Arkansas Museum of Discovery
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Discovery: Arkansas' Museum of Science & History, is located in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas
. The museum is housed in a historic building in the River Market District
on the Arkansas River
. The Clinton Presidential Center
is within walking distance.
Prolific writer and prohibition
ist, Bernie Babcock
, established The Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in 1927 in response to criticism from H.L. Mencken that Arkansans were "bumpkins" who lacked cultural centers. Babcock first opened her museum in a downtown storefront on Main Street. Her museum had several sensational exhibits, such as the supposed head of a Chicago criminal and the King Crowley, now considered the greatest archaeological fake in Arkansas history. Her collection also included taxidermy specimens from other museums, "primitive art," and multicultural dolls. To secure the continued existence of her museum, Babcock gave the museum to the city of Little Rock as a Christmas gift in 1929 and it then moved to city hall. In 1942, the Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal was be renovated due to the efforts of the Æsthetic Club, Little Rock philanthropist Frederick W. Allsop
, and the Works Progress Administration
. It would become the new home new home of the The Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities, and remain there for some fifty-five years.
The museum continued to grow and acquire more and better artifacts and exhibits. The museum was one of three state organizations to receive a mold of the Arkansaurus fridayi fossil, "The Arkansas Dinosaur", and also had a statue of it. It became the Museum of Science and Natural History in 1964, and the Arkansas Museum of Science and History in 1983. The increasing professionalism of the staff and museum led to accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1993. In 1997/98, the museum became the Museum of Discovery: Arkansas' Museum of Science and History, relocating to the River Market. The Children's Museum of Arkansas, located in Union Station merged with the Museum of Discovery in 2003. In 2008 the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded a $9.2 million grant to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock for expansion and renovations. These would include three new interactive exhibits and, construction of a new entrance from Clinton Avenue (the entrance now is from the lobby of the Museum Center, an office building that has a number of other tenants including the museum). The museum still needs to raise $3.5 million in matching money.
The museum houses a wide array of interactive exhibits on science, history, and technology. Permanent exhibits include: Arkansas Indians; Bug Zoo; Energy!; Health Hall; Imagination Station; Passports to the World; Room To Grow; Worlds of the Forest. The museum has a collection of small live animals, multicultural masks, Kewpie dolls and a Friendship Doll.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. The museum is housed in a historic building in the River Market District
Little Rock River Market District
The Little Rock River Market District is the downtown area of Little Rock, Arkansas along the Arkansas River. It consists of the area east of Cumberland Street to the William J...
on the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
. The Clinton Presidential Center
William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park is the presidential library of Bill Clinton. The center was established by Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, is located in Little Rock, Arkansas and includes the Clinton Presidential Library, the offices of the Clinton Foundation,...
is within walking distance.
Prolific writer and prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
ist, Bernie Babcock
Bernie Babcock
Julia Bernelle Smade Babcock was an American author who wrote over 40 novels, as well as numerous essays and newspaper articles. After being widowed at age 29 with five children to support, she began working as a writer...
, established The Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in 1927 in response to criticism from H.L. Mencken that Arkansans were "bumpkins" who lacked cultural centers. Babcock first opened her museum in a downtown storefront on Main Street. Her museum had several sensational exhibits, such as the supposed head of a Chicago criminal and the King Crowley, now considered the greatest archaeological fake in Arkansas history. Her collection also included taxidermy specimens from other museums, "primitive art," and multicultural dolls. To secure the continued existence of her museum, Babcock gave the museum to the city of Little Rock as a Christmas gift in 1929 and it then moved to city hall. In 1942, the Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal was be renovated due to the efforts of the Æsthetic Club, Little Rock philanthropist Frederick W. Allsop
Frederick W. Allsop
Frederick William Allsopp Co-owner of Allsopp & Chapple Bookstore in Little Rock, Arkansas. Author of history, poetry, biography, and contemporary newspaper work. Business manager of the Arkansas Gazette. Allsopp Park in Little Rock was named in his honor.-External links:* at Encyclopedia Of...
, and the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. It would become the new home new home of the The Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities, and remain there for some fifty-five years.
The museum continued to grow and acquire more and better artifacts and exhibits. The museum was one of three state organizations to receive a mold of the Arkansaurus fridayi fossil, "The Arkansas Dinosaur", and also had a statue of it. It became the Museum of Science and Natural History in 1964, and the Arkansas Museum of Science and History in 1983. The increasing professionalism of the staff and museum led to accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1993. In 1997/98, the museum became the Museum of Discovery: Arkansas' Museum of Science and History, relocating to the River Market. The Children's Museum of Arkansas, located in Union Station merged with the Museum of Discovery in 2003. In 2008 the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded a $9.2 million grant to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock for expansion and renovations. These would include three new interactive exhibits and, construction of a new entrance from Clinton Avenue (the entrance now is from the lobby of the Museum Center, an office building that has a number of other tenants including the museum). The museum still needs to raise $3.5 million in matching money.
The museum houses a wide array of interactive exhibits on science, history, and technology. Permanent exhibits include: Arkansas Indians; Bug Zoo; Energy!; Health Hall; Imagination Station; Passports to the World; Room To Grow; Worlds of the Forest. The museum has a collection of small live animals, multicultural masks, Kewpie dolls and a Friendship Doll.