Ross Perot.
Perot Theatre—221 Main St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-792-4992. Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Called Texarkana’s “performing arts jewel,” the Perot isn’t a history museum, but it can be toured by visitors and is filled with history. The Italian Renaissancestyle building with Grecian architecture and ornate decorations is home to various concerts and other sorts of entertainment, including theater. Opened in 1924 as the Saenger and later restored by the city of Texarkana, Texas. H. Ross Perot and his sister helped fund renovations in honor of their parents. Beautiful interior and historic past make it a downtown gem.
President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site—117 S Hervey St. in Hope, Ark. 870-777-4455. Hours: daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. One of former President Clinton’s boyhood homes is where, as Clinton recalled, he learned to walk, talk, read, pray and more during the first four years of his life. This preserved home near Hope’s downtown includes a visitor center and the Virginia Clinton Kelley Memorial Garden.
Regional Arts Center—321 W. 4th St. in Texarkana, Texas. 903-792-8681. TRAHC.org. Hours: Wednesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m. Art museum features a revolving series of art exhibits with a focus on local and regional artists. Juried show draws national artists while the student juried show showcases regional young artists. Includes For Arts’ Sake gift shop and the ArtsSmart Gallery in the basement, as well as Cabe Hall on the second floor. Housed in a former Bowie County Courthouse.
Sevier County Museum—717 Walter J. Leeper Drive in De Queen, Ark. 870-642-6642. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Historic artifacts about De Queen and the surrounding Sevier County communities, a replica village and more. It’s also the site of the annual Hurrah! Festival, formerly the Hoo Rah Days Festival.
Three Bostons Museum and Tourist Center—1 Trail Head Park in New Boston, Texas. 903-6280411. Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New museum explores the life of the three Bostons: Old Boston, Boston and New Boston. Items displayed include furniture, telephones, Civil War memorabilia, military-related items, photos from 1900 to the present and many other artifacts from the early days of Old Boston to present day New Boston. Includes a school room and history room.
Two Rivers Museum—5 E. Main St. in Ashdown, Ark. 870-898-7200. Hours: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Horsedrawn hearse, portable embalming table, tool collection, printing machines from the Little River News, an 1803 quilt, pump organ and much more make this an interesting museum in downtown Ashdown.
The Williams House Museum—303 E. Front St. in DeKalb, Texas. 903-667-7304, 903-667-3344 or 903-748-1698. Local history museum with memorabilia and artifacts depicting DeKalb life through the generations, including items related to actor Dan Blocker, a DeKalb native who played Hoss Cartwright on “Bonanza,” and Ricky Nelson, the singer whose plane crashed south of town in 1985. Other items in the collection include photos, old radios, furniture, military uniforms, high school yearbooks and more.