"A. Little Rock Central High School" by U.S. National Park Service , public domain
Little Rock Central High SchoolNational Historic Site - Arkansas |
Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) is an accredited comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is a National Historic Site. The school was the site of forced desegregation in 1957 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional three years earlier.
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Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site (NHS) in Arkansas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Central_High_School
Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) is an accredited comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is a National Historic Site. The school was the site of forced desegregation in 1957 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional three years earlier.
In 1957, Little Rock Central High School was the epicenter of confrontation and a catalyst for change as the fundamental test for the United States to enforce African American civil rights following Brown v. Board of Education. Learn how the sacrifice and struggle endured by the Little Rock Nine have provided opportunities and opened doors for those seeking education around the world.
From I-630, take Exit 2B (Dr. Martin Luther King Drive). Go south (away from the Arkansas State Capitol) to W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. Turn right (head west) and continue 0.5 miles. The Visitor Center is on the right at the corner of W. Daisy Bates Drive and Little Rock Nine Way. Parking lot entrance is located just before the intersection with Park Street, directly across from the historic Magnolia/Mobil Gas Station and diagonally across from Central High School (still a functioning high school).
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center
The visitor center features a detailed exhibit with interviews, news footage, and audio/video recordings of those directly involved as well as accessible restrooms and a Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA) bookstore.
Take the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard exit (2B) off Interstate 630. Go south on Martin Luther King, Jr (away from Arkansas State Capitol). Turn right (west) onto Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. The Visitor Center and Visitor Parking will be on your Right at the intersection of Daisy L. Gatson Bates and Little Rock Nine Way, directly across from the historic Magnolia Mobil Gas Station and diagonally across from Central High School campus. All visitors should park and begin visit at the Visitor Center.
Little Rock Central High School
The front facade of Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock Central High School has been a public school since opening in 1927.
Little Rock Central High School Visitor Center
National Park Visitor Center
Exhibits, restrooms and a bookstore are located in the National Park Visitor Center.
Commemorative Garden
Fall colors in the commemorative garden
Spend some time in thought in the park's commemorative garden
Elizabeth Eckford Bench
a replica of a 1950s bus bench with Central High School in the background
Images of the Little Rock Nine’s persistence and Elizabeth’s brave walk through the mob to the sanctuary of the bench captured their enduring legacy of “moral courage” that has inspired others around
The Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine exit the doors at Central High under troop escort
In September 1957, Little Rock Central High School became a symbol for change and a catalyst for transformation in the civil rights movement as the first fundamental test to the United States’ resolve to enforce African-American civil rights in the face
Magnolia Mobil Gas Station
The Magnolia Mobil Gas Station, a white stucco facility with terracotta roof
The Magnolia Mobil Gas Station, the de facto media headquarters during the 1957 desegregation crisis.
Wildland Fire in Arkansas' National Parks
Wildland fire impacts each of the national parks in Arkansas in one way or another. The National Park Service manages wildland fire to protect the public; park communities and infrastructure; conserve natural and cultural resources; and maintain and restore natural ecosystem processes.
A prescribed fire is monitored by a firefighter on an all-terrain vehicle.
2010 Freeman Tilden Award Recipients
Seven rangers were awarded with a national or regional 2010 Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation. Learn more about their exciting and innovative projects.
Portrait of John Kirkpatrick
Little Rock Central High School Cultural Landscape
On September 25, 1957, public attention focused on nine African American students - the “Little Rock Nine” - as they again attempted to attend their first full day at Little Rock Central High School. The students effectively desegregated the historically white high school through their attendance that year. The school continues to operate, and the site is recognized for its significance in the Civil Rights Movement and its Neo-Gothic Revival and Art Deco style architecture.
Campus landscape with reflecting pool, trees and turf, broad stairs, and streetscape
Little Rock Central High School Memory Project
"The Memory Project," a collaboration between Central High School and Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, invites and challenges students to collect the personal stories of family and neighbors who lived through civil rights struggles in the twentieth century.
A group of people stands outside Little Rock Central High holding a Memory Project banner.
Equalization Schools of South Carolina
South Carolina built over 700 modern schools for African American students in the 1950s and 1960s to avoid desegregating its school systems.
Children in a classroom
Resurrection City
“It was in our wallowing together in the mud of Resurrection City that we were allowed to hear, to feel, and to see each other for the first time in our American experience.” -Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.
National Park Service Commemoration of the 19th Amendment
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment the National Park Service has developed a number of special programs. This includes online content, exhibits, and special events. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) announces the release of a story map that highlights some of these programs and provides information for the public to locate and participate.
Opening slide of the 19th Amendment NPS Commemoration Story Map
The 1957 Crisis at Central High
In 1957, Little Rock’s Central High School became a crucial battleground in the struggle for civil rights. The nation sat transfixed as nine African-American students entered the previously all-white school under federal troop escort. With the help of television news, then in its infancy, the events commanded worldwide attention as Little Rock came to symbolize the federal government’s commitment to eliminating separate systems of education for blacks and whites.
Terrence Roberts is turned away from Central High by the Arkansas National Guard.
Cast Stone
The architectural history of "America's Most Beautiful High School," Little Rock Central.
The front façade of Little Rock Central High School
Central High School, 1927 to today
A look at Little Rock Central High School from its opening in 1927 until today.
Four statues stand over the school's main entrance.
Visitor Center at Little Rock Central High School NHS
Information on the Little Rock Central High School NHS Visitor Center
Visitor Center construction on the west side of the new facility, 2006.
Things to Do in Arkansas
Find things to do and trip ideas in Arkansas.
Front of a high school made of brown brick that rises to a high point in the middle with stairways.
Dare to Imagine: Alyssa Smith
Alyssa Smith is a 2016 graduate of Little Rock Central High School and an interpretation intern at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Read about the inspiring projects she completed as a park service intern and what she hopes for as her path unfolds. Dare to Imagine is an NPF funded grant dedicated to telling the stories of barrier-breaking women in the park service.
graphic of young woman in a cap and gown, text reads Alyssa Smith HBCUI Interpretation Intern
President Eisenhower and Civil Rights
A brief overview of President Eisenhower and his administration's role in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s.
a black and white image of President Eisenhower surrounded by reporters.
Series: Things to Do in the Midwest
There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation.
Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below.
Robin White
Robin White experienced profound loss and the injustices of discrimination as a child. Surrounded by women, she grew up understanding the importance of nature, family, cultural heritage, and her own worth. During more than 40 years in the National Park Service (NPS) White valued community engagement and diversity, first as an interpretative ranger and later as a superintendent.
Robin White in her NPS uniform and ranger flat hat stands in front of a brown sign.
2022 Freeman Tilden Award Recipients
View recipients of the National Park Service Freeman Tilden Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by NPS employees.
Two women work with a tree while a young man records audio.
1954: Brown v. Board of Education
For African Americans, the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education encouraged and empowered many who felt for the first time in more than half a century that they had a "friend" in the Court. The strategy of education, lobbying, and litigation that had defined the Civil Rights Movement up to that point broadened to include an emphasis on a "direct action.
people in period costume stand in front of park sign, brick building behind
Little Rock Central High School
Soldiers and guardsmen escorted the Little
Rock Nine for the entire school year.
TOMANIO / UNIV. OF ARKANSAS
LITTLE ROCK ARCHIVES
nps; Life cover: © getty images / time & life pictures collection
Students still attend Central High School,
which is closed to park visitors except for
organized tour groups.
Year of Reckoning
The school desegregation crisis
at Little Rock Central High
School put on trial America’s
commitment to its founding
principles. It was the first signi
ficant test of the 1954 Supreme
Court ruling in Brown v. Board
of Education that “separate
educational facilities are inher
ently unequal.” The successful
outcome affirmed the basis of
that ruling—the 14th Amend
ment’s promise of “equal pro
tection of the laws.”
WILL COUNTS / COURTESY OF VIVIAN COUNTS
AND INDIANA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Elizabeth Eckford walked a twoblock-long gauntlet of threats and
racial slurs.
Constitutional Struggle
What became a defining moment in the
South’s “massive resistance” to school deseg
regation began quietly enough with a plan
by Little Rock’s school board to gradually
integrate the city’s schools. But Orval Faubus,
the populist governor of Arkansas with a
reputation for relative moderation on racial
issues, undercut local officials. Race was playing an increasing role in Arkansas politics,
and Faubus was looking ahead to running for
reelection in 1958. His actions turned ordered
desegregation into violent confrontation.
Crying “states’ rights” and floating rumors
about planned violence, Faubus justified
calling out the National Guard to keep
order—by blocking the entry of nine African American students. Faubus also cited
concern for their safety, but before the eyes
of guardsmen, mobs followed, spat on, and
threatened violence to the students. Later,
Governor Faubus
after a court had ordered the National
Guard withdrawn, and with only police
to control the situation, an angry crowd
beat both black and white journalists.
President Eisenhower
Spurred by other southern politi
cians and his own constituents
to take a stand against deseg
regation, Faubus insisted that
in Brown v. Board the Supreme
Court had overstepped its con
stitutional authority. He invoked
what he called constitutionally
guaranteed states’ rights to back
his use of the National Guard to
bar African American students
from Central High. By so doing
he directly challenged the federal
government.
In the weeks before the students gained
entry under the protection of U.S. Army
troops, the governor’s defiance and
legal maneuvering stoked a constitutional crisis. A growing media presence
made this an ongoing news event played
out on the country’s TV screens. But
while Little Rock became the face of the
nation’s desegregation troubles of the
1950s and 60s, the struggle for equal
rights enacted there transcended region,
race, and historical period. The struggle
continues, and the commitment and
courage shown by the Little Rock students is still needed if history
is not to be repeated.
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Although not an aggressive
enforcer of civil rights, Eisen
hower believed deeply in the
rule of law, the Constitution, and
the appropriate use of military
force. When Governor Faubus
used armed guardsmen to defy a
ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court,
Eisenhower had no choice but
to back constitutionally granted
judicial and executive authority.
He was the first president since
Reconstruction to use federal
troops to enforce civil rights.
“The only assurance I can give you is that
the Federal Constitution will be upheld by me
by every legal means at my command.”
—President Dwight Eisenhower, in telegram to Governor Faubus
nps
1958
little rock, September 1957
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Little Rock Central High School
National Historic Site
Arkansas
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
WILL COUNTS / COURTESY OF VIVIAN COUNTS AND INDIANA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
WILL COUNTS / COURTESY OF VIVIAN COUNTS AND INDIANA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
September 2
3
4
20
23
24
25
26
Governor Faubus
orders National
Guard to bar Afri
can Americans from
school for their
“safety.”
On first day of
school mob gathers
(above). Little Rock
Nine do not appear.
Guardsmen bar
black students from
entering school.
Soon after Elizabeth
Eckford is turned
away (above) she is
harassed by mob.
Federal judge rules
against use of Na
tional Guard to
block students.
Little Rock police
are given responsi
bility for protecting
the students.
Little Rock Nine
enter the school;
police cannot main
tain order. Riot
ensues and the stu
dents leave from a
side entrance in a
police car.
President Eisen
hower federalizes
Arkansas National
Guard and sends
1,200 soldiers from
the 101st Airborne
Division (above) to
Little Rock.
African American
students enter Cen
tral High escorted
by soldiers (above).
Faubus appears on
television, saying
“We are now an
occupi