KTOY
Hardison Center/ AR State Parks
Officials gathered at Petit Jean State Park Thursday for a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center.
The newly constructed building, which provides space for camper registration, interpretive exhibits, meetings, special events, and staff offices, is named for the man whose vision for Petit Jean State Park brought about its creation as the cornerstone in the system of Arkansas State Parks.
In 1907, Dr. T.W. Hardison was a contract physician for the Fort Smith Lumber Company when he accompanied lumbermen on their inspection of the area surrounding the Natural Bridge in Petit Jean’s Seven Hollows area. As they debated the cost of logging such a remote and rugged area, Dr. Hardison later recounted that it occurred to him that “the trees might as well be left to live out their lifespan unmolested by axe and saw, and the area converted into a park.” By 1919, he and his wife had made their home on Petit Jean Mountain, and his leadership led to the establishment of Petit Jean State Park in 1923.