Helena, Arkansas

Helena, at the southern tip of Crowley’s Ridge, is one of the oldest towns in Arkansas and a historic river town rich in history and culture. Hernando DeSoto crossed the Mississippi near Helena in 1541 and found a thriving native culture, but when Sylvanus Phillips settled there in 1797, all signs of that flourishing Native American civilization had disappeared. The town was named for Phillips’ daughter Helena. During the Civil War, Helena was an important river town, and on July 4, 1863, Confederate forces tried and failed to take it from Federal occupation in the deadly Battle of Hell. Helena is also home to three separate historic districts, more than 30 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one of the largest free blues festivals in the world, The King Biscuit Blues Festival.

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas · United States