‘First Ladies of Arkansas’ exhibit to open in Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK — An inaugural gown worn by former first lady of Arkansas Anne McMath, a former Hot Springs resident, will be included in the grand reopening of the exhibit “First Ladies of Arkansas: Women of Their Times” at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock.

The opening will be from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 14. The exhibit is a permanent installation at the museum.

Born in Mississippi, Sarah Anne Phillips

(1920-94) met and married Sidney McMath in

1944 McMath while family working moved in Washington, to Hot Springs D.C. following The World War II.

Sid McMath served as governor from 194953, and the McMath family was the first to occupy the Governor’s Mansion. Anne later became president of the Twentieth Century Club and a member of Daughters of the American Revolution. She volunteered for the State Hospital Auxiliary and was a board member of the Twentieth Century Hope Lodge. “First Ladies of Arkansas: Women of their Times” explores the lives and accomplishments of governor’s wives throughout Arkansas’ history and contains the largest exhibition of first ladies’ gowns outside the Smithsonian. The gowns on exhibit include some of the dresses that recently went through a significant conservation process. The museum received an Outstanding Conservation Work Award from the Arkansas Museum Association in 2017 for efforts in conserving and preserving these gowns. The newly renovated exhibit also includes video interviews with many of Arkansas’ first ladies detailing their accomplishments and efforts during their time as First Lady of Arkansas.

Gowns in the exhibit include those worn by Susan Hutchinson, Ginger Beebe, Barbara Pryor, Hillary Clinton, Mabel Martineau, Elizabeth Little, Ewilda Robinson, Anne McMath, Betty Tucker, Gay White, Jeannette Rockefeller, Alta Faubus, Anne Brough, Betty Bumpers, Janet Huckabee, Margaret Cherry and Eula Terral.

The Old State House Museum is located at

300 W. Markham St. in Little Rock. Admission is free and open to the public; the museum can validate parking at the DoubleTree hotel. Metered parking near the museum is free on weekends and after 6 p.m. on weekdays. Call

501-324-9685 or visit http://www.oldstatehouse.com for more information.

Submitted photo EXHIBIT: An inaugural gown worn by former first lady of Arkansas Anne McMath, a former Hot Springs resident, will be included in the grand reopening of the exhibit, “First Ladies of Arkansas: Women of Their Times,” at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock.