Preserve Arkansas has a year-round commitment to preservation education, advocacy and assistance. Examples of the Preserve Arkansas’s programs include the announcement of Arkansas’s Most Endangered Places each May during Arkansas Heritage Month. Preserve Arkansas also hosts educational events and programs to bring together preservation professionals, professionals in related fields, and preservation-minded Arkansans for educational programs and conferences. Preserve Arkansas organizes Rambles each year where participants tour or “ramble” through a part of the state, visiting historic places along the way. Members and non-members alike also look forward to the Arkansas Preservation Awards held each January to commemorate distinguished service and excellence in craftsmanship as related to historic preservation. Through these and other programs, Preserve Arkansas is always involved in advocacy efforts throughout every part of the state.
Preserve Arkansas hosts conferences and educational programs attended by preservation professionals, business and political leaders, Certified Local Government officials, Main Street Arkansas personnel, architects, developers, real estate agents and interested citizens. Program topics range from statewide preservation issues and Arkansas’s architectural history to historic neighborhood and commercial district revitalization.
Advocacy is a major component of Preserve Arkansas’s mission. As the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to saving Arkansas’s architectural and cultural heritage, Preserve Arkansas is often in the thick of the battle. From saving historic buildings such as Carnall Hall and the Donaghey Building to promoting preservation-friendly legislation locally and at the State Capitol, Preserve Arkansas works diligently to promote preservation efforts across the state.
Preserve Arkansas has established several endowments to promote preservation in Arkansas, named for venerated and well-known preservationists from the state. Contributions to any of these endowments are welcomed and fully tax-deductible. To contribute, make checks payable to the endowment of your choice, and send to Preserve Arkansas, P.O. Box 305, Little Rock, AR 72203-0305.
The annual Arkansas Preservation Awards recognize preservation efforts across the state over the past year. These achievements range from outstanding examples of rehabilitated structures, revitalized neighborhoods and commercial districts, and lifetime achievement in Arkansas preservation.
Each year during Arkansas Heritage Month, Preserve Arkansas announces its list of Arkansas’s Most Endangered Historic Places. The program draws statewide attention to historically significant structures or landscapes associated with the great stories and personalities of Arkansas history. Preserve Arkansas focuses on the circumstances that threaten these places in an effort to save them for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
Preserve Arkansas holds a “ramble” each year to celebrate a unique region of Arkansas. Past ramblers have stayed overnight at Carnell Hall on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, toured the Japanese-American Relocation Site at Rohwer, and enjoyed a harvest gala dinner at a restored historic home in Birdeye. Don’t miss an exceptional experience filled with history and fun. We would love to see you and yours at our next Ramble. Become a member today to stay in touch!
Once every year, Preserve Arkansas members from all over the state come together at the annual Membership Meeting to hear about work over the past year, elect board members, and discuss upcoming changes. Before the business meeting, members socialize with snacks and libations.