The Southwest region of Arkansas remained in Confederate hands until the end of the war. Old Davidsonville State Park preserves the site of historic Davidsonville, a small town established in 1815 as the seat of Lawrence County, which comprised roughly the northern third of Arkansas at that time. Commonly known as the location of Arkansas's first courthouse, post office and land office, Davidsonville flourished through both trade and travel along the Black River and the Old Military Road from St. Louis to Texas. Around 1829 the town began to decline quickly when the county seat was relocated and as more favorable trade routes were established which bypassed its location. Little is known of Davidsonville's history after 1829, other than continued activity on the river.
Today there are few remains to be seen above ground.
Old Washington Historic State Park offers insight into a 19th-century community and a glimpse at the people and events of the Territorial, Antebellum and Reconstruction eras in Arkansas's history. Parkin Archeological State Park is located on a 17-acre Native American village on the St. Francis River, and was occupied from A.D. 1000 to 1550. It was surrounded by a moat and a log palisade wall for protection. A large ceremonial mound remains on the bank of the river. The Parkin site is important because it has survived nearly undisturbed, and because many scholars believe it is the Native American village of Casqui, visited by the expedition of Hernando de Soto in the summer of 1541.