Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Encyclopedia
The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, located in Springdale, Arkansas
, is a regional history museum covering the Arkansas Ozarks. Programs, exhibits, and events relating to Ozark and Northwest Arkansas history are offered by the museum to the public. The museum has a large research library and the largest collection of historic images in Arkansas. The library is open to the public during regular museum hours. The geographic region covered by the museum includes the following six counties: Benton County
, Boone County
, Carroll County, Madison County
, Newton County
, and Washington County
.
--Adopted by the Shiloh Museum Board of Trustees on 13 July 2006
artifacts by the city of Springdale signaled the establishment of the Shiloh Museum. An amateur archeologist was soon hired to serve as curator and the museum opened in the former library building on 8 September 1968. Initially, the museum concerned itself with purely Springdale local history, but as time passed, expanded its interest and collection to the surrounding areas of the Arkansas Ozarks.
In 1980, the museum hired a fulltime professional director, and with an enlarged and more active board of trustees, the museum expanded its scope and activities. New educational programs were created to draw in and involve the public, dynamic exhibit schemes were presented, and the successful petition of seven federal grants signaled a positive change for the museum. Throughout the decade, the museum expanded its staff and resources, and won the Award for Merit from the American Association for State and Local History
for the Vanishing Northwest Arkansas program that consists of more than 100,000 images.
Another notable addition to the museum in the 1980s was the acquisition of historic buildings, now situated on the property. This collection includes, an 1850s log cabin
, 1870s general store
, 1880s doctor's office, and an 1930s outhouse. Alongside these buildings is a pre-existing 1870s home (remodeled in 1930s). A decade later, a 1930s barn was added to the collection, in which is housed the museum's antique farm machinery collection. And in 2005 a seventh historic building was added, now called the Shiloh Meeting Hall, built in 1871 as a hall for three churches and the Masons, later used by the Women's Civic Club, and between 1935 and 2005 as the Odd Fellows Lodge.
In 1991, the museum opened its new home, a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) building. The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History is mainly funded by the City of Springdale, though more than two thirds of its patrons live outside of the city limits. The museum has been named "Museum of the Year" four times by the Arkansas Museum Association in 1982, 1991, 2004, and 2008.
regulations, the town was forced to change its name to receive a post office
. The town then assumed its current name, after the numerous springs that are prevalent in the area. When the museum was established, it was named in honor of the original name of the city, the Shiloh Museum. In 1993, the board of trustees expanded the name to include Ozark history to better represent the museum's mission.
Arkansas Museum Association 1982 Museum of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1983 Trustee of the Year, Martha Belle Brogdon
Arkansas Museum Association 1985 Staff Member of the Year, Mary Parsons
Arkansas Museum Association 1986 Staff Member of the Year, Bob Besom
Arkansas Museum Association 1988 Volunteer of the Year, Carol M. Coffey
Arkansas Museum Association 1990 Trustee of the Year, Maudine Farish Sanders
Arkansas Museum Association 1990 Staff Member of the Year, Carolyn Reno
Arkansas Museum Association 1991 Trustee of the Year, Stephen Taylor
Arkansas Museum Association 1991 Museum of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1993 Volunteer of the Year, Susan Young
American Association for State and Local History 1993 Award for Vanishing Northwest Arkansas Photo Project
Arkansas Museum Association 1994 Staff Member of the Year, M.K. Motherwell
Arkansas Museum Association 1995 Publication of the Year, Shiloh Scrapbook
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Friends of the Museum Award, Bruce and Mary Vaughn
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Best Brochure of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Best Book of the Year, Shiloh Reflections
Arkansas Museum Association 2002 Volunteer of the Year, Tom Duggan
Northwest Arkansas Family Votes Favorite 2004 Best Museum for Families
Arkansas Museum Association 2004 Museum of the Year, Budget more than $200,000
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Adult Educational Program of the Year, Hola, amigos! Historic Ozarks & Latin American Amigos
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Publication of the Year, Shiloh Scrapbook
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 School Educational Program of the Year, Sheep to Shawl
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Volunteer of the Year, Marilyn Meek
Arkansas Museum Association 2006 Adult & Family Educational Program of the Year, Shiloh Podcasts
Northwest Arkansas Citiscapes Metro Monthly 2007 Best Museum
Arkansas Museum Association 2007 Publication of the Year, Color the Ozarks
Arkansas Museum Association 2007 Paid Staff Member of the Year, Susan Young
American Association of Museums Media & Technology Committee 2008 Bronze MUSE Award for Podcasting
Northwest Arkansas Citiscapes Metro Monthly 2008 Best Museum
Arkansas Museum Association 2008 Adult/Family Educational Program of the Year, Shiloh Museum in iTunes U
Arkansas Museum Association 2008 Museum of the Year, Budget more than $500,000
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
, is a regional history museum covering the Arkansas Ozarks. Programs, exhibits, and events relating to Ozark and Northwest Arkansas history are offered by the museum to the public. The museum has a large research library and the largest collection of historic images in Arkansas. The library is open to the public during regular museum hours. The geographic region covered by the museum includes the following six counties: Benton County
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
, Boone County
Boone County, Arkansas
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,903. The county seat is Harrison. Boone County is Arkansas's 62nd county, formed on April 9, 1869. Boone County is part of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Boone County...
, Carroll County, Madison County
Madison County, Arkansas
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 15,717. The county seat is Huntsville. The county was formed on September 30, 1836, and named for James Madison, President of the United States...
, Newton County
Newton County, Arkansas
Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 8,330. The county seat is Jasper. Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, formed on December 14, 1842, and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman...
, and Washington County
Washington County, Arkansas
Washington County is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 203,065. The county seat is Fayetteville. Washington County is Arkansas's 17th county, formed on October 17, 1828, and named for George Washington, the first President of the...
.
Mission
The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History serves the public by providing resources for finding meaning, enjoyment, and inspiration in the exploration of the Arkansas Ozarks.--Adopted by the Shiloh Museum Board of Trustees on 13 July 2006
History
The 1965 purchase of a significant collection of Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
artifacts by the city of Springdale signaled the establishment of the Shiloh Museum. An amateur archeologist was soon hired to serve as curator and the museum opened in the former library building on 8 September 1968. Initially, the museum concerned itself with purely Springdale local history, but as time passed, expanded its interest and collection to the surrounding areas of the Arkansas Ozarks.
In 1980, the museum hired a fulltime professional director, and with an enlarged and more active board of trustees, the museum expanded its scope and activities. New educational programs were created to draw in and involve the public, dynamic exhibit schemes were presented, and the successful petition of seven federal grants signaled a positive change for the museum. Throughout the decade, the museum expanded its staff and resources, and won the Award for Merit from the American Association for State and Local History
American Association for State and Local History
The American Association for State and Local History is a non-profit association for state and local history, with a primary focus on museums and historical societies. It is headquartered in Nashville, TN, and has over 6,300 members...
for the Vanishing Northwest Arkansas program that consists of more than 100,000 images.
Another notable addition to the museum in the 1980s was the acquisition of historic buildings, now situated on the property. This collection includes, an 1850s log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, 1870s general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, 1880s doctor's office, and an 1930s outhouse. Alongside these buildings is a pre-existing 1870s home (remodeled in 1930s). A decade later, a 1930s barn was added to the collection, in which is housed the museum's antique farm machinery collection. And in 2005 a seventh historic building was added, now called the Shiloh Meeting Hall, built in 1871 as a hall for three churches and the Masons, later used by the Women's Civic Club, and between 1935 and 2005 as the Odd Fellows Lodge.
In 1991, the museum opened its new home, a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) building. The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History is mainly funded by the City of Springdale, though more than two thirds of its patrons live outside of the city limits. The museum has been named "Museum of the Year" four times by the Arkansas Museum Association in 1982, 1991, 2004, and 2008.
Name
The original name of the City of Springdale was Shiloh up until 1872. At that time, the town of Shiloh applied for a postal designation, only to discover that another town of Shiloh already existed in the state of Arkansas. Due to United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
regulations, the town was forced to change its name to receive a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. The town then assumed its current name, after the numerous springs that are prevalent in the area. When the museum was established, it was named in honor of the original name of the city, the Shiloh Museum. In 1993, the board of trustees expanded the name to include Ozark history to better represent the museum's mission.
Awards
Over the years the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History has won numerous awards and this list highlights just a few.Arkansas Museum Association 1982 Museum of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1983 Trustee of the Year, Martha Belle Brogdon
Arkansas Museum Association 1985 Staff Member of the Year, Mary Parsons
Arkansas Museum Association 1986 Staff Member of the Year, Bob Besom
Arkansas Museum Association 1988 Volunteer of the Year, Carol M. Coffey
Arkansas Museum Association 1990 Trustee of the Year, Maudine Farish Sanders
Arkansas Museum Association 1990 Staff Member of the Year, Carolyn Reno
Arkansas Museum Association 1991 Trustee of the Year, Stephen Taylor
Arkansas Museum Association 1991 Museum of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1993 Volunteer of the Year, Susan Young
American Association for State and Local History 1993 Award for Vanishing Northwest Arkansas Photo Project
Arkansas Museum Association 1994 Staff Member of the Year, M.K. Motherwell
Arkansas Museum Association 1995 Publication of the Year, Shiloh Scrapbook
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Friends of the Museum Award, Bruce and Mary Vaughn
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Best Brochure of the Year
Arkansas Museum Association 1997 Best Book of the Year, Shiloh Reflections
Arkansas Museum Association 2002 Volunteer of the Year, Tom Duggan
Northwest Arkansas Family Votes Favorite 2004 Best Museum for Families
Arkansas Museum Association 2004 Museum of the Year, Budget more than $200,000
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Adult Educational Program of the Year, Hola, amigos! Historic Ozarks & Latin American Amigos
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Publication of the Year, Shiloh Scrapbook
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 School Educational Program of the Year, Sheep to Shawl
Arkansas Museum Association 2005 Volunteer of the Year, Marilyn Meek
Arkansas Museum Association 2006 Adult & Family Educational Program of the Year, Shiloh Podcasts
Northwest Arkansas Citiscapes Metro Monthly 2007 Best Museum
Arkansas Museum Association 2007 Publication of the Year, Color the Ozarks
Arkansas Museum Association 2007 Paid Staff Member of the Year, Susan Young
American Association of Museums Media & Technology Committee 2008 Bronze MUSE Award for Podcasting
Northwest Arkansas Citiscapes Metro Monthly 2008 Best Museum
Arkansas Museum Association 2008 Adult/Family Educational Program of the Year, Shiloh Museum in iTunes U
Arkansas Museum Association 2008 Museum of the Year, Budget more than $500,000