Mike Huckabee (Republican) and Bill Clinton (Democrat) were both born in Hope, AR. Mike was born in 1955 and Bill in 1946. Each served as governor of Arkansas. They also ran for President of the United States. Clinton became the 42nd President. Currently, Huckabee is the United States Ambassador to Israel. The town of Hope is proud of both of them!

Interestingly, the current governor of Arkansas is Mike’s daughter, Sarah Huckabee. She had previously served as Donald Trump’s press secretary from 2017 to 2019.

The Hope Visitor Center, certainly reflected the town’s pride in these people. Even Hillary Clinton is featured. Of course, the small museum also mentions the time Elvis Presley came to town!

On our first day of this trip to Virginia we visited a chewing gum wrapper museum. So, why not visit a museum dedicated to purses! We found the ESSE Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The purses and their contents were organized by decades and reflected both female fashion and life style from 1900 to 1999. The early purses often had smelling salts and stylish gloves but, of course, contained neither car keys nor makeup which if used, was applied only in private. Mid-century purses often contained cigarettes and lighters. As more women went to work, purses needed room for appointment books, calculators, and lunch. 

There were purses used by hippies, by travelers, by black ladies, for dating, and more. One came in the shape of a football while another looked like a large Campbells Soup Can. If you are interested in buying an expensive purse this is the store for you. 

We drove by the White County Historical Museum Pioneer Village located in Searcy, Arkansas. No one was there and all the buildings were locked up. They open with re-enactors on certain days. However, we found a YouTube video that shows some interesting stuff. Click here to see it.

To get to our hotel we drove on the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway 67. We missed the Rock Museum in Newport, AR. Maybe we’ll see it someday.