Plan Your Visit To Arkansas' Most Historic Town For An Unforgettable Day Trip
By Carol Ann Carson|Published June 10, 2019
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
We Arkansans take our history seriously. After all we have historic towns that preserve everything from the state’s first bar to a famous musician’s boyhood home. Aside from these specific attractions, there’s entire towns that dedicate community efforts to preserve just about everything. One of the most historic towns in Arkansas is Cane Hill. Much of this early settlement’s history is well preserved or at least restored to its near original form. Let’s take a tour of this fascinating town and see what history lessons we can learn.
Along the northwestern side of the state resides the small town of Cane Hill. Known for being "still on the hill" this community has quite the history.
Tennessee settlers established the community back in 1827. The state's first Sunday school was created shortly after in 1828 followed quickly by the first public library and school. This particular photo was snapped much later in the town's development in 1904.
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The main appeal of the town is the community's serious dedication to its preservation.
The town has a whopping 16 locations on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of these have remained untouched but others, like the Cane Hill College, have gone through restoration throughout the decades. This school was one of the first colleges of the state!
The town has four well-marked trails that tour around the town. In addition to learning about the different sites, you'll be able to retrace important moments from the Civil War.
The combined 3.5-miles of trail will take you to the town's historic sites, abandoned ruins, and forested nature.
2019 will be the festival's 33rd year. The annual fest highlights the pioneer days of the town with handmade crafts and goods, bluegrass music from the Ozarks, and tons of family-friendly events. For more information about the festivities, head to this site.
The biggest draw of the festival is the sorghum cane syrup making.
The "cane" from Cane Hill is grown behind the historic college all throughout the summer. It's ready for harvest in September so during the festival the crop is cut, stripped, and pressed into a pulp. Horse and tractor presses dating back to the early 1900s are used during the festival to create what will become sticky-sweet sorghum.
For more information about the things to do in Cane Hill you can follow their Facebook Page or visit their website.
What’s your favorite thing to see in Cane Hill? Have you toured the town before? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
Depending on the criteria, Arkansas has many “oldest” towns. Here are some other historic communities that deserve a visit.
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