Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park

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Jenkins' Ferry
Battleground State Park
USA Arkansas relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Arkansas
Location Grant County, Arkansas
Nearest city Leola, Arkansas
Coordinates 34°12′47.4″N92°32′50.6″W / 34.213167°N 92.547389°W / 34.213167; -92.547389
Area40.15 acres (16.25 ha)
Elevation190 feet (58 m)
EstablishedEarly 20th century
Original use Field, forest, battlefield
Governing body Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Official nameJenkins' Ferry Battleground
DesignatedJanuary 21, 1970
Reference no.70000120 [1]
Official nameJenkins' Ferry Battlefield
DesignatedApril 19, 1994
Part of Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark
Reference no.94001182 [2]

The Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park, also known as the Jenkins' Ferry Battlefield, is a battlefield in Grant County, Arkansas. The Arkansas state park commemorates the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry fought on Saturday, April 30, 1864, during the Red River campaign of the American Civil War.

Contents

First established as a masonic park in the early 20th century, the 40-acre historic site was donated to the state of Arkansas in 1961. The American Civil War battlefield was listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Jenkins' Ferry Battleground in 1970 and is part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, a U.S. National Historic Landmark District contributing property, in 1994.

Description and administrative history

The Jenkins' Ferry Memorial commemorates the soldiers of the Confederacy killed at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30, 1864. CONFEDERATE MONUMENT AT JENKINS FERRY.jpg
The Jenkins' Ferry Memorial commemorates the soldiers of the Confederacy killed at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30, 1864.

The Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park, operated by the Division of State Parks of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, includes historic markers that describe the battle, as well as recreational opportunities on the Saline River, including swimming and boating. A pavilion and several picnic sites are also located in the state park, which is 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Sheridan, and 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Leola in Grant County on the west side of Highway 46. [3]

The park is set in a bend of the Saline River, which generally flows northwest to southeast, meandering southwest at this point. It has picnic tables and fire pits, and a basic public toilet, as well as interpretive signs explaining the region's historical significance. It includes a portion of the antebellum Little Rock and Camden road and the eastern end of the old Jenkins' Ferry crossing. [4]

Established as a masonic park in the early 20th century, [5] Act 10 of 1961 of the State of Arkansas authorized transfer of the landscaped 40 acre tract commemorating the Battle of Jankins' Ferry to the Arkansas Publicity and Parks Commission. The law included an offer to donate the Jenkins' Ferry site made by the author of the bill. [6] It was listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Jenkins' Ferry Battleground on January 21, 1970, [7] and a part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, a U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property, on April 19, 1994. [8]

See also

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Camden Expedition Sites". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  3. Teske, Steven (June 4, 2014). "Jenkins' Ferry State Park". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture . Little Rock, Arkansas: Central Arkansas Library System. 1227. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Jenkins' Ferry State Park" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  5. Hall, C. G., ed. (1941). Arkansas: A Guide to the State. American Guide Series. New York: Hastings House. p. 332. OCLC   882129. OL   6430108M via Internet Archive.
  6. Associated Press (March 30, 1961). "Parks Board Awaits Fate of Omnibus Bill" . The Baxter Bulletin . Vol. 60, no. 16. Mountain Home, Arkansas. p. 8. Retrieved April 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  8. "Camden Expedition Sites—Accompanying 62 photos, from 1992–1993: Old U.S. Arsenal (6 photos), Confederate State Capitol (5 photos), Prairie de Ann Battlefield (7 photos), Jenkins' Ferry Battlefield (4 photos), Marks' Mills Battlefield (10 photos), Fort Southerland (5 photos), Poison Spring Battlefield (7 photos), Fort Lookout (9 photos), Elkin's Ferry Battlefield (9 photos)" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination. National Park Service. November 29, 1993.