The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

2120 Daisy Bates Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

Phone: 501-374-1957

Repository URL: http://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm

Repository description (extant): On November 6, 1998, Congress established Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The National Historic Site is administered in partnership with the National Park Service, Little Rock Public Schools, the City of Little Rock, and others.

The Visitor Center for the site is located diagonally across the street from the school, and opened in Fall 2006. It contains a captioned interpretive film on the Little Rock Integration Crisis, as well as multimedia exhibits on both that and the larger context of desegregation during the 20th century and the Civil Rights Movement.

Opposite the Visitor Center is the Central High Commemorative Garden, which features nine trees and benches that honor the students. Arches that represent the school's facade contain embedded photographs of the school in years since the crisis, and showcase students of various backgrounds in activities together.

Opposite the Visitor Center in the other direction is a historic Mobil gas station, which has been preserved in its appearance at the time of the crisis. At the time, it served as the area for the press and radio and television reporters. It later served as a temporary Visitor Center before the new one was built.

Repository type: Federal Repository

Collections:

Little Rock Central High crisis collection