Women & the War Memorial

Women's group at the War Memorial Building
From the collection of the Old State House Museum

Despite the hard work of the AFWC, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames and other patriotic and women's groups, what really saved the Old State House was its continued use as a state building. In 1921, the American Legion in Arkansas advocated the use of the Old State House as a monument to its fallen comrades as well as a headquarters and asked the legislature to designate the site a memorial to those who died in World War I.

A compromise led to the formation of the Arkansas State War Memorial. Its governing body was the War Memorial Commission, whose members (including women) were drawn from statewide patriotic organizations. Though not a museum, its new mission assured its preservation.

The idea of historical accuracy existed from the earliest campaigns to save the building. In 1928, under the leadership of preservation advocate Louise Loughborough, the Little Rock Garden Club had the city remove the Greek statues and cannon balls from the grounds. With the medical department vacating the building in 1935, the Commission was concerned the state would utilize the space for offices. In an effort to stave off such action, the Commission suggested that the Little Rock Garden Club "take a room… and replace it just exactly as it was."

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