This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: AStanaland Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.arkansas.counties.jackson/1575/mb.ashx Message Board Post: After first talking the other day with the desk person at Powhatan State Historic Park ..site of the old Powhatan Courthouse that used to house valuable old records in a vault (records now stored at AR State Univ in Jonesboro) ...I learned that the 2005 proposed and planned Northeast AR Regional Archives and state-of-the-art vault near the old Powhatan Courthouse is not funded. To contact the park: 870-878-6765 This Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives at Powhatan facility to house some of Arkansas's oldest records ...some dating back to Louisiana Purchase timeframe ... is in limbo ..waiting to be built but is unfunded as well as 'unstaffed' I am told. It was, we genealogists were told, to be opened April 2008. Well, it is not happening. We genealogists do not have any practical access to the stored records ...boxed up and moved to AR State Univ beginning about 2003 I think ...as we must go through Lloyd Clark and the Lawrence County Historical Society for permission to see the records ..many of which have never been transcribed or microfilmed. I now think that I'll be very lucky to ever see, in my lifetime, if any of the old unfilmed / untranscribed records among them contain any helpful data regarding my own research. These records and who would have oversite, Powhatan's rennovation,etc. were all discussed at length beginning about 5 years ago and in 2005, and the controversy surrounding future plans and availability of the records was reported in the Jonesboro Sun and through the Lawrence County Hitorical Society. All the fervor and clammor to do something died down after we were told a new facility would open April 2008. I can't believe I was so naive. Since I began inquiring this week about the proposed archives, here is more I have learned: I have talked to the AR Hist Commision and I hope all Lawrence County researchers and other interested genealogists will do the same ..so that they know they have the support of people other than me. As well as talking to AR History Commission, I called Powhatan State Park. In both instances, I asked about the proposed Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives facility to be at Powhatan Historic State Park with a planned state of the art vault to hopefully someday house the records ...also along with many duplicate records now at AR History Commission. The person I spoke to at AR Hist Comm told me what she could about the subject and I have emailed Dr. Wendy Richter...who I am sure will reply soon. Dr. Wendy Richter Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: 501.682.6901 Fax: 501.682.6916 Email: wendy.richter@arkansas.gov The general contact info for AR Hist Comm is: Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR 72201 501.682.6900 state.archives@arkansas.gov The problem is, as I understand it, that AR History Commission and AR State Parks have a design for the facility, but have been unable to obtain funding from the Legislature ..funding to either build the facility and/ or to staff it. Since it it not even built yet, the funding issue must be #1 for the facility itself. The commission meets every odd year ..and the last communications / minutes I have seen online were the end of 2006. We genealogists with an interest in preserving and making available the records need to step up to grease the wheels of bureacracy and write letters to the Legislature of AR ....as well as the AR Parks. The people involved in these groups stay busy planning and disussing and meeting, etc. and have some lofty goals, but nothing will happen for them or for 'us' unless their projects are funded by the State of Arkansas. The only name I have found so far to write is a person with AR Dept of Parks and Tourism (one of the organizations in charge of the old records). They have the same street address as AR History Commission in Little Rock. Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Room 4A 910 One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR 72201 I wrote to them a few years ago to a Mr. Davies during the original discussions about the fate of the old records ... and I am writing him again to let him know the facility and the records are STILL an important issue. I hope more people here will do the same. Info online at . . . Arkansas.com Write to: Richard W. Davies Executive Director Arkansas Dept of Parks and Tourism Phone: 501-682-2535 Fax: 501-682-2383 Email: richard.davies@arkansas.gov WE all should also write the Lawrence County Arkansas Historical Society. Lloyd Clark is a busy teacher in Walnut Ridge, so it takes some patience to manage to contact him. I found a link at Arkansas Online that showed him (or perhaps it is a son with the same name?) and a Robert F. Thompson to be candidates in the AR Nov 7 general election and non-partisan runoff 2007...Clark and Thompson were running for the State Senate, District 11. Below is the only address I have so far found for contacting Lloyd Clark...(who is who we must contact to gain any kind of access to the stored subject records in Jonesboro at AR State Univ.) Lloyd Clark, President Lawrence County, Ar. Historical Society 415 Eastwood Cr Walnut Ridge, Ar. 72476 Here is another possibly helpful link ... http://www.arkansas.gov/about_arkansas.php?... for Arkansas Government as to history and genealogy. On that link you will find the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, though they seem to be focused on Historic sites rather than records ... they are perhaps involved on some level ... ARKANSAS HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street - Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Phone: (501) 324-9880 - Fax: (501) 324-9184 - E-Mail: info@arkansaspreservation.org Thanks for any help! If those of you who live in AR and know who in the Legislature to most effectively write, please provide us with contact addresses. Audrey in TN Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.