Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Staffer Seeks To ‘Unlock’ Cane Hill’s Story
CANE HILL — The excitement of discovering the many historical stories surrounding this pivotal settlement in western Washington County still comes with notes of nervous energy from the voice of this new staff member of Historical Cane Hill.
David Collins of Sherwood, Ark., was a college student at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway when he first learned, firsthand, of the treasure trove of stories, facts, finds and information to be found at Cane Hill.
And now less than a decade later, he is on-site, still learning, still excited about Cane Hill’s past and present.
“I was searching for a research paper topic that would interest me – something different than the standard reach of any topic I already knew about in traditional Arkansas history,” said the lanky, bright-eyed former classroom teacher.
The topic of “Cane Hill,” came about as he was searching for a topic based on early churches and church communities’ influences on the state.
“One of my professors, overseeing the research topics, suggested I look into the historical influence of religions and cultural history, specifically that the Cumberland Presbyterians made in the state – and that quickly led me to Cane Hill,” Collins said.
It was years after his research paper and studies of Cane Hill that he heard of an opening in this well-developed area – the Historic Cane Hill enclave – that he noticed a job opening.
And the fit, he says, is so seamless to his interest and college preparatory work.
“Writing the design of a program for classroom teachers all over the region to adapt into their classrooms will be so much fun,” Collins said. “With all the histor
on here on the Historic Cane Hill grounds, it is a joy to do this work.”
As the public programs manager, Collins’ primary roles will be to engage visitors and outreach to partners and potential visitors, according to Vanessa McKuin, executive director at Historic Cane Hill Inc.
“We have ( at Historic Cane Hill) a very small staff so we all wear a lot of hats, so to have a dedicated staff member to focus on educational events and programs is a real boost for Historic Cane Hill,” McKuin said. “David is developing structured programming around Cane Hill’s history, architecture, and arts legacy, but he’s also playing an important role in developing and implementing programs that expand Historic Cane Hill’s focus.”
Collins’ salary, in part, is being paid by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan Subgrant program intended to help museums, archives, historic sites and cultural nonprofits impacted by the covid-19 pandemic.
A part of the grant supports the public manager’s salary, McKuin said.
“As it has been for many nonprofits, the pandemic has been tough for Historic Cane Hill. The Presbyterian Church grand reopening was scheduled for March 2020. We had to cancel all weddings and events in 2020, the Museum was closed through most of 2020 and then open by appointment most of 2021,” McKuin said, adding the organization is grateful for support that will allow Historic Cane Hill to emerge from the pandemic in a stronger position to educate the public about the rich history and culture of Historic Cane Hill into the future.
Collins is quick to point out the Historic Cane Hill story and the entire development of pre-statehood settlement of the area fits into any Arkansas classroom, be it in Northwest Arkansas or in the Arkansas Delta or Central Arkansas.
Sitting in his restored and smartly outfitted office/ home cottage, the Dr. J. L. Bean Cottage on the grounds of Historic Cane Hill, Collins said history is all around him in crafting lesson plans, historical programs and other documents to help tell the story of the area.
Telling the story of history in a meaningful, factual way for the generations of today to relate to the history of yesteryear is still a task Collins is well suited for and one he anxiously embraces.
The job opening was just what Collins was searching for in this vita of classroom teaching, some continuing historical research as he advanced his college education and in the public sector with two distinctly different historical agencies.
Previously, Collins taught as a substitute and long-term substitute in the North Little Rock School District, full-time at the Academics Plus Charter school in Maumelle (20102012) and a graduate assistant at UCA from 2012-2014.
After procuring his Masters of Arts in history, he returned to the classroom at the Jacksonville Charter School – CPA Jacksonville (2014-2016). He was a graduate assistant at the Arkansas Historical Preservation Program (AHPP) from 2017-2018 and then the planning and preservation coordinator at the Capitol Zoning District Commission in Little Rock, from 2019 until taking the Cane Hill post in late 2021.
Collins, who still lives in Maumelle, is splitting time between Cane Hill and central Arkansas as his wife, Michelle, is a physical therapist with a medical practice in the area. He has transported his two cats to live with him in Cane Hill, but his dog, “Millie,” a half-blue heeler, remains in Maumelle.
Always learning, researching and finding out new facts and how those facts relate to Arkansas, the region and specifically Cane Hill fills Collins’ days, he said.
And this young historian wouldn’t have it any other way during cold, damp February days.