30 Dec 2013 MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History to host David O. Dodd panel discussion
The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host a panel discussion on the life, death and myth that surrounds David O. Dodd on Saturday, Jan. 11.
The story of David Owen Dodd is both compelling and controversial. Just 17 years of age when he was arrested, tried, convicted and executed as a Confederate spy, Dodd has become one of the best known Civil War figures in Arkansas history. While many see him as a martyr, others argue his execution was justified according to military rules of war.
Dodd’s story has captivated audiences for years due to a combination of unanswered questions, unfortunate twists of fate and myths surrounding his death. Dodd was further memorialized in the early 20th century by the creation of a stained glass window in 1911 for display at the White House of the Confederacy Museum (now the Museum of the Confederacy) in Richmond, Va. The Dodd window has been on exhibition at the Little Rock museum since 2004.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Dodd’s arrest, trial and execution, the museum will host “David O. Dodd: The Man, the Myth and the Window” from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 11. Guest presenters are Dr. Carl Moneyhon, Anthony Rushing and Stephan McAteer. This free event is open to the public, and is funded by a grant from the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.
The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History relates the military heritage of Arkansas and its citizens to a diverse and widespread audience. Located in the historic Arsenal Building in MacArthur Park – one of Central Arkansas’s oldest surviving structures and the birthplace of one of this country’s foremost military heroes – the museum collects, preserves and interprets the state’s rich military past from its territorial period to the present.
For more information call 501.376.4602 or visit ArkMilitaryHeritage.com. The museum is a program of Little Rock Parks and Recreation.
