When the Civil War ended in 1865 landowners still needed field hands so many former slaves and poor whites stayed in their home territories and worked as share croppers or tenant farmers. With no bargaining power they were often exploited and had little to show after the landowner collected their share of the harvest. The Agricultural Wheel, the first farmer's organization in the Arkansas Delta met in 1882. Several more organizations came and went over the years but the museum's main focus is on the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union formed in 1934 which eventually joined with the United Farm Workers.
The museum is very small and consists of photographs and historic accounts. There's also a good video about the lives of the tenant farmers and the formation of the union. The museum is not worth going out of your way for but it's interesting if you're in the area. Combination tickets can be bought and include the
Dyess Colony and Johnny Cash's Boyhood Home which are about 15 miles away.
The museum is accessible.We fit in the parking spaces by backing up over the grass. Larger RVs can be parked on Main Street. Museum 35.49136, -90.35881
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