Touring the past

The Bryant Historical Society has planned a free historical tour open to the public May 5 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“We’ll give people a map and a CD to put in their car, they can either do a driving tour or a walking tour,” vice president of the society Kathy Lewallen said.

The tour starts at Andrea’s School of Dance, which was once the old Methodist church at 211 NE 2nd St. it points out all the older homes and older families that settled in the area in the late 1800s early 1900s.

“It’s about the people that settled there and their lives,” Lewallen said.

Although the project has only been in the works for about four months, with the Bryant High School helping to provide CDs for the tour, it came together quite fast and coincided with Arkansas Heritage and History month.

“This year the focus is on historic structures and we thought this would be a good way to not only celebrate the state’s history and heritage, but also the city’s history and heritage,” Lewallen said.

The society plans to further the tours to all four sections of “Old Bryant” along with the Hurricane Creek Bridge.

The goal for Sunday is to get people more involved in the community and interested in being a part of the historical society. Lewallen stated that Bryant is slowly losing its history and the society is trying to ensure the community keeps it identity.

“You have to know where you came from to know where you’re going, to know who you are, to have a sense of who you are, who your ancestor were,” Lewallen said. “This gives a sense of community and it gives you a sense of belonging.”