Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Helena (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Delta Cultural Center, Helena Confederate Cemetery, and Helena Library and Museum. Also, be sure to include Centennial Baptist Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Helena (Arkansas).
Table of Contents
Delta Cultural Center
Museum in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. The Delta Cultural Center in downtown Helena, Arkansas, is a cultural center and museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the culture of the Arkansas Delta. They also partner with other cultural organizations to interepret different cultural elements.
The center consists of three buildings:
- A Visitors Center which houses an interactive exhibition of Delta music including the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the broadcast facilities for King Biscuit Time which is the longest running blues radio program in the nation.
- The Train Depot, a former Union Pacific station, at Natchez and Missouri Street, houses exhibits on the American Civil War in Helena including the 1863 Battle of Helena, Union occupation of the area, slave experiences, and women in Civil War Helena. The Train Depot also has exhibits on the history of the Mississippi River including the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and exhibits on Delta agriculture and Native American history. This c. 1915 Craftsman/Classical Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Moore-Hornor House, at 323 Beech Street, is a red brick Greek Revival/Italianate-style home built in 1859, and is also listed on the National Register. The back yard of the home saw fierce hand-to-hand fighting during the Battle of Helena in the Civil War.
Address: 141 Cherry St, 72342-3501 Helena
Helena Confederate Cemetery
Cemetery. The Helena Confederate Cemetery is located in the southwest corner of the Maple Hill Cemetery on Holly Street in Helena, Arkansas. It is a small section of the larger cemetery, under one acre in size, and is marked by two significant memorials: the Confederate Memorial and the memorial to Confederate Army General Patrick Cleburne, whose burial here is the only known place associated with his life. The Cleburne memorial is a marble shaft 15 feet in height, topped by an urn with flames coming from its top. The Confederate Memorial is a marble depiction of a soldier, mounted on a 30-foot granite shaft, surrounded by pyramids of cannonballs and inverted cannons. The cemetery has more than 100 marked graves, 15 of which are unidentified Confederate dead, and 23 are of those killed in the 1863 Battle of Helena.
The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[2]
Address: 1801 Holly Street, Helena
Helena Library and Museum
Museum. The Helena Museum of Phillips County is a historic building at 623 Pecan Street in Helena, Arkansas. The main portion of the building is a 2+1⁄2-story mansard-roofed Second Empire structure, and was built in 1891 with funds raised by the Women's Library Association. It is Helena's oldest civic building, and was used not just to house the library, but also as a social venue until about 1914, when its main space was fully devoted to the library. In 1929 a 1+1⁄2-story wing was added to rear to serve as a space for museum exhibits on local history.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[3]
Address: 623 Pecan, 72342-3201 Helena
Centennial Baptist Church
Church building in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. The Centennial Baptist Church is a historic church building at the corner of York and Columbia Streets in Helena, Arkansas. It is significant for its association with Elias Camp Morris, who was the pastor of the church from 1879 and who was a driving force in the establishment of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Morris served as the convention's president from 1895 until his death, and his church served functionally as the organization's headquarters. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003.
The church was severely damaged by high winds on April 12, 2020 in the 2020 Easter tornado outbreak.[4]
Phillips County Courthouse
Building in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. The Phillips County Courthouse is located at 622 Cherry Street in Helena, the county seat of Phillips County, Arkansas. It is a rectangular brick structure, designed by architect Frank W. Gibb and built in 1914. It is Classical Revival in style, with two full stories above a raised basement, and a flat roof. Its most prominent feature is a series of engaged fluted Corinthian columns, two stories in height, which line three sides of the building. Its interior has ornate woodwork and plasterwork that is in excellent condition.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[5]
Address: 620 Cherry Street, Helena
Jerome Bonaparte Pillow House
Building. The Jerome Bonaparte Pillow House is a historic house at 718 Perry Street in Helena, Arkansas. Architect George Barber designed the house, and it was built by Jerome B. Pillow in 1896. The building was donated to the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas Foundation and was restored by that body as well as several members of the community who were successful in restoring the property to its original Queen Anne beauty. The Thompson-Pillow House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was opened after restoration in 1997.[6]
Address: 718 Perry St, 72342-3134 Helena
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Church in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. St. Mary Church is a Catholic parish in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, in the North Delta deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock. It is located at 123 Columbia Street.[7]
West House
The West House is a historic house at 229 Beech Street in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, built in 1900 for Mercer Elmer West by the Clem Brothers of St. Louis. The house exhibits stylistic elements of both the Colonial Revival, which was growing in popularity, and Queen Anne, which was in decline. It has a wide porch supported by Ionic columns, with a spindled balustrade. The house's corners are quoined. The main entry is flanked by slender columns supporting an architrave, and then by sidelight windows topped by a transom window. A Palladian window stands to the right of the door, and a bay window with a center transom of colored glass stands to the left.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[8]
Maj. James Alexander Tappan House
The Maj. James Alexander Tappan House is a historic house at 727 Columbia Street in Helena, Arkansas. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, built in 1892 for James Tappan, a wealthy businessman from a prominent local family. The house is a fine Queen Anne Victorian, with a particularly elaborate porch with a spindled balustrade and delicately proportioned columns, which wraps around a turreted projection with a conical roof. The cornice is decorated with brackets and panels, and the exterior also features the use of decoratively-cut shingles. James Tappan operated a number of businesses, including coal supply and a hardware store, and was director of a local bank.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[9]
Sidney H. Horner House
The Sidney H. Horner House was built in 1881 by Michael Brennam, an early builder/architect, approximately six blocks to the west of the Mississippi River in Helena, Arkansas. Sidney H. Horner, a member of an early Helena family, was part of a banking firm established by his father, John Sidney Horner. The Italianate style house is made of hand-molded brick. The home has 7 fireplaces and oak parquet floors. The initial footprint of the house was expanded in 1895 with a two-story east wing also made of brick. At the same time, the original small front porch was expanded to run the entire length of the new east addition. Electric lights were also added at about this time.[10]
Almer Store
The Almer Store is a historic commercial building at 824 Columbia Street in Helena, Arkansas. Built sometime in the 1870s by Swiss immigrants, it is one of the oldest commercial buildings in Phillips County. Ulrich Almer is claimed to have built the store out of the parts of a raft he and his wife floated down the Mississippi River. The Almer's were dairy farmers, who sold their milk products from the building, which later became more of a neighborhood market. It was in danger of demolition in the early 1970s when it was acquired by the Phillips County Historical Society and restored.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[11]