Walnut Ridge's Hometown Gem
Walnut Ridge has always played a part in my life. One of the most history-rich locations in the Walnut Ridge/College City area is the Wings of Honor Museum. My dad took me to the museum for the first time when I was in middle school, and since then, I’ve been a recurring volunteer for the museum.
The museum is a true hidden gem, with high-quality displays and artifacts. It has always confused me why many locals have never visited the museum, let alone college students who live in dorms about 3 miles down the road.
Harold Johnson, the president of the museum board says since the museum opened in 1999, it has always been up to individuals to preserve the history, the city of Walnut Ridge and Lawrence County have never been financially involved and has only ever provided “moral support”.
Johnson, now 87, worries about the future of the museum. Gas, electricity, and water bills add up and it's difficult to pay them. Local kids and adults have never even visited and a shocking number have never even heard of it.
I polled some WBU students and Lawrence County residents and discovered that, among those that participated in the poll, 40% have never visited the museum.
I asked my friend Noah, who is currently in high school at Strawberry, why he’s never visited. He said, “I never remember it exists except when my history teacher mentions it once a year.”
Johnson said he’d love for College students to come to visit. “The museum has plans we’d love to see get completed, like new exhibits and research projects.”
“We need to do a better job of honoring our veterans,” Johnson said. “I want to keep it going, but we’re going to need some help to do it”
As someone who has volunteered at the museum plenty of times, I’ve rarely seen people my age or younger visit. I barely see any locals that are not directly involved with volunteering.
I’d like to see more excitement for the museum. It's a great museum with great people who’ve been working hard to preserve history for years.
If you’ve never been, you’re missing out. If you do trek the 3 miles, find Harold Johnson and ask him about his incredible hijacking experience.
References
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/college-city-lawrence-county-6108/
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/wings+of+honor+museum/williams+baptist+university/@36.126129,-90.9360285,1417m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x87d6bd0b9b0db5b5:0x93f94246672c46c2!2m2!1d-90.9275894!2d36.1248562!1m5!1m1!1s0x87d6bd0695637d39:0xf741c6388934d4d3!2m2!1d-90.9389603!2d36.1261107
https://www.kait8.com/2022/11/11/pilot-discusses-hijacking-incident-50-years-later/
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