Visitors Guide to Wynne, Arkansas
Cross County Museum
Wynne is located off the west slope of Crowley’s Ridge on the L’Anguille River on the west side of town. Wynne started off as a small railroad town but soon became the county seat of Cross County. The town’s history begins in 1882 when the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad began laying tracks in the area connecting Bald Knob to Memphis. A train derailed near where the tracks crossed the north-south Knobel branch of the Helena and Iron Mountain Railroad and left behind a boxcar which was turned upright. The boxcar became the starting point of a community which was named Wynne Station after Captain Jesse W. Wynne, a notable Texan soldier who achieved the rank of Captain in the Civil War at the age of just 21. Wynne relocated to nearby Forrest City and was influential in starting the Forrest City’s first bank. A post office was established at the location and Wynne Station and in 1885 became headquarters for the construction of the Bald Knob to Memphis line and the town grew into a “typical Western town” with saloons, general stores, hotels, and other businesses. Growth slowed in 1887 when a fire destroyed more than two-thirds of the town’s business district. In 1888, the east-west line of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad was finished and the community became briefly known as Wynne Junction. Later that year the town was incorporated as Wynne with the “Junction” part of the name being dropped.
Cross County’s first county seat was Vanndale, located 7 miles to the north of Wynne. By 1903 Wynne had grown larger than Vanndale and the county seat was relocated to Wynne. The courthouse was built in 1905. For most of its early history Wynne was a railroad town. During the Flood of 1927, the railroad was used to transport people from the Delta region near the Mississippi River to the higher ground of Crowley’s Ridge. Flood victims came in on railroad’s boxcars to tent cities set up in Wynne where they were assisted by the community.
During the Great Depression, artists were paid to paint murals in local post offices that depicted the region. In 1938, a Colorado artist, Ethel Magafan, and her twin sister, Jenne, placed the mural “Cottonpickers” in the Wynne Post Office in the downtown district. The mural was one of twenty-one murals placed in Arkansas post offices. Nineteen of these murals still can be seen. During World War II, the railroads in Wynne saw more action as approximately twelve troop trains came through town every thirty minutes. Members of the Missouri Pacific Women’s Booster Club served sandwiches, doughnuts, and coffee to the troops. They also collected post cards and letters to be mailed. The war also saw a shortage of farm workers in Cross County. In 1944, Wynne agreed to receive German prisoners of war. A camp was established to house 600 prisoners but was reported to have housed around 2,000 at one time. These prisoners worked on local farms and helped to build the regional sewer and water systems
When the U.S. Highway System was created in the 1920s and 30s, US-64 was built west from Memphis and through Wynne. The north-south AR-1 was also routed through Wynne, making the town an important highway crossroads for several decades. When I-40 was built and bypassed Wynne long-distance travel was diverted away from the town. The last passenger trains came through Wynne in August of 1965, signaling the decline of the railroad era.
Village Creek State Park
Wynne’s most notable attraction is Village Creek State Park located about 5 miles to the southeast on Crowley’s Ridge. Opened in 1976 and comprising 6,911 acres, Village Creek State Park is Arkansas's largest state park. The park has five hiking trails and twenty-five miles of multi-use trails that allow horseback riding. The park has both a traditional campground, a horse campground, and cabins. At Lake Dunn there is a bait shop and dock where boats can be rented. Golfers will enjoy The Ridges at Village Creek, the park's 27-hole, Andy Dye signature course. The Visitor Center houses an audiovisual theater, grocery store, gift shop, and offices. The adjacent Discovery Room exhibits the geologic and cultural history, as well as some of the common wildlife of Crowley's Ridge. The caboose was donated by the Union Pacific Railroad and displays memorabilia from Wynne’s railroad days. The Cross County Veterans Memorial Monument and Museum is on the grounds of the Cross County Courthouse displaying memorabilia to remember the veterans from the Civil War to the present
There are three historical attractions in Wynne. The Caboose Museum is in Jess W. Wallin Memorial Park. The caboose was donated by the Union Pacific Railroad; it displays memorabilia of Wynne’s railroad days. The Cross County Veterans Memorial Monument and Museum is on the grounds of the Cross County Courthouse. This museum displays memorabilia donated from veterans and others in the community to remember the veterans from the Civil War to the present who have served from Cross County. The Cross County Museum and Archives is located on the grounds of the Cross County Courthouse and is housed in one of the first schools in Wynne. The town hosts a Farm Fest celebration each spring, the Cross County Wildlife Expo, and the Fine Swine Bar-B-Q.
