Helena Arkansas - grace grits and gardening

(Note: Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission sponsored this blogger trip. Opinions are my own.)

Freedom Park

On this Veterans Day, I’m thinking about my recent Civil War tour of Helena, Arkansas. Arkansas is rich in Civil War history and Helena in particular has a unique past as a Union stronghold. Yes, Union… Although a pro-South state, the town of Helena (population 1,600 at the time) was largely untouched by Civil War until General Samuel Curtis marched into town with twelve thousand Union soldiers.

This year marked the 150th year of the Battle of Helena. I’m embarrassed to say until my recent trip to Helena, (courtesy of Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission), I wasn’t aware of this battle. I was always more concerned with diagramming sentences than history, and this particular battle slipped through the cracks of my Arkansas education. Plus, perhaps understandably the Battle of Helena was completely overshadowed by Gettysburg, which occurred the same day.

My quick glimpse of Civil War sites will not do justice to the incredible history lesson that is Helena. Visit Civil War Helena for a more comprehensive look. Better yet, drive on over.

Freedom Park

Camps at Freedom Park housed most of the slaves escaping through Arkansas. This was Arkansas’ first stop on the Underground Railroad.

Re-enactor Jack Myers (Delta Cultural Center) at Freedom Park.

Freedom Park includes five exhibits with illustrated panels,
life size figures and statues, and structures representing a plantation house and refugee dwelling.

Fort Curtis

From inside this earthen fort, the sky looked the same, yet the ground felt hallowed.

Fort Curtis

Battery C

Strategically placed along the tip of Crowley’s Ridge, Battery C was perfectly positioned to defend from Confederate land attacks as well as control the Mississippi River. A truly breathtaking view, the land has been preserved and protected by a tangled growth of kudzu.

View of the Mississippi from Battery C

Battery C under development – Wire structure to represent original earthen battery.

Helena is a must see for history buffs. Even if you’ve never considered yourself a fan of Civil War history, you’ll probably change your mind after a visit to Helena. How could you not?

On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls…This is the great reward of service. To live far out and on, in the life of others;…to give life’s best for such high sake that it should be found again unto eternal life.― Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. A big thank you to Jack Myers and Ron Kelley (Delta Cultural Center) for tours of Freedom Park and Fort Curtis and Cathy Cunningham (Southern Bancorp Community Partners) for providing a fascinating look at Battery C under development.

Check out my other Helena blog posts by clicking on the links below…
King Biscuit Time and the Music of Helena
Canoeing the Mississippi River at Helena

(Note: Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission sponsored this blogger trip. Opinions are my own.)

Never swim in the Mississippi River. EVER.

My sister and I heard this warning over and over again from Momma and Daddy and Papa Creecy. Although the Mississippi River was our very own natural wonder, we knew better than to dip one toe into his churning current.

Please, can we go see the river?

After a trip to the grocery store, Momma often drove us over the levee to make sure he was still there. We always took out-of town visitors to see our river at the Osceola River Port. And crossing into Memphis, we held our breath on the bridge spanning the water, a game we played in route to the Zoo or Goldsmith’s or the Mid-South Fair. It was a l-o-n-g way over.

The Mississippi River flowed through our veins, yet we never swam in it. EVER.

When a classmate drowned, we understood and respected his power.

I recently stepped a toe into the Mississippi River. Both feet in fact. The cool water felt marvelous, yet forbidden. As I pulled my life jacket tight, I felt Papa Creecy shudder from the heavens…

I was part of a small group of Arkansas Women Bloggers invited by the Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission to spend a few days in their delta town overlooking the Mississippi River. Although Helena is directly downstream from our farm near Osceola, this was my first visit.

And a cram-packed, entertaining visit it was. One of my favorite activities—canoeing on the Mississippi River.

Led by the Quapaw Canoe Company, we canoed to Buck Island (also known as Island 63). And for those of you from Mississippi County, Island 63 is NOTHING like our infamous Island 35… not in the least…

Canoeing the Mississippi River at Helena

The spectacular autumn air held a freshness I’d yet to feel in Dallas since the prolonged, hot summer. A sense of nervous excitement grew, for me anyway—being on the river, feeling the tug of water against the oar. We laughed and talked and row, row, rowed, landing on the island just before sunset.

Buck Island was remote.

Mississippi River at Helena, Island 63, Buck Island

Arriving at Buck Island

Uninhabited, the only signs of life were animal tracks stamped in the sand.

Buck Island, Island 63, Helena, Mississippi River

beautiful white sand

In only moments, our guides built an impressive fire from sticks and driftwood gathered from the nearby woods. As the sun sank into the riverbank, we ate dinner by bonfire glow, debated the perfect way to roast a marshmallow, and drank the finest boxed wine from hefty coffee mugs.

Buck Island, Island 63, Mississippi River at Helena

Kyran Pittman demonstrating marshmallow perfection

I wanted to stay on that island forever.

Canoeing back in silence, Venus shone brightly above the tree line, and the Milky Way cut a bright swath in the night. Like a great whale, a barge slipped by moving the black water. I imagined rafting the river at a different time, in a different world, one without lights from the nearby bridge or the hum of soybeans being loaded onto nearby barges.