Building For Tomorrow: E.C. Morris, Centennial Church and the Black Baptists During Jim Crow

This extraordinary new exhibition explores the role of the Baptist Church in the lives of African Americans during the turbulent period of Jim Crow, as they navigated the difficulties and hardships of a segregated country.  Visitors, as they enter the South Gallery of the Delta Cultural Center, will first notice the large replica stain glass window that symbolizes the church. It is if they have been reborn in the past and are looking into this window to see what is happening in a church of that era. From that point, guests will be able to read and study numerous historical panels that depict the expansion of the Baptist Church throughout the Arkansas Delta and into the lives of African Americans. 

Activists such as Booker T. Washington and others used this religious awakening to further the cause of reform, but it was through the tireless labor of one Arkansan that the church rose to new levels of importance. That Arkansan was the Reverend Elias Camp Morris, who rose to national prominence through his work with the National Baptist Convention. In addition to his work in politics, Morris was the pastor at Centennial Baptist Church in Helena, Arkansas from 1879 to his death in 1922. Centennial was an example of an early megachurch with nearly a thousand members and was a beacon of light for all African Americans in the area. E.C. Morris was also president of the Black Arkansas Baptist State Convention for 35 years and helped start a seminary in Little Rock that eventually became Arkansas Baptist College.  There is a life size replica of Morris at his podium and interactive displays which feature a number of his speeches that visitors may listen to. In addition to the church, there are also displays and information panels dealing with the role of fraternal organizations like the Knights of Pythias and the Masons.

"America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation"

The Delta Cultural Center will host this outstanding exhibition from October 9, 2024, to January 3, 2025, in our central gallery at the DCC Visitor Center, located at 141 Cherry Steet in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. This traveling exhibition, developed by the National Guitar Museum, traces the evolution and impact of the guitar through history. It features forty instruments played by influential musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Eddie Van Halen, and many more. 

In addition to famous artists, there are displays highlighting the music industry and wall panels informing the public about guitar history. Visitors will be able to view videos featuring the actual musicians using these guitars in concerts and other features. It is actually a walk back thru time as these guitars come to life and bring back memories of yesteryear. 

The guitar is one of the most enduring icons in American history. And the story of "The Crossroads" is one of America's most enduring myths - as well as a metaphor for the nation's ongoing cultural upheaval. "America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation" looks at American history through its most popular instrument - the guitar.