Historic Washington State Park opens new exhibit exploring ‘Free Persons of Color’

WASHINGTON – Historic Washington State Park will open a new exhibit entitled “An Uneasy Freedom: ‘Free Persons of Color’ in Hempstead County” on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the park’s 1874 Visitor Information Center, 100 SW Morrison St., Washington. A special program about the “Free Persons” population of Hempstead County by Peggy Lloyd will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the 1874 Courthouse Visitor Center.

Before the American Civil War, a community of non-enslaved African Americans, labeled as “Free Persons of Color,” lived in Hempstead County and the community of Washington. This community consisted of both individuals and families connected through blood, marriage, and shared circumstances. Their experience in Washington was a daily paradox. They were insiders who were essential to the town’s economy and who actively forged their own complex identities as entrepreneurs and community members, yet outsiders who were denied the basic rights of citizenship, such as voting. In this exhibit, learn about some of the individuals who made an impact in Washington, Arkansas, and Hempstead County despite their uneasy freedom.

For more information contact the park visitor center at 870-983-2684.