The grant, awarded in June 2024, allowed the CAHC to inventory, organize, scan, and rehouse 788 maps. The maps, which range from a 1712 depiction of New France to a 1960 urban renewal project plan from Little Rock, are now accessible online for the public to view. Many are already integrated into CAHC鈥檚 growing digital exhibit, 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淭his project was about more than just preservation,鈥� said Dr. Jess Porter, director of CAHC. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about bringing Arkansas history into the hands of researchers, students, and curious minds anywhere in the world. These maps are snapshots in time, and now anyone can explore them from their own home.鈥�

For Porter, a trained geographer and former cartography professor, the collection held personal significance.

鈥淚 love all things spatial,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a geographer, maps are how we understand the world. At CAHC, I have the privilege of directing an archive full of them, and now we have intellectual control and accessibility in ways we鈥檝e never had before.鈥�

James Wethington, archivist and engagement coordinator at the CAHC, led the project, assisted by undergraduate student Cole Hadden and graduate assistant Noah Adebanjo. The work involved not only scanning and cataloging the maps but also developing a thematic organizational system and creating a comprehensive finding aid.

鈥淥ur only record of many of these maps used to be in an old card catalog,鈥� Wethington said. 鈥淣ow, the entire map collection is digitized and searchable. That鈥檚 a dream come true for an archivist.鈥�

The searchable collection, available on the CAHC digital platform, includes categories such as Arkansas cities, U.S. regions, and world maps. Among the highlights are:

路   A beautifully detailed 1712 map of New France by cartographer Herman Moll

路   A 1907 map of Fort Smith, Oklahoma, a proposed sister city to Fort Smith that never came to pass

路   A 1923 Arkansas railroad map by F.L. Blaisdell

路   A 1960 Little Rock Housing Authority map for the Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project

路   A series of hundreds of Missouri Pacific Railroad maps spanning multiple states

鈥淭hese are some of the coolest maps I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� Wethington said. 鈥淭hey help us understand how our cities, state, and even the nation have changed over time. That鈥檚 the power of access.鈥�

In addition to the primary map collection, the team also preserved and organized a separate collection of architectural drawings and Missouri Pacific Railroad maps. These maps required extra care due to their size and fragility, with many of the maps being over five feet long.

鈥淥ne of the joys of this work is the surprise,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淭he center鈥檚 map collection came together through decades of individual donations and transfers. Many of the maps are one-of-a-kind, each telling its own story of Arkansas鈥檚 spatial and cultural evolution.鈥�

Student involvement was central to the project. Hadden, a Donaghey Scholar who recently completed his undergraduate history degree, gained hands-on experience in archival processing, project planning, and digital preservation.

鈥淔or someone like Cole to work one-on-one with James for three years is invaluable,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 started graduate school in England this fall. The experience and mentoring that he received from James through the years make him competitive with people with graduate degrees already, and it鈥檚 specifically because of the opportunity and expertise he got at the CAHC.鈥�

While the original grant objectives were met a year ahead of the project deadline, CAHC plans to continue its map preservation efforts. Future work will include processing the center鈥檚 Metroplan collection and other unprocessed materials.

鈥淲e far exceeded what we set out to do thanks to the Arkansas Community Foundation鈥檚 support,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淏ut this is just the beginning. We will continue telling the spatial story of Arkansas.鈥�

The newly digitized maps are available for public access through .

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Center for Arkansas History and Culture Completes Major Map Digitization Project appeared first on News.

The CAHC was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Education Award on Jan. 31 at the annual Arkansas Preservation Awards dinner at the Robinson Center in Little Rock.

The award celebrates significant contributions to historic preservation in Arkansas through educational initiatives. It was presented in honor of the , an effort launched in October following six years of collaborative work by more than 50 individuals.

鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock’s Mapping Little Rock History Digital Humanities Project is enhancing our knowledge of the capital city’s growth and development using a wide variety of media types from multiple sources, all geolocated on maps to make it easier for people to understand our history in time and space,鈥� said Rachel Patton, executive director of Preserve Arkansas. 鈥淚 am a map nerd, so I was thrilled to see the collection organized in this way! And every teacher should know about the lesson plans – what a valuable teaching tool for educators and our next generation of Arkansas historians!鈥�

The annual awards are organized by Preserve Arkansas, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and rehabilitating historic places that hold cultural and historical significance across the state.

鈥淲e are very grateful to Preserve Arkansas for this award, which highlights the impact and quality of the project,鈥� said Dr. Jess Porter, director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. 鈥淭his project reflects the dedication of an amazing team at the center, along with private partners who brought this vision to life. There鈥檚 nothing else like it in Little Rock. It鈥檚 one of the best resources for learning about the city鈥檚 history.鈥�

Funded by two National Endowment for the Humanities grants totaling more than $375,000, the Mapping Little Rock History Project provides an immersive platform to explore the city鈥檚 historical growth and transformation.

The interactive website offers access to a vast collection of historical documents, photographs, maps, and multimedia content from 1880 to 2014. It is a valuable resource for students, educators, historians, urban planners, architects, engineers, and community members seeking to understand Little Rock鈥檚 evolution better.

鈥淭his project is versatile and accessible,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 useful for everyone鈥攆rom students writing a master鈥檚 thesis and teachers designing classroom assignments to architects researching original building plans and community members exploring local history. The project has improved accessibility to countless records, as everything is now available online. Any Little Rocker, Arkansan, or history enthusiast anywhere can read documents like the 1975 board minutes from the Little Rock School District, along with thousands of other historic records.鈥�

The project was made possible through partnerships with several organizations. Key collaborators include Few, the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, and the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock CRUX Lab, which helped develop the website. Archival materials were contributed by the City of Little Rock, the Central Arkansas Library System Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, and the Central High School National Historic Site.

鈥淭his recognition reflects the hard work of many individuals and organizations passionate about preserving and sharing Little Rock鈥檚 rich history,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淲e are excited to see how this resource continues to educate and inspire.鈥�

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Honored for Preservation Education Efforts appeared first on News.