Program

Hometown Heritage®

Subject

Building, Event

Location

106 Franklin St, Washington, AR 71862, USA

Lat/Long

33.775109984562, -93.682831353976

Grant Recipient

Ethnic Minority Memorabilia Association, Inc.

Following the end of the U.S. Civil War, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedman, and Abandoned Lands, oftentimes referred to as the Freedman’s Bureau, provided support to both black and white individuals and families in education, finding work, and acquire land throughout the South. This marker specifically commemorates the work of the Southwest District Office undertook within the boundaries of 14 modern Arkansas counties between 1865-1868. The Bureau protected the rights of Black people in the South and set up the first large-scale systems of education for Black students and also assisted displaced white Americans.

The Bureau (for the states of Missouri and Arkansas) issued Special Order No. 46 on November 2, 1865, establishing the Southwest District and appointing its first superintendent. As of August 15, 1868, the office was closed as services were “no longer required.”

The specific site for the Bureau remains unknown and, in all likelihood, the Bureau rented various spaces throughout the district, including Washington, AR. This marker, rather than commemorating a specific building is intended to present the relationship between the Bureau and the Black experience in the United States.