COMING SOON
ELAINE, AR Sacred Memory and New Prosperity for the Arkansas Delta Elaine Legacy Center
Photo credit: Andrea Gluckman
HERITAGE TOURISM The Elaine Museum and Richard Wright Civil Rights Center is located at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 44 at
100 Main Street Elaine, AR 72333
the heart of downtown Elaine in southern Phillips County. The
The Elaine Museum will house the individual
building is currently being restored by Sergeant Architecture
and communal oral narratives of the area,
PLLC and Central Arkansas Contractors, with attention to
in addition to historical and artistic exhibits,
period details of the various historic events of Elaine.
The
oldest building on Main Street, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
and
multi-media
experiences
of
the
Arkansas Delta.
Dedication is set for September 30, 2022
on the 103rd commemoration of the Elaine Massacre.
The museum will serve as the location of orientation and education about the land surrounding Elaine. Other areas of import will
be
maps,
marked
and
multi-media
curated exhibits,
through and
a
comprehensive Elaine App for mobile use.
Image Credit: Andrea Gluckman
Image Credit: Sergeant Architecture PLLC
BEGINNINGS ELAINE LEGACY CENTER The
Richard Wright--novelist, essayist, poet, and cultural figure--addressed the harsh realities of race in the Jim Crow era in his work.
One of his most famous
Inc.
novels, Black Boy, recounts his childhood in Elaine,
501(c)(3) comprised of
and the impact of the lynching of his uncle, Silas
Elaine
(ELC) is a
RICHARD WRIGHT
Legacy
descendants
Center,
of
the
Hoskins, a prosperous business owner and beloved
Elaine
Massacre of 1919. The ELC has two
member of the community.
missions:
Elaine
1) to research, preserve,
would
shape
works
and
Elaine Massacre of 1919; and 2) to
Museum and Civil Rights Center is proud to work in
build a village that is a center of
concert with Wright's daughter, Julia, to continue his
art,
intellectuals.
influence
countless
culture,
and
later
and share the oral narratives of the
Delta
writers
his
Wright's experiences in
The
Elaine
legacy of truth telling, justice, and equity.
spirituality, Image Credit: Library of Congress
music, education, and meaningful tourism to restore prosperity for all in Elaine. out
of
The ELC is the context
which
the
idea
for
the
Elaine Museum and Richard Wright Civil Rights Center grew.
As
an
anchor for community activity, the ELC is currently addressing acute community
needs,
educational
opportunities
students
and
the
offering to
broader
community, providing programs to promote wellness, and serving as the center for heritage tourism in Elaine.
Elaine
is
situated
Mississippi
and
White
between Rivers,
making
the soil among the richest in the world. Elaine also was home to one of the worst race massacres in U.S. history. During the Red Summer of 1919, Elaine, along
with
many
other
prosperous
Black communities, was terrorized, its Interested in learning more?
100 Main Street Elaine, AR 72333 www.elainemuseum.org
Black
inhabitants
hunted
murdered
indiscriminately.
narratives
of
down
descendants
and
The
oral
of
that
massacre weave a powerful story that must be heard.
Image Credit: Andrea Gluckman
the
But the history of Elaine is more than the history of a massacre. The history of Elaine reflects the resilience, the hope,
and
the
communities County. beauty,
in
The and
innovation southern
culture,
the
land
the itself
of
all
Phillips natural set
the
stage for an experience in heritage tourism you will not soon forget. us on the journey to Elaine.
Join
Join us on the journey to Elaine.
Image credit: Andrea Gluckman
