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.
![Princess Pocahontas](http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/2308173.jpg)
![Pocahontas closeup](http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PCU5196.jpg)
![Century Wall 1](http://www.go-arkansas.com/media/photos/pocahontas007lozarks-630x420.jpg)
![Century Wall 2](http://gb.fotolibra.com/images/previews/767418-arkansas-pocahontas-black-river-overlook-park-century-wall-william-fulbright-jackie-robinson-m.jpeg)
![Century Wall flood](http://c2814362.r62.cf0.rackcdn.com/ccac52a1-f7c1-4f24-a1fb-a32f0c822d1a.jpg)