Fort Curtis, 1862-1867

Fort Curtis outlasted the danger it was built for. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says Helena was not seriously threatened again after July 1863 and became the base for the September campaign that took Little Rock. Several Union units stayed at the fort until 1866, and after the war it was abandoned and Helena grew up around the site. A plan to rebuild it appeared in a 2005 economic development effort for Phillips County, and the reconstructed fort was dedicated on May 11, 2012. It is open to the public, and the marker stands near its entrance on York Street.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Delta Cultural Center — 0.3 mi
  A state museum in downtown Helena where King Biscuit Time, the longest-running daily blues radio show, is broadcast live from the Visitors Center.
• Elaine Massacre Memorial — 0.3 mi
  A memorial dedicated in 2019 in Helena for the Black people killed by white mobs and troops in the 1919 Elaine Massacre, the deadliest racial confrontation in Arkansas history.
• Freedom Park — 0.9 mi
  An outdoor Delta Cultural Center site on the ground of a Civil War contraband camp, where thousands of people who had escaped slavery sheltered and men enlisted.
• Mississippi River State Park — 11 mi
  A state park and gateway to the St. Francis National Forest, where the river, Crowley's Ridge and the Delta meet, with a Trail of Tears site at the Mississippi and St. Francis confluence.

More markers nearby

• U.S.C.T. in Helena — steps away
• Russwurm Memorial — 0.2 mi
• Fort Curtis — 0.2 mi
• Sacred Heart Academy — 0.3 mi