“Finding Freedom in the Forest: Opportunities and Challenges for African Americans in the Timber Industry,” opened at the Juneteenth event on June 15, 2019. This family-friendly experience explored the history of the timber industry through the lens of African Americans in Arkansas.

“Finding Freedom in the Forest” featured engaging topics, such as the history of lumber towns in Arkansas and the story of African American soldiers who used skills learned in the logging industry to build trenches in WWI Europe.

The exhibit incorporated a diorama of 1920s Crossett, Ark., including a working model train and railroad to illustrate the vital role that railroads had on the expansion of the logging industry in Arkansas.

A children’s gallery provided a multi-sensory experience showcasing the beauty and grandeur of the forest.