Many people only pass through Little Rock on the way to somewhere else. It is worth a stop. In one morning we saw a key site in the American civil rights movement and a presidential library on the Arkansas River.
Little Rock Central High School
Central High School is much bigger and more beautiful than we expected. When it opened in 1927, it was called the most beautiful high school in America. It is a long brick and stone building on a neighborhood street, with a reflecting pool in front.
In September 1957, three years after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional, nine Black teenagers tried to enroll here. Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to keep them out, and an angry crowd gathered around the school. President Eisenhower then sent soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division to walk the students inside.
They became known as the Little Rock Nine, and their year inside the school was very hard. The photos from those days are famous. Standing on the same steps and sidewalks makes them feel much more real.
Central High is now a National Historic Site, and it is also still a working high school. The National Park Service visitor center across the street tells the story. Ranger-led tours go inside when the school schedule allows.
Across the road is the small white Magnolia gas station, restored to look like it did in the 1950s. During the crisis, reporters used its pay phone to call in their stories.
The Clinton Presidential Library
The William J. Clinton Presidential Library opened in 2004, on the riverfront just east of downtown. It is a long glass and steel building raised off the ground. It reaches toward the river and was designed to look like a bridge.
Inside, the exhibits walk through the Clinton years. There are full-size copies of the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office. It is strange to stand in a room you have seen so often on TV.
Practical Info
- Central High: The visitor center is at 2120 W Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. Tours of the school must be booked in advance through the National Park Service.
- A working school: Don’t enter the grounds beyond the public areas during school hours.
- Clinton Library: On President Clinton Avenue, east of the River Market district. There is an admission charge, and it is a good idea to check hours before you go.
- Getting around: The two sites are a short drive apart, and it is easy to see both in a morning.
