🧠 Human Dissection Monument — Little Rock, AR
Part of a Mystery GPS Tour. I built it. Zach just makes the turns.
So I do these Mystery GPS Tours for Zach. I put together a list of things we want to see and things we need to do in whatever town we’re in. Could be a stop at Lowe’s, grabbing milk, or some weird historical marker I found online at 2am. Zach knows the basics — Lowe’s, Aldi, thrift stores — but he rarely knows the weird sh*t I have in store for him. He just makes the turns I recite from the GPS.
I usually plan the tour the night before, so by the time we’re in the car, I’ve forgotten which location is which. I only put in the address — no names, no hints. So it ends up being part-mystery for me too. This one? A granite obelisk tucked near the bike polo court in MacArthur Park. Turns out it marks Arkansas’s first legal human dissection in 1874. Weird, specific, and exactly the kind of thing I throw into the mix.
📍 What Happened Here
In November 1874, Dr. James H. Lenow performed the first legal human dissection in Arkansas. It was part of the newly formed medical department at Arkansas Industrial University — now UAMS. The Arkansas Medical Society installed the monument in 1927. The inscription reads: “The first human dissection in Arkansas was made on this spot in November 1874 by James H. Lenow M.D.”
🏛️ Why This Spot?
The dissection took place at the old Little Rock Armory, which later became famous as General Douglas MacArthur’s birthplace. Today it’s MacArthur Park, and the monument stands quietly on the eastern edge. No fanfare, no signage — just a granite marker and a weird bit of history.
🩺 Arkansas Medical Education in 1874
Arkansas’s first medical school launched in 1871. Dissection was controversial, often illegal, but essential for training. This event marked the state’s shift toward formal anatomical study. It wasn’t flashy — just a doctor, a body, and a commitment to real education.
🔍 Why It Matters
This monument is easy to miss. It’s shoulder-high, unassuming, and surrounded by grass. But it marks a turning point — the moment Arkansas joined the ranks of states willing to teach medicine through actual anatomy. That matters, even if you’re just passing through on the way to Lowe’s.
🎟️ Visiting the Monument
The Human Dissection Monument is free to visit in downtown Little Rock’s MacArthur Park. While you’re there, you can also check out the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. It’s quiet, layered, and historically strange — just how we like it.