June 15, 1936

Arkansas’s centennial celebration was held, commemorating the date President Andrew Jackson signed legislation making Arkansas the twenty-fifth state in the Union. Observances before and after the formal day included the composition of an official song and poem, the designation of a centennial flower, the issuance of a stamp, the crowning of a centennial queen, and the minting of two coins. There were also plays, parades, pageants, floats, contests, and exhibits, as well as a football championship, a visit by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the placement of historical markers. The Arkansas centennial celebration gave Arkansans many opportunities to recall their heritage and the early development of the state while at the same time offering a reprieve from the despondency of the Great Depression.