March 09, 2019
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The Great American Cleanup at Powhatan

Meeting Place: Black River Picnic Area

Participate in one of the largest annual cleanup events in America! Do your part to help keep Arkansas beautiful and your state park clean! Join the park interpreter at the picnic area to help remove litter and trash from the park. The park will provide trash bags, gloves, and more. Prizes are available to those that can remove the most! Get your church, club, scout group or other organization involved.

Admission: Free

Saturday, March 16, 2019
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Dutch Oven Workshop

Meeting Place: Courthouse

Have you ever wanted to learn how to use a Dutch oven in an authentic way? Come join park staff this St. Patrick’s Day weekend to experience 19th century style cooking and join in on preparing, cooking, and eating, traditional Irish recipes! Participants will leave with a recipe booklet and the know-how of cast-iron cooking. Reservations required and space is limited! For questions and reservations, please call (870) 878-6765.

Admission: 25.00

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Powhatan Spring Break Day 1: Prehistoric Powhatan

Meeting Place: Courthouse

Get those kids out of the house this Spring Break! Powhatan Historic State Park will take your kids through the history of Arkansas and Powhatan with a weeklong schedule of programs and activities. The first day of our Spring Break programming will focus on the prehistory of Northeast Arkansas with a look into the Native Americans that once called this area home.Schedule of the Day:10-11:30 a.m: Pottery – Learn the basics of pottery with a park interpreter at the courthouse. Participants will learn both the pinch pot method and the coil method. Each participant can leave with their creation at the end of the program. A small materials fee will apply. 1- 2:30 p.m: Native Hunting Tools – What’s an Atlatl? Learn how early native people hunted down game before firearms. Participants will get a chance to use an atlatl, an ancient spear throwing device and other prehistoric hunting tools.

Admission Costs Vary: Free

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Powhatan Spring Break Day 2: Passage to Powhatan

Meeting Place: Black River Picnic Area

The Black River was the most important resource to the people of Powhatan. Rivers played an important part in settlement all across Arkansas as well. The second day of our Spring Break programming will feature Arkansas’s numerous rivers and their roles in settling Arkansas. We’ll discuss river ecology, past and present, and what we can do to help preserve our historic waterways today. (10-11 a.m.)In the afternoon, (1-2 p.m.), join the park interpreter for an in-depth look at the technology that enabled settlers to reach Powhatan and other points across the state. The steam engine and steamboats revolutionized the world and led to rapid development. Get a chance to see how a steam engine operates, as well learn about the many different kinds of boats that went up and down the Black River in its heyday.

Admission: Free

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Powhatan Spring Break Day 3: Powhatan Pioneers

Meeting Place: Log Cabin

The third day of our Spring Break programming will focus on those early pioneers who cut Powhatan from the dense forests along the riverbank. Meet at the log cabin to participate in the following:10-10:30 a.m: The Ficklin Family and Early Settlers – Perhaps no family is more responsible for the growth of Powhatan than the Ficklins. Learn more about this early family and their role in Powhatan and across the state. We’ll also discuss other notable early settlers.1-2 p.m: Log Cabin Living – Learn more about what it was like to live in a rustic log cabin. Try your hand at building your own miniature version, and get an idea of the work involved.2-3 p.m: Brick Tricks – Powhatan boasted numerous brick buildings in its heyday. In the 1800s, it wasn’t as simple as picking up a pallet of bricks at the hardware store. Learn how bricks were made right here in town with native clay and get a chance to make one yourself.

Admission: Free

Friday, March 22, 2019

Powhatan Spring Break Day 4: Powhatan Prosperity

Meeting Place: Varies

By the late 1800s, Powhatan was a prosperous town that boasted factories, schools, numerous churches and businesses. On Day 4, learn about the prosperous days of Powhatan and get a feel for what life was like.10-11 a.m: A Day at School – The people of Powhatan knew the importance of education and the town’s elite were educated at the Powhatan Male and Female Academy. Meet at the school to learn what a day in school in 1890 might have been like.1-2 p.m: Powhatan Pearls – Did you know Powhatan was once a central part of the pearl industry? Fortunes were made along the riverbank. Learn about the pearling and shelling industry along the Black River and how we can still see the impacts from it today. Meet at the courthouse.3-4:30 p.m: A prosperous town has time for leisure and no game was more popular in the late 1800s than baseball. Learn the rules of 1880s baseball and play a game with the park interpreter. Meet at the picnic area.

Admission: Free

Saturday, March 23, 2019
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Symbols of Arkansas

Meeting Place: Courthouse

Why does the flag look like that? What’s so special about a mockingbird? Where does aluminum come from? In this program, students gain an insight into some of our state symbols (including the state flag and seal) and what they tell us about our history.

Admission: Free

Saturday, April 06, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Black River Ramble

Meeting Place: Davidsonville Historic State Park Boat Launch

Join Powhatan and Davidsonville park staff and explore the importance of rivers with a float on the Black River from Davidsonville to Powhatan Historic State Parks. We’ll explore the cultural and natural significance of the Black River and see two parks as they would have first been seen, by water. Come dip an oar into the Black River with us and explore the site of an old button punch factory, experience historic river travel, and learn about steamboats, railroads, floods, the river ecosystem, and much more. Lunch is provided on this excursion and the registration fee covers both boat rental and food for. Participants should bring water bottles, and dress for a day in the sun on the river. Please contact the park ahead of time if you plan on bringing your own kayak or canoe, life jacket, etc. In the event of flooding or other conditions that make this float too dangerous to hold, a rain date of September 28th has been established.

Admission per Person: 30.00

Powhatan Historic State Park

870-878-6765