Historic Washington State Park Superintendent, Pam Beasley spoke to The Hope Lions Club on Monday. Beasley served at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources near Smackover, Arkansas for over 30 years and has been with the park for about a year to date.

She holds a M.A. in Museum Studies and Anthropology that she obtained from The University of Arkansas as well as a B.A. in History and Anthropology from Mississippi State University. She is also the co-editor of the book “ The Forgotten Expedition” 1804-1805: The Louisiana Purchase Journals of Dunbar and Hunter.

Beasley first joked about how friends and park staff blamed her for bringing the Covid-19 virus to Washington since she started the at the park around the time the pandemic began.

On a serious note, Beasley then spoke about particulars that have occurred since her arrival over the past year. A soft opening was held for The Bed & Breakfast in August, The B & B has has been remodeled with 8 rooms total and The Tavern Restaurant has reduced their menu and seating capacity from 60 to 30.

Beasley said, "The staff was saddened by the decision to cancel this year’s Annual Jonquil Festival. It was done out of safety & health concerns for staff personnel and the nearly 10,000 guests that attend the festival each year." She went on to say that all guided tours are canceled until further notice.

She then discussed changes that will be coming to the park in the near future, tours will now be themed, depending on each individual tour. Changes are in the works on how workshops will be conducted in the future, adding a more educational perspective, based on the type of the workshop.

She concluded by emphasizing changes within the park, including The Civil War, The Mexican American War, Slavery and The Emancipation Proclamation.