The Century Wall at Black River Overlook Park


I wrote a few days ago about Overlook Park’s Civil War trail. In addition to picnic tables and some nice riverside places to rest and think, there are a couple of other nice features in the park that people seem to enjoy: the Princess Pocahontas statue and the Century Wall. In fact, I almost never pass the park without seeing somebody studying the Century Wall. Since US Highways 67 and 62 pass right by the park, I think a lot of folks “just passing through” see the park and stop for a little rest.

Our park’s original Princess Pocahontas statue was carved from wood, stained very dark. I always thought it looked more like Whoopie Goldberg than an Indian princess. It finally rotted away a few years ago and the City replaced it with a beautiful life-sized statue carved from limestone. The princess has hair blowing in the wind and she clutches a stalk of the grain they lived on.

The Century Wall is a collection (on 3 separate brick walls) of the most influential Americans of the 20th Century, etched in stone. It was erected in 2000 as a tribute to the turn of the century. It’s really well done, and has survived two Black River floods already, with the river covering all but the top level of wall.

Life-size Princess Pocahontas statue, Black River Overlook Park, Pocahontas, Arkansas
 
The Century Wall during one of our recent floods "of the century". We have had 2 such floods in the last 3 years, so we are done with them for 200 years. Right?

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