Powhatan Historic State Park preserves the old town of Powhatan, once a major commercial and governmental center on Arkansas’s Black River. The community grew from river traffic, a ferry crossing, and the nearby Military Road, declined as rail and highway routes bypassed it, and lost county government in 1968. Its surviving buildings trace that history, especially the 1888 courthouse, which served as the county government’s home from 1869 to 1968. Other preserved structures, including the 1873 jail, the Ficklin-Imboden House, a schoolhouse, and the former Commercial Building, show daily life in the town. The site also includes regional archives for preservation and research.