Ebenezer Monument (Mena, Arkansas)
The Ebenezer Monument is a commemorative marker with a peculiar history. It was erected at the corner of 9th Street and Church Avenue, adjacent to the First Baptist Church in Mena.
The monument was placed in 1935 as part of a campaign to galvanize local opposition to the controversial Commonwealth College in Mena, which was accused of teaching Communism and "other evils." Local opposition contributed to the school's eventual closure in 1940. The monument's name is derived from a Bible verse inscribed on one of the panels that reads, "Ebenezer of First Baptist Church, 'Hitherto Hath The Lord Helped Us' - I Samuel 7: 12, Sunday, June 14, 1936." The monument contains a time capsule, which is to be opened every 50 years. In 1986 the original time capsule was opened, and its contents replaced by new materials.
The monument, which seems to symbolize a celebration of populism and anti-institutionalism, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Monument
Mena is the county seat of Polk County in rural western Arkansas in the Ouachita Plateau.
Ebenezer Monument (Mena, Arkansas)
The Ebenezer Monument is a commemorative marker with a peculiar history. It was erected at the corner of 9th Street and Church Avenue, adjacent to the First Baptist Church in Mena.
The monument was placed in 1935 as part of a campaign to galvanize local opposition to the controversial Commonwealth College in Mena, which was accused of teaching Communism and "other evils." Local opposition contributed to the school's eventual closure in 1940. The monument's name is derived from a Bible verse inscribed on one of the panels that reads, "Ebenezer of First Baptist Church, 'Hitherto Hath The Lord Helped Us' - I Samuel 7: 12, Sunday, June 14, 1936." The monument contains a time capsule, which is to be opened every 50 years. In 1986 the original time capsule was opened, and its contents replaced by new materials.
The monument, which seems to symbolize a celebration of populism and anti-institutionalism, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Monument
Mena is the county seat of Polk County in rural western Arkansas in the Ouachita Plateau.