ON THIS DAY: Congress lays groundwork for Pea Ridge National Military Park in 1956

ON THIS DAY: Congress lays groundwork for Pea Ridge National Military Park in 1956

PEA RIDGE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On July 20, 1956, Congress enacted legislation to accept a 5,000-acre land donation from the state of Arkansas, laying the groundwork for what would become the Pea Ridge National Military Park. The battlefield, located in Benton County, was the site of a pivotal Civil War clash in March 1862. Efforts to preserve and commemorate the historic site gained momentum in the late 1950s, led in part by local historian Mrs. …