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WILSON, Ark. — A new building is expected to open later this month in a small Arkansas Delta town to showcase a collection of centuries-old American Indian artifacts excavated nearby.
The Hampson Archeological Museum State Park’s new building is located on Wilson’s town square. It replaces a cramped building a few streets down that was closed about a year ago so the collection could be moved.
Randy Roberson of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism says the new museum is expected to open after a scheduled Sept. 15 inspection.
The collection is the work of James K. Hampson, a physician who began excavating the artifacts in the 1920s at his plantation near Wilson called Nodena. The artifacts discovered near the Mississippi River included pottery, tools and religious objects.
This photo taken July 27, 2018, shows Arkansas State Park interpreter Sherry Hawkins talking about the talks about Nondena icon pots on display at the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Wilson, Ark. (Thomas Metthe /The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP) 
This photo taken July 27, 2018, shows the new Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Wilson, Ark., which has a much larger space and new displays showing the Nondena culture. (Thomas Metthe /The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP) 
This photo taken July 27, 2018, shows Arkansas State Park Interpreter Sherry Hawkins talking about the talks about the effigy head pots on display at the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Wilson, Ark. (Thomas Metthe /The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
