New building for artifacts from Arkansas Delta to open soon

WILSON, Ark. – A new building is expected to open later this month in a small Arkansas Delta town to showcase a collection of centuries-old American Indian artifacts excavated nearby.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park’s new building is located on Wilson’s town square. It replaces a cramped building a few streets down that was closed about a year ago so the collection could be moved.

Randy Roberson of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism says the new museum is expected to open after a scheduled Sept. 15 inspection.

The collection is the work of James K. Hampson, a physician who began excavating the artifacts in the 1920s at his plantation near Wilson called Nodena. The artifacts discovered near the Mississippi River included pottery, tools and religious objects.