World War II Japanese American Internment Museum

Museum dedicated to telling the story of the Rohwer and Jerome concentration camps in Arkansas. Located in a restored railroad depot in McGehee, Arkansas, about midway between the two camps, the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum opened to the public on April 16, 2013. The 3,000 square foot facility includes two exhibition rooms and a small theater. At the time of its opening, it featured the exhibition, " Against Their Will: The Japanese American Experience in World War II Arkansas ," which was developed in 2004 as part of the "Life Interrupted" project of the Japanese American National Museum and the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.

Development of the museum was led by McGehee Mayor Jack May and local businessman Jack Owyoung, who secured the donation of the dilapidated depot building from Union Pacific in 2010. Key funders included the McGehee Industrial Foundation ($217,000) and a grant from the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grants for $435,000. The renovation was designed by architect Carter A. Hord. The facility is managed by the McGehee Industrial Foundation.

Authored by Brian Niiya , Densho

For More Information

Horn, Deborah. "A New Museum Remembers Arkansas Internment Camp." SEA Life Magazine , April 2013, pp. 32–33.

Rohwer Heritage Site website, http://rohwer.astate.edu/ .

Last updated Dec. 15, 2023, 6:13 a.m..