Arkansas Arts Center Little Rock, Arkansas

Arkansas Arts Center
P.O. Box 2137
Little Rock, AR 72203

Street address:
Arkansas Arts Center
501 East 9th Street
Little Rock, AR 72202

website: http://www.arkarts.com/

The Arkansas Arts Center includes the following:

• Museum
• Children's Theatre
• Museum School
• Arkansas Arts Center Administrative Offices
• Museum Shop
• Best Impressions Restaurant

Admission:Admission to the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation collection is free for all visitors. There may be a charge for special exhibitions.

Arkansas Arts Center hours are:
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.Sundays 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Closed:
Mondays and Major Holidays

Aerospace Education Center IMAX Little Rock, AR

Aerospace Education Center IMAX
3301 East Roosevelt Rd.
Little Rock, AR 72206
(501)376-IMAX

website: http://www.aerospaced.org/

IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canada's IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film display systems. A standard IMAX screen is 22m wide and 16.1m high (72.6ft x 52.8ft), but can be larger. Currently, IMAX is the most widely-used system for large-format, special-venue film presentations. As of March 2007, there were 280 IMAX theatres in 38 countries (60 percent of these are located in the United States and Canada). Half of these are commercial theatres and half are in educational venues. The biggest "IMAX Dome" is in the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. A variation of IMAX, IMAX Dome (originally called OMNIMAX), is designed for projection on tilted dome screens. Films can also be projected in 3D with IMAX 3D.

Arkansas Country Doctor Museum Lincoln, Arkansas

Arkansas Country Doctor Museum
109 N. Starr Avenue
P.O. Box 1004
Lincoln AR 72744
479-824-4307

website: http://www.drmuseum.net/

Located just 6 miles from the Prairie Grove Civil War Battlefield and Museum, and 18 miles west of Fayetteville, the Arkansas Country Doctor Museum offers visitors the chance to experience the "good old days," when doctors made house calls and television was new.

The clinic and private home used by these doctors now house the museum's diverse collections of medical instruments, including an iron lung, a dental chair, and equipment from the 1930s, salt and pepper shakers, vintage hats and costume jewelry, commemorative plates and original clinic and domestic furnishings from 1930 to 1960.

The Ozark Heritage Arts Center & Museum

The Ozark Heritage Arts Center & Museum
Phone: 870 447-2500
PO Box 217
Leslie, AR 72645

The Ozark Heritage Arts Center & Museum
408 Oak Street
Leslie, AR 72645

website: http://www.ozarkheritagearts.org/

Housed in a historic Depression-era native-stone building, the Ozark Heritage Arts Center and Museum in Leslie (Searcy County) collects, exhibits, and shares the rich musical, cultural, and historical heritage of the Ozark Mountain region.
During the Depression, the citizens of Leslie approached President Franklin Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration (WPA) to construct a gymnasium to complement the school built in 1910 during the city’s boom years. The native-stone building was completed and opened in 1938; it was used by the school system for the next 48 years, until 1986, when the system constructed new facilities nearby.

School superintendent Ed Bradberry is generally given credit for the idea to convert the empty gymnasium into an arts center, and retired local merchants Rex and Daphne Killebrew are credited with spearheading the fundraising efforts to make that happen. The Killebrews donated $200,000, or about eighty percent of the total needed for the renovation efforts, which took nearly four years. After the center opened in August 1990, the Killebrews donated another $300,000 in stocks as an endowment for the non-profit organization. The center houses an acoustically-impressive, 300-seat theater that takes up most of the old gymnasium area, as well as an art gallery on the first floor and a museum on a second level of the building.

Each year since 1997, the signature event for the Killebrew Theater has been an annual fiddle contest in June. One of just three in the state, the contest offers three divisions for fiddlers, all of whom must be Arkansas residents. In addition, bluegrass performances are presented the fourth Saturday of each month throughout the year. Monthly open-microphone nights are open to anyone willing to perform onstage. The theater is equipped with screening facilities as well, and they are used twice a month to present a series of oral histories videotaped during the early 1990s by a local volunteer and funded by a Rockefeller Foundation grant.

From April through December, the art gallery changes exhibits on a monthly basis, opening each new exhibit with a reception. Each year, competitions are held for local-area students and adult artists. The gallery has become a regular stopping point for statewide art tours. In 2007, the gallery, through an arrangement with the Arkansas Craft Guild, began displaying craft exhibits on a monthly rotation.

The heritage museum houses four rooms of items and artifacts from the area, from an 1820’s loom to typing-class typewriters, cheerleader outfits and a dentist office from the mid-twentieth century. In 1955, Colliers Magazine proclaimed Leslie the whittling capital of America, a statement echoed by the New York Times in 1988, which means the collection wouldn’t be complete without some photos of the whittlers and a selection of their knives. Each of the rooms has a general theme, from life in the 1800s to the boom years of Leslie, as well as life in the outlying communities and the tools and implements for farm life. Railroads and the timber industry were vital to the development of the area, and each is explored through materials from the period.

The collection also includes items such as a fiddle used by local resident Abbie Morrison (who, with his twin brother, Apsie, performed the first song ever at the Grand Old Opry and who is now in the Country Music Hall of Fame), an apple press from the former 30,000-tree fruit orchard east of the city, a number of carvings such as a stagecoach and team and dress canes from the whittlers, a time-stamp machine from the local M&NA railroad office, postal scales and ledgers reflecting births, deaths and taxes during the town’s boom years, and photos of past residents as they lived and created the heritage of the area.

For additional information:

Satterfield, Archie. Country Towns of Arkansas. Castine, ME: Country Roads Press, 1995.

Museum of Chicot County Lake Village, AR

Museum of Chicot County
614 South Cokley Street
Lake Village, Arkansas
(870) 265-2868

website: http://www.chicotcountymuseum.com/

Housed in the old hospital building, The museum has rooms depicting early hospital antique equipment, World War II exhibition room, Immigration of the Italians to Sunnyside at Lake Village, and other interesting rooms of the past.

Arkansas State University Museum Jonesboro, AR

ASU Museum
PO Box 490
State University, Arkansas 72467

website: http://museum.astate.edu/

The Arkansas State University Museum shares knowledge of natural history and cultural heritage with people of all ages and educational levels by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting objects, with emphasis on the Mississippi River Delta region. The Museum also provides leadership for the pursuit of related endeavors in the region.

Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Mid-America Science Museum
500 Mid-America Boulevard
Hot Springs, AR 71913
800-632-0583 or 501-767-3461

website: http://www.midamericamuseum.org/

Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas welcomes you to a great family attraction where science electrifies, technology surrounds, imagination blooms, and wonders never cease. It is the largest hands-on science center in Arkansas and a wonderful tourism destination. Discover, create, and experiment to make learning fun in the first Smithsonian Affiliate in Arkansas. Mid-America Museum is the perfect place for school field trips, family reunions, birthday parties, summer science camps, scout "camp-ins", weddings, special events, and corporate parties.

Adventure through "Underground Arkansas"- a gigantic indoor cave filled with awesome chambers, bridges, tunnels and slides-or experience the light, motion and sound of the "Virtual Reality Simulator." See the largest conical Tesla Coil in "Caged Lightning," "Laser Light Shows" and get your hair raised! Experience over 100 exciting, hands-on exhibits. Become a naturalist, an explorer, or an inventor, ready to find new places and experience new things in the world around us, in over 100 hands-on exhibits. Ever changing programs, interactive exhibits, and outreach programs are designed for all ages to enjoy.

Shop at the Discovery Depot Gift Shop, enjoy a snack in the restaurant or picnic area, or explore the nature trail where many species of birds and other wildlife inhabit over twenty acres of beautiful Arkansas woodlands. There is ample free parking and special rates for groups of ten or more with advanced reservations.

Delta Cultural Center Helena, Arkansas

Delta Cultural Center
141 Cherry Street
Helena, AR 72342
Phone: (870) 338-4350
or (800) 358-0972
Email: info@deltaculturalcenter.com

website: http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com/

The Delta Cultural Center, located in historic downtown Helena, Arkansas, is a museum dedicated to the history of the Arkansas Delta. The museum interprets the history of the Delta through exhibits, educational programs, annual events, and guided tours. Come in and experience what the Delta has to offer. Currently the museum is hosting an exhibit on the delta blues, “Helena: Main Street of the Blues” gives a unique perspective of the delta’s rich blues music history.

The Arkansas Delta region's heritage is steeped in rich sights, sounds, people and events. It is the mission of the Delta Cultural Center to preserve, interpret and present the cultural heritage of this legendary 27-county region. From its blues music to the mighty river that runs through it, the Delta story unfolds within this unique Helena landmark.

The Delta Cultural Center is comprised of two museum locations - the Depot and the Visitors Center. The Depot features the exhibit “A Heritage of Determination” which details the history of the Delta from its earliest inhabitants, into early settlement, through great Mississippi River floods. On the upper floor of the Depot, “Civil War in the Delta” gives visitors insight into Union occupation and the Battle of Helena. The Visitors Center, located one block north of the Depot, features “Delta Sounds” music exhibit, a live radio studio, changing exhibit space, and the Museum Store. Discover the Delta at the Delta Cultural Center! The Delta Cultural Center is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Olmstead Family Mortuary Museum Heber Springs

Olmstead Family Mortuary Museum
Heber Springs, AR

website: http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/mort.html

You won't find the Mortuary Museum listed with Parks and Tourism. It's the front room at Warren Olmstead's auto detailing garage, and the collection chronicles the history of the Olmstead family at Heber Springs. It seems a little quaint, the combination of auto detailing and mortuary, but in days gone by citizens rarely limited themselves to a single skill or trade. In a small town, specialization just wasn't practical.

The museum is laid out (pardon the expression) around the Olmsteads' beautifully restored, original 1896 horse-drawn hearse. Other exhibits include antique embalming equipment, portable victrolas with funereally appropriate shellac disks for graveside services, coffins, shipping crates for bodies, and a photo gallery of Olmstead hearses from 1898 to the present day in addition to items not directly related to the funeral business.

Visitors are welcome to browse in the museum during business hours, which are not exactly regular. Call Warren Olmstead at 501-362-2231 to verify that he'll be in his shop pinstriping somebody's pickemup when you visit. If you want to arrange a guided tour, he'll refer you to one of the elder Olmstead's.

Sebastian County Jail Museum Greenwood, AR

Sebastian County Jail Museum
Greenwood, Arkansas

website: http://greenwood.dina.org/localhistory/jail.html

by Luan Hearn Moore

The Sebastian County Jail, located South of the Square in Greenwood, was built in 1892. It is one of the oldest buildings in downtown and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and Places.

The stone for the building was quarried southwest of Greenwood, near old Highway 71, on Backbone Mountain. Holes were drilled in the stone on the mountain and left over the winter. As water filled the holes and froze, the pressure of the ice split the stone into manageable size. The stone was then transported to the building site by horse and wagon by Isaac Kunkel, stone mason, his son, Henry Oliver Kunkel, and his son-in-law, George Williamson. The men shaped the stone into building blocks and erected a four cell two story jail. The exterior and interior stone walls are two feet thick. Each cell in the jail had one entry. Four heavy iron doors were installed, one to each cell, from the outside. Inside of these doors another iron grid door was installed with a small pass-through opening it. Originally there was no access from cell to cell inside the building. The four outside doors are operational and can be used today. The original key to the outside doors continues to work in the lock although it is no longer used. The key is on display in the jail.

The majority of the inmates were incarcerated for minor crimes such as rowdy behavior, drunkeness and theft. However several murderers were also housed in the jail. On occasion, when the mental hospital was full, the jail also housed mental patients.

Visitors to the jail building who look carefully at the floors and walls will find messages scratched into the stone and cement by the inmates.

At least two escapes from the jail are known to have happened. On escape was through the roof. Another time the prisoner made his escape and ran to his Jailer's home. He told the Jailer, "I just can't stand the snakes any more."

The building stood empty and idle for many years except when the city night watchman put some local resident in the jail overnight.

In 1966, the jail building began to be used as a museum and repository for Sebastian County history.

Arkansas Post Museum State Park

Arkansas Post Museum State Park
5530 U.S. 165 South
Gillett, AR 72055

website: http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/arkansaspostmuseum/

Stroll through this complex of five exhibit buildings including the main house, the circa 1877 Refeld-Hinman Loghouse, the pioneer kitchen, a carriage house and even a gallows. Learn about learn about life on, and the colonial history of, Arkansas's Grand Prairie and Delta. Museum documents and artifacts share the stories of this Southern prairie heritage.

The museum is located six miles south of Gillett on U.S. 165 at the junction of Ark. 169.

Fort Smith Trolley Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith Trolley Museum
100 South 4th Street
Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72901
(479) 783-0205
info@fstm.org

Owned and Operated By:
Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association, Inc.
2121 Wolfe Lane
Fort Smith, AR 72901

website: http://www.fstm.org/

The Fort Smith Railway Company began operation in 1883 with three mule-drawn rail cars, offering the area's first public transportation. As these cars progressed through the unpaved streets, the "Gee" and "Haw" from the drivers could be clearly heard.

Ten years later, the first electric streetcar service was franchised to the "Fort Smith & Van Buren Electric Street Railway Light & Power Company," and two electric trolleys soon began operation. By 1899, all the lines in Fort Smith were electrified and running with open-platform cars, which made their use dependent on good weather. The riders did have a roof, but the motorman stood outside in the elements, and did the braking by hand.

In 1903, the two above-mentioned companies combined to form the Fort Smith Traction Light & Power Company. Later that same year, the company was reorganized to become the Fort Smith Light & Traction Company.

By 1911, enclosed streetcars had become the norm, since they could run year-round, but they were heavy and created more wear on the tracks. Airbrakes also became standard. The enclosed Birney "Safety Car" made its appearance in Fort Smith in 1920. It was a lighter car with a "dead man control" - designed to stop and open the door if the motorman did not exert downward pressure on the control handle or depress a foot valve. These cars were heated by under-seat electric heaters, assuring comfort in cold weather.

During the 1920's, FSL&T made some poor choices regarding bridge tolls, fare amounts and routes, getting into several legal spats along the way. This, combined with the growing popularity of automobiles and the onset of the Great Depression, took a heavy toll on the company. By 1933, FSL&T was a subsidiary of Oklahoma Gas & Electric and operating at a deficit, though it retained the name Fort Smith Traction. In August of that year, OG&E announced that the streetcars would run make their final run on November 15, and the company would be dissolved.

After the last run, all of the cars were quickly scrapped; motors and wheels were removed for salvage, and bodies sold off and used for assorted purposes. For instance, FSL&T #224, the first car to be restored by the Fort Smith Trolley Museum, spent many years as a diner in Ashdown, Arkansas, with the name "Streetcar Cafe." Within a few years, all 33 miles of Fort Smith's trolley track were ripped up and sold for salvage.

Local artist John Bell designed a mural for the Fort Smith Trolley Museum in 1990, which depicts the era of trolleys in Fort Smith. It includes a mule-drawn car, an open car, an semi-convertible closed car, and a Birney safety car. For more information on the trolley era, read "The Streetcars of Fort Smith," written by Charles Winters and published by the Fort Smith Historical Society, September 1979 (This issue of "The Journal" is available in the FSTM store).

UA Arthropod Museum in Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas
Department of Entomology Arthropod Museum
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
PHONE 479/575-4795
FAX 479/575-2452

website: http://entomology.uark.edu/museum/museum.html

The collections of the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum date back to the beginning of the College of Agriculture. The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station was established in 1888. In 1905, Colonel W. G. Vincenheller, Station director, successfully lobbied in Little Rock for financial support. The bill that appropriated funds for buildings and maintenance also established the College of Agriculture. Departments devoted to entomology as well as horticulture, agronomy, animal husbandry, and other agricultural subjects were soon organized. The early faculty was composed, for the most part, of Station staff.

Charles Fredrick Adams was appointed Head of the Department of Entomology in the fall of 1905. He had received his M.D. degree from Kansas City Medical College in 1902 and the A.M. degree from the University of Kansas in 1903, and he had studied under Samuel Wendell Williston, the prominent dipterist who also trained such celebrated entomologists as A. L. Melander and J. M. Aldrich. Adams’ collection, with notable holdings of Tabanidae, was the nucleus around which the collection of the Arthropod Museum was built. He became acting director of the Experiment Station in the fall of 1908, and the following year he was made dean and director of the College of Agriculture (Reynolds and Thomas 1910), though he retained his title as head entomologist. Adams hired aphid taxonomist Paul Hayhurst in 1910.....

Arkansas Air Museum in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Arkansas Air Museum
4290 S. School St.
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
(479) 521-4947

website: http://www.arkairmuseum.org/

Follow the colorful history of aviation in Arkansas through numerous displays of original artifacts and aviation memorabilia! From world-famous racing planes of the 1920s and 1930s to an early airliner, the historic aircraft in the Arkansas Air Museum are unusual among museum exhibits, because many of them still fly. Static displays at the museum range from the golden age of aviation to the jet age, including Vietnam-era Army helicopers and a Navy carrier fighter. The vast, all-wood white hangar, which houses it all is a part of American history, being former headquarters for one of the United States' many aviator training posts during World War II. It is one of the few remaining 1940s-era aircraft hangars.

Gallery Mint Museum in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Gallery Mint Museum Foundation
POB 101
Eureka Springs, AR 72632

website: http://www.gallerymintmuseum.org/

You are standing in the sun-lit atrium of a newly constructed building set in a pine forest in northwestern Arkansas. In front of you, an immense, two-story waterwheel turns slowly to the sound of gushing water. Attached to the giant wooden wheel are various shafts, gears, pulleys, levers and other mechanical devices, all moving in their own syncopated rhythm. These moving parts in turn drive other machines: big bellows puff air into a blast furnace; a rolling mill squeezes metal into thinner and thinner strips; a drop-press hammer is cranked back into position. You hear the heavy clang of a sledge hammer slamming down on hand-held steel die. In the background, a tour group chats excitedly among themselves. The air smells like wood fire and melted metal. A buzz of energy fills the place. Welcome to the Gallery Mint Museum.

As you tear your eyes off the mesmerizing mechanical motion of the turning water-wheel, you see other galleries and hallways opening invitingly beyond. Through one window you glimpse a museum conservator in a state-of-the-art laboratory, working to {restore an old screw press}. Other technicians are cataloging and researching the Museum's collection. You pass a large library full of numismatic reference works relating to minting technology; at its tables several researchers are busy gathering information from out-of-print books and manuals.

Once inside the main exhibition area, you stroll through 6,000-square feet of exhibits, galleries and living-history worksites, where historic minting methods are being re-enacted. You note that permanent exhibits are devoted to each of the major minting technologies, including hand-hammered minting (Greek, Roman and Medieval), Chinese coin casting, rolling mill coinage and screw press and steam press technology. You see that each of the historic United States minting facilities is represented by an exhibit devoted just to it. The role of the engraver, the private minter and many other aspects of the numismatic arts are also presented with attractive, interactive displays. Two smaller galleries contain traveling exhibits from other museums and artists.

In another section of the building, you see a few classrooms and activity centers where accredited seminars and classes in engraving and minting technology are being taught. One large, multi-purpose area serves as a conference room and public rental space, a place for outside groups to hold meetings or social events.

There are other areas of the museum building where the casual visitor is not allowed. But one can be assured that the collection storage, vaults, workrooms, museum offices and other behind-the-scenes areas are also carefully laid out and planned in accordance with professional museum standards.

Before you finally leave the Museum, stop by the Gift Shop and see the amazing variety of gifts and goods that relate to money and minting. There are puzzles, games, artwork, and many other money related items. There are books, books and more books. And of course, there is plenty of coinage available for purchase as well: modern-day proof and mint sets from countries all over the world; reproduction coinage from the Gallery Mint; bullion coins, Biblical coins for the tourists.

This then is the vision of the Gallery Mint Museum. A world-class research facility with a comparative collection, a complete library and state-of-the-art laboratory. One with strong, on-going educational and outreach programs, including living-history demonstrations of minting technology, seminars, and classes in engraving and minting technology. One that is active in publishing books about minting. One that abides by the guidelines of ethics and accreditation that have been established by the American Association of Museums (AAM).

This vision can be encapsulated in a simple mission statement: The Gallery Mint Museum is devoted to the preservation and advancement of the numismatic art forms and technologies.

Preservation in the sense that we will keep and preserve for future generations the physical tools and machinery of minting; Advancement in the sense that we will become a center of ongoing research and discovery of the numismatic arts.

Prairie County Museum in Des Arc, Arkansas

Prairie County Museum
Rt. 2, Box 154
Des Arc, AR 72040
Telephone: (501) 256-3711

website: http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/ar/parks/prair_co.htm

Prairie County Museum is a state operated facility located in Des Arc, Arkansas. Its mission is to interpret and preserve the history of Arkansas' navigable rivers from 1831-1931.

The story of Arkansas' navigable rivers is a dramatic and important part of American history. As pioneers and early settlers migrated west, Arkansas rivers served as primary transportation routes. River floodplains contained abundant game, vast stands of virgin timber and rich soil for agriculture. Opportunities in this unspoiled region were boundless.

Sevier County Historical Museum in DeQueen

Sevier County Historical Museum
717 North Maple Ave.
De Queen, AR 71832
Phone 870-642-6642

The museum staff invites you to come in and browse through the history of Sevier County.

Hours of Operation
Tuesday through Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Groups by appointment only

website: http://www.dequeenchamberofcommerce.com/sevier_county_museum.htm

HISTORY OF SEVIER COUNTY

Some of the Anglo settlers who came to Sevier County were Joseph McKean, George Boren, James M. Coulter, the Halbrooks, the Kings, the Ladds, the Wrights and the Sloanes. Many other families also settled in the county prior to 1840.

A listing of some of the early settlements in the county follows: Brownstone, earlier known as Pine Woods, was named for Henry K. Brown an early, wealthy plantation owner. Ultima Thule was settled by the McKeon family. Others were: cross Trails, Dilworth, Farribaville, later renamed Provo, Paraclifta, Lockesburg, De Queen, Red Colony, Nashville, Macasie Schoolhouse, Bellville, Williamson, Norwoodville, Falls Chapel, Ben Lomond, Riddle, and Millwood. Walnut Grove, Melrose and Riddle consolidated their schools and communities around 1910. Other communities were Chapel Hill, a very thriving community, Cossatot, later Cossatot Mines, and then Jodenbrook, Neal Springs, King, Simpson Ridge, Avon, Silver Hill, Betton, which wa merged into the De Queen post office about 1896, Gravelly Point, Holcomb, Hortense and Nettle Hill. Hortense becameGeneva in 1906. Still others were Green's Chapel, Lemric, Milford/Edwin, Antioch (Moore's Spur), Moore's Spur/Mineral, Gillham, Oak Grove Community, Petty, Willis, Ruch, Hughes, Sardis, Holcomb, Paraloma, Ben Lomond, Wright's Chapel School (1907), Blanchard, Woodman Camp, Cheatham, Corn Hill, Pullman, Round Top (1915), Hurricane Creek and Antimony.

C. Burton Saunders Memorial Museum in Berryville

C. Burton Saunders Memorial Museum
Berryville, Arkansas

website: http://www.berryville.com/museum.html

Colonel C. "Buck" Saunders was born in 1867 and spent his formative years in Berryville. Even as a boy, he developed a reputation for his marksmanship. When he grew older, he went out west to seek his fortune. His resources allowed him the luxury of indulging in his love of travel and collecting unique artifacts, especially firearms. Upon his death, he left this collection to the City so that future generations could enjoy it as well.

Anyone interested in the history of firearms will have an unforgettable visit at the Saunders Museum, but even those with little interest in guns will find something fascinating to look upon there. With a variety of items from the frontier period, and an incredible collection of arrowheads, the museum has something for everyone. You can enjoy this remarkable collection for a mere admission fee of $3.00.

The museum is located just off the Berryville Public Square and opens from April 15 through the first week of November. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For more information, call the museum at (870) 423-2563 or write to 115 E. Madison Ave. Ask about group discounts- the museum has parking for buses behind the building. The Saunders Museum is handicap accessible with dedicated parking right in front of the door.

Faulkner County Museum in Conway, Arkansas

Faulkner County Museum
P.O. Box 2442
Conway, AR 72033
Email: fcm@conwaycorp.net

Phone: (501) 329-5918

website: http://www.faulknerhistory.com/museum/

The Faulkner County Museum is based on the concept that only by preserving and presenting our past can we achieve a wise perspective on our future. Faulkner County's recorded history begins in 1873, but years before parts of the area were explored and settled by non-natives. And thousands of years before that, Native Americans hunted and fished in the area, leaving evidence of their presence.

The central theme underlying the museum exhibits is the range of environmental conditions found in Faulkner County and how the inhabitants, from prehistoric to the present, adapted to local conditions. The exhibits include artifacts, equipment, household items, clothing, historic and modern crafts, and photographs. These materials are arranged in a series of educational, attractive and self-explanatory exhibits which are combined on the unifying theme of everyday life in the past.

Exhibits at the museum are constantly being updated and new items are added periodically. Even if you have visited in the past, undoubtedly there's something new and different to see.

Wal-Mart Visitors' Center in Bentonville, Arkansas

Birthplace of Wal-Mart:
Address: 105 S. Main Street, Bentonville
Admission: Free.
Hours: 9 am - 5 pm, Tue - Sat (Call to verify)
Phone: 479-273-1329

website: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/ARBENwalmart.html

Wal-Mart sold $215 billion worth of things in 2001, 15% more than they sold in 2000. They are everywhere in this country, with 1,600 stores in the traditional Wal-Mart format, along with 1,000 "Supercenters," and 500 Sam's Clubs. As we approach Bentonville from the old Daisy BB Gun Headquarters in Rogers, we become more aware of its power. Growing convoys of semi trucks, with Wal-Mart or Sam's Club emblazoned on their sides, pass us as we close in on the Birthplace of Wal-Mart. On the way to its the humble small town beginning, we pass Wal-Mart's giant, modern distribution center and enormous, modern corporate HQ.

The original Wal-Mart still exists in downtown Bentonville, well-kept and facing the town square. It would no longer work as a viable business -- Wal-Mart crushes similar concepts -- but serves instead as a Visitor's Center, educating and communicating the Wal-Mart story, and the greater story of success through hard-work and dedication. It is no surprise to see groups of men here, golf-shirts, hairy forearms and metal-band wristwatches, searching for that elusive Spark.

The Visitor's Center recalls an old five and dime store up front, while the back rooms are more museum-like. The 100,000,000th square foot of Wal-Mart space is displayed, as well as old employee manuals like the "Origin of Shirley Shrinkage," and the hula skirt Walton wore down Wall Street after the company achieved 8% pretax profits in 1984. Looping presentations such at "The Story of Wal-Mart Video" explain the company's ascendance.

The "keys to the city" of many towns are bittersweet to look at, when viewed either as symbols of welcome or as "handing Wal-Mart the keys." Wal-Mart's arrival in declining towns is chronicled to make sure the keys are perceived correctly. Wal-Mart saved Brinkley, AR, in "A story of hope and will." And White Squirrel capital, Olney, IL is where Wal-Mart lanterns and sweaters are made by Americans, beating back foreign competition.

Sam Walton, the late Wal-Mart Founder, was one of the country's richest people (and family members still are). Sam grew up in the depression, and during this hard period forged his attitude of not "Can Do," but "Will Do." Wal-Mart's huge success in an understandable low-tech business implies that anyone with the right attitude can win.

The last section of the Visitor's Center is dedicated to Sam and the Cult of Personality that has naturally grown around him. There are are no magical talismans on display, just items from the normal part of Sam's life: Ol' Roy Dog Food, moldering Moon Pies, his wife's wedding dress, Sam's mud-caked hunting boots, and his favorite pickup, a 1979 red Ford F150 custom pickup with 65,627 miles on the odometer (a significant statistic for Samophiles to know). And, after Sam's death, his entire office was moved from general headquarters and reassembled here.

Souvenirs are sold to remember the visit, and to make sure that the lessons of hope and will are not soon forgotten. Our favorite: An inch-tall porcelain pill box shaped like the first store -- "Made In China."