When I first decided to visit all the Arkansas state parks and complete my passport, I found out about this park and wondered what made it worth a visit. Now that I’ve been here, I know what makes it worth a visit — nothing.
The one acre park consists of a monument, two state park signs (one for doing a passport rub), a sign that tells about Herman Davis, and some benches. Ninety-eight percent of the park is visible in the next two photos. The part you can’t see is lawn.
Herman Davis was a hunter from northeast Arkansas who was drafted into the Army during WWI. Near Verdun, France, his company was pinned down by a German machine gun nest. Davis crept forward on his belly and killed the Germans. On three other occasions, he killed a lot of Germans, due largely to his skill with a rifle. He received a lot of medals and was considered by General John J. Pershing to be the fourth-greatest American hero of the war.
He was gassed several times, and four years after getting home, he died of tuberculosis. He is buried at the base of the monument, which was erected in 1925.
As General George Patton said, “The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other guy die for his.” Herman Davis achieved that goal. A monument? Sure. But a state park? Why? I’m sure Arkansas has produced a lot of other heroes who don’t have their own state parks.
Davis was only 5’3″. The statue is life-sized.
I’m not really complaining. It’s parks like this one, Conway Cemetery, and the Lower White River Museum that make the passport quest quixotic and weird.