Old State House Museum

The Old State House Museum is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Construction on the building began in 1833 and was declared complete in 1842. The building was commissioned by Territorial Governor John Pope, who chose Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock (who had previously designed the Kentucky state capitol building) to create plans for the Arkansas capitol. Shryock chose the Greek Revival style, then a popular design for public buildings, for Arkansas's new capitol. The original plans were grand and too expensive for the young territory's finances. Consequently, the plans were changed by George Weigart, Shryock's assistant, who oversaw construction at the Little Rock site.

In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state; it was admitted along with Michigan under the provisions of the Missouri Compromise. The compromise mandated that a slave state and free state be admitted to the Union simultaneously so that neither side gained a majority in the federal legislature.

When Arkansas became a state, government officials moved into the new building, despite ongoing construction. In fact, Arkansas legislators threatened workers with bodily harm because of construction noise during the session.