MacArthur Park

MacArthur Park was Little Rock’s first city park. The Quapaw Line Marker here denotes the western survey line of land that the Quapaw Indians were allowed to retain after ceding ancestral lands to the U.S. government in 1818. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced southeastern tribes to relocate to what is now Oklahoma, with several routes passing through Arkansas. To protect citizens against the perceived danger of the forced Indian migration, a federal arsenal was built in Little Rock in 1840. During the Civil War, both Federal and Confederate forces used the arsenal. In 1864 it served as the launch point of the Camden Expedition, during which black troops from the First and Second Kansas Colored Infantry fought with distinction. It became a city park in 1892 when the arsenal closed.

In 1942, it was named MacArthur Park in honor of 5-Star General Douglas MacArthur, whose father was stationed at the Arsenal when he was born in 1880. Today, the building houses the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. East of the Museum is the Arkansas Korean War Veterans Memorial. The bronze statues include an African

Outdoor facilities include brick promenades, a pavilion, a fishing pond, a bocce court, bike polo courts, the scenic Contemplation Gardens and the Arkansas Korean War Veterans Memorial.