State park in Prairie Grove expands by 40.5 acres

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Prairie Grove, site of the last major Civil War engagement in Northwest Arkansas, has grown by 40.5 acres.

The Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism closed recently on a $420,000 purchase of the land north of current park boundary lines and northwest from the park’s visitor center.

Melinda Miller, a real estate officer with the ADPT, says the park is now at 917.76 acres.

The West family was the previous owner. They also sold 40 acres to the ADTP in November 2015, Miller said.

“Like the first [40-acre] acquisition, a life estate was granted to Randy and Cheryl West,” Miller said. “We have a right of first refusal on the remaining 179 acres of their farm land. This is an exciting acquisition since their farmland has been in their family prior to the Civil War.”

Miller says the ADTP doesn’t have any pending acquisitions in Prairie Grove.