Arkansas National Guard Museum Receives Modernization Grant

The stories of Arkansas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are still being written.

Soon, visitors to the Arkansas National Guard Museum will be able to experience those stories in new ways through interactive exhibits, digital technology, and firsthand accounts made possible by a $975,000 grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

The grant will fund the redesign and modernization of the museum's 2,300-square-foot central gallery inside historic Lloyd England Hall here. Combined with a $300,000 planning grant awarded by the council in 2025, the funding will support the museum's most comprehensive redesign effort in decades.

For museum leaders, the project is about far more than updating exhibits. It’s an opportunity to tell the complete story of Arkansas National Guard service while ensuring those stories remain accessible and relevant for future generations.

"Our goal is to tell a comprehensive story of the history and heritage of the Arkansas militia and National Guard," said Dr. Raymond Screws, director of the Arkansas National Guard Museum. "We want to focus on the dual nature of Guard service, with its foreign and domestic service component. We want to provide a world-class exhibit that honors both Soldiers and Airmen, and their service to the state and the country."

The museum's redesign will occur in three phases, including design, infrastructure and construction improvements, and exhibit installation.

According to retired Arkansas Army National Guard Col. Damon Cluck, vice chair of the museum board, the effort has been years in the making.

"This $975,000 grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council represents the largest single investment ever made in the modernization of the Arkansas National Guard Museum," Cluck said. "The grant will fund the implementation of a completely redesigned exhibit gallery that tells the story of the Arkansas National Guard through immersive exhibits, historical artifacts, personal stories, and interactive experiences."

Planning for the project began after the museum received funding in 2025 to develop a professional exhibit design. Museum staff, board members, veterans, and community stakeholders worked alongside exhibit designers to determine how best to present the Arkansas National Guard's history while meeting the expectations of modern visitors.

"The result is a design that honors the past while preparing the museum for the future," Cluck said.

One of the most significant changes visitors will notice is the incorporation of digital technology designed to bring personal experiences to life.

"The redesign will allow for an interactive experience for visitors," Screws said. "We will be incorporating digital technology that will allow visitors to hear oral histories from those that lived the experiences."

Museum leaders said they hope the new technology will do more than tell stories from the past. They envision a living archive that continues to grow alongside the organization it represents.

"History doesn't end," Screws said. "This technology will allow us to capture history as it happens by allowing current and future Soldiers and Airmen to add to their history."

The museum is housed within Lloyd England Hall, a 1931 Spanish Colonial and Art Deco-style building that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Originally constructed as an auditorium and theater, the facility is named in honor of Brig. Gen. Lloyd England, Arkansas' adjutant general during World War I and an Arkansas native.

Today, the museum preserves more than two centuries of Arkansas military history, from the state's militia roots to modern National Guard operations at home and abroad.

Among the museum’s most treasured artifacts is the flag of the 206th Coastal Artillery Regiment that flew over Dutch Harbor in Alaska's Aleutian Islands during World War II.

"That flag symbolizes the service and sacrifice of our servicemembers during the harshest of circumstances," Screws said.

For Screws, preserving those stories and sacrifices remains one of the museum's most important responsibilities.

"The American military tradition begins with the militias and the Guard before the birth of our nation," he said. "I don't know that the National Guard gets the recognition it deserves in that regard."

He added that many veterans' stories are never fully shared.

"So many veterans don't come home, and those that do often don't tell their story," Screws said. "There are literally heroes that walk among us. I want our families and our communities to get a sense of what our servicemembers have done."

Brig. Gen. Jeff Wood, the Arkansas National Guard's deputy adjutant general, said preserving that history helps connect today's force to generations of service members who came before them.

"Preserving our history is crucial because it roots today's Soldiers and Airmen in a legacy that spans more than two centuries of dedicated service," Wood said. "It reminds them that they are part of an unbroken line of Soldiers and Airmen, ensuring that the sacrifices of those who wore the uniform before them are understood, respected, and serve as a foundation for today's missions."

Wood described the museum as a vital link between past and present.

"The museum serves as the vital bridge between generations," he said. "By combining careful preservation with innovative storytelling, it provides a modern, interactive, and accessible experience where current Soldiers and Airmen can tangibly see and feel the history of their units."

When the redesigned gallery opens, museum leaders hope visitors leave with a greater understanding of the Arkansas National Guard's history, service, and continuing impact on communities across the state.

"We hope they walk away feeling a deep sense of pride and connection," Wood said. "Just as we honor the past two centuries of service, their own current dedication and sacrifices will also be preserved, understood, and appreciated by future generations."