The Confederate State Capitol building in Washington, Arkansas was the capital of the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

state government of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, during 1863–1865, after

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

fell to Union forces in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It is located within Historic Washington State Park, and is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Description and history

The capitol building is a two-story wood-frame structure, about wide and deep, resting on a brick foundation. It is topped by a hip roof covered in cedar shakes. Each of the two floors is dominated by a large chamber; that on the ground floor originally served as a courtroom, while that on the upper floor was used by local Masonic societies. The original front entrance is sheltered by a single-story portico with a triangular pediment with Greek Revival styling. There are chimneys on the two sides of the building. The building was erected in 1836, and was Hempstead County's second courthouse, replacing an 1824 log structure. The building served as the county court until 1874, when a new brick building was constructed. After the fall of

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

forces in September 1863, during the

, Governor

Harris Flanagin Harris Flanagin (November 3, 1817October 23, 1874) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 7th governor of Arkansas from 1862 to 1864, and in exile from 1864 to 1865. Prior to this he was a Confederate States Army officer who ...

ordered the seat of government relocated to Washington. The Confederate state government would remain in this building until the end of the war in 1865. After the court functions moved out in 1874, the building was repurposed for use as a school, a role it fulfilled until 1914. It thereafter served as a private residence until 1928, when it was acquired by the state through the efforts of the local United Daughters of the Confederacy chapter. It is now part of Historic Washington State Park. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970, and, with other sites, was designated part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark District in 1994.

References

{{Authority control Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark Government buildings completed in 1836 Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Arkansas Museums in Hempstead County, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Hempstead County, Arkansas 1836 establishments in Arkansas Greek Revival architecture in Arkansas Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas County courthouses in Arkansas American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Arkansas in the American Civil War United Daughters of the Confederacy monuments and memorials in Arkansas

Description and history

See also

References