Confederate State Capitol building, Parliament building in Washington, Arkansas, United States.

The Confederate State Capitol building is a two-story wood-frame structure about 44 feet wide and 34 feet deep, resting on a brick foundation and topped by a hip roof of cedar shakes. Each floor is dominated by one large chamber: a ground-floor courtroom and an upper hall used by local Masonic societies. A single-story portico with a triangular pediment in Greek Revival styling shelters the original front entrance, and chimneys stand on both sides.

Built in 1836 as Hempstead County's second courthouse, replacing an 1824 log structure, the building served as the county court until 1874. After Little Rock fell to Union forces in September 1863, Governor Harris Flanagin moved the Confederate state government of Arkansas here, where it remained until the war ended in 1865. The building then housed a school until 1914 and later a private residence until 1928, when the state acquired it through the local United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The ground floor's large chamber served as the Hempstead County courtroom, while the upper chamber was used by local Masonic societies. Visitors can see how one building housed both county justice and fraternal meetings, and later a school until 1914.

The building stands inside Historic Washington State Park, which preserves the 19th-century town of Washington; the structure is a two-story wood-frame courthouse with a single-story portico, so visitors enter at ground level. The ground floor held the courtroom and the upper floor the Masonic lodge rooms, reached by an interior stair. Check park opening days before travelling, as the site is run as part of the state park.

The building was repurposed for educational use after the war, demonstrating how historic structures adapted to serve new community needs. This shift from government center to schoolhouse is often overlooked by visitors exploring its story.