Central High School was the site of the most dramatic confrontation of the early civil rights era. In 1957, nine Black students — now known as the Little Rock Nine — attempted to desegregate the school under a federal court order. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent them from entering. Eisenhower federalised the Guard and sent paratroopers from the 101st Airborne to escort the students inside.
The school is still a functioning high school, but the National Park Service operates a visitor centre across the street with a thorough exhibition on the events of 1957 and their place in the civil rights movement. The building itself, a massive 1927 collegiate Gothic structure, is worth seeing even apart from the history.
The visitor centre is free and open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. 2125 Daisy L. Gaston Bates Dr.