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Little Rock Central High School National Historic SiteLittle Rock Central High School
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The Crisis at Central High

On the morning of September 23, 1957 nine African-American teenagers stood up to an angry crowd protesting integration in front of Little Rock's Central High as they entered the school for the first time. This event, broadcast around the world, made Little Rock the site of the first important test of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.
 
Park Ranger Julie Jackson talks to riders along the banks of the Arkansas River with downtown Little Rock in the background.

Bike with a Ranger

Discover parts of the Trail of Tears. See the places where the civil rights events of 1957 happened. Join park rangers on a guided bicycle tour and see a new side of your community's history. See our Schedule of Events for more details.

 
Poster for the mock documentary CSA: Confederate States of America depicting the White House with a confederate flag flying over it.

Picture This...Framing the "Reel" Civil Rights Movement

Join us on July 4th for our next film, the satircal British "documentary" CSA: Confederate States of America. Click here for more information.

 
Cover of book by Carlotta LaNier showing a teenage Carlotta arriving at Central High School with U.S. Army soldiers standing guard.

A Mighty Long Way

Join us for a reception and booksigning with Little Rock Nine member Carlotta Walls LaNier on September 23rd. See our Schedule of Events for more information.

 
A soldier with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division escorts Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford to the dedication ceremony, September 24, 2007.

New Park Visitor Center Opens

Escorted by members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, the Little Rock Nine joined other officials to formally dedicate the park's new visitor center on Monday, September 24, 2007. More...

 

Write to

2120 Daisy Bates Drive
Little Rock, AR 72202

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Center
(501) 374-1957

Administration
(501) 396-3000

Fax

(501) 396-3001

Climate

Little Rock has a climate typical of the upper South. Temperatures average from a mean low of 40 degrees Fahrenheit in January to a mean high of 81 degrees Fahrenheit in July. However, summer temperatures can reach into the 90's and exceed 100 degrees while winter temperatures can dip below freezing.
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Segregationist hate mail sent to vice principal Elizabeth Huckaby  

Did You Know?
Vice Principal Elizabeth Huckaby's memoir of the 1957 desegregation crisis was made into a television movie starring Joanne Woodward, titled Crisis at Central High. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Last Updated: June 26, 2009 at 11:20 EST