This past weekend, we took Little Man for his first big outing to the Jonquil Festival at Historic Washington State Park. It might have been too early, but we kept him close in the Ergo baby, and not too many extra fingers touched him. It was just a perfect spring Saturday in Arkansas and we met some of Chris’ family there.

There is not much I love more than a festival. Couple it with some history and one of my favorite places in Arkansas and you will find me wearing a smile bigger than an emoji. I also really love being with people when they experience something for the first time. Chris laughs at me when I start planning a trip or a weekend excursion because I do this funny thing with my hands where I rub them together really fast and crinkle and roll my fingers.  It’s really funny, but I’m so predictable.

So, on the way to Old Washington on Saturday morning, I found out that the people we were meeting had never been there and I just got super giddy. I have been to Old Washington State Park several times, but I’ve never been able to be there for the Jonquil Festival. It was everything you want in a festival – carnival food, sunshine, a cool breeze, a little history, a lot of walking, and smiles all around.

Why, why do I love Old Washington so much?

• History – I just love that it was the capital of Arkansas at one point and that the 1836 Courthouse was once home to the Arkansas Supreme Court during the Civil War. Last year, Chris and I went down for a mock jury trial. It was so cool to be in the courtroom on an evening with only gas lamps and the story from that time period. It’s a perfect example of architecture, community, economic development, outlaws, and in-laws all coexisting in one place. Usually, it had about 900 people but at the height of the war, with the troops moving further and further south, it was home to between 6,000 and 9,000 people. Many of whom fearfully slept in streets and fields in tents, worried about what their houses and lives looked like back home. One of the incredible things is that Washington was never burned as many towns during that time experienced and therefore we can enjoy it now.
• Old homes – The fun thing about the festival and one of the reasons I wanted to be there were so many homes that aren’t always open were available for viewing with tour guides and all. When I stand in the rooms of these homes, I like to picture the people who lived there. I wonder what their mornings were like. I expect routine and quiet. Similarly, I picture their evenings. This town would have hosted lots of important people. I wonder what their food smelled and tasted like. I’m curious if the kids would make friends with the helpers and learn new skills. Of course, I’m always thinking about the social classes of this time period and wonder how they would interact. Was it always demanding or was there a woman or two in town who had a reputation of compassion and taught her children likewise? One of the cool things to me is a house early on the tour, of course, I cannot remember the family name but it’s next to the Tavern, which is left intentionally in mid-renovation so you can see the construction – the cross joints, the animal hair in the plaster, the mason work and the painting tools to make marble and wood finishes. It’s all so fascinating how from the beginning, really of human life, we have had a longing for more; a longing to be more and be seen as more.
• Tavern – There are actually 2 taverns at Old Washington. One is more like a hotel and I’ve still never toured it. But, the one it is most known for is the one that is a restaurant. This is actually how I became acquainted with Old Washington. If we were traveling in the area for work, we would plan accordingly to have lunch at the Tavern. They serve home cooking just the way you would expect it. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, cornbread… it’s all on the menu. (And if you are there on a busy day it’s usually the cleaner and less busy bathrooms, just look for the ramp around back.)
• The Presbyterian Church – A couple of years ago, I finally got to see the inside of this building. Any time I would drive through Old Washington, I would turn a block off the main road to sit and take pictures of this building. The steeple, the paneling on the outside, the small stairs out front, and the white fence. But, I always wondered what was beyond that beautiful stained glass. For a long time in my head, I planned my wedding in this building (that I had never been inside). A couple of years ago when I finally got to see inside it, I was even more mesmerized. The old wood paneling, the red cushions, and the old organ and seating chart on the wall. But, the way the sun comes through the gold and purple glass panes…. well, it would make a choir of angels sing “ahhhhh.” I can just picture the weddings and Christmas services in the late 1800s. Simple and honoring of the occasion. The music billowing out the back door and beckoning you in. I just stand in awe.
• The real reason – I also love that Old Washington is the place that ties together my story. It connects Arkadelphia (where I went to college and spent 9 more years working) and Texas (I mean the heroes of the Alamo spent lots of time here). When it was in its “hay-day” the main road that went through town connected Little Rock and what was then Mexico and is now Texas. That’s my story and that’s my people. We know that the Pittmans were settled in Indian territory in OK for some time. And we know some of their history involves a time period in Amity, Ar. I did not do enough to research that when I lived in the area. But, what I do know is that to travel from Amity to Texas, where they settled, they had to down Old Military Road and what is now Hollywood Road leading out of Arkadelphia.  And on their way out of what is now Arkadelphia, they would have passed a home known as Magnolia Manor that is owned by friends of mine who hosted one of my wedding showers. As a matter of fact, from time to time they would let me come play “cousin Keisha” and give tours when they had groups come through. I just love thinking about this being the place at my crossroads; the place where this Texas native met her Arkansas roots. It’s the main reason I love just being there. I feel like I find myself walking those roads and standing in the fields.