Rogers Historical Museum

Founded in 1975, the Rogers Historical Museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Rogers and Northwest Arkansas. The museum campus consists of the main exhibit building, the historic Hawkins House and education and research library located across the street, and the Eversole Collections building. There is also a red caboose at the corner of First and Cherry Streets that is open to the public by appointment. The main building contains exhibits on various topics about Northwest Arkansas' history including its settlement, urbanization, and recent past, as well as temporary exhibits. Temporary exhibits are also held in the Hawkins House, which is open for tours as well. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

The museum's origin dates back to 1974 when a group of local citizens encouraged the establishment of a museum to preserve local history. In response, the Roger's City Council formed a commission to develop a new museum as the city's bicentennial project. Another organization, the Friends of the Museum, was also established to help with the effort. The museum opened in 1975 and was first located in the historic Bank of Rogers building. In those early years, the museum's staff were mostly volunteers.

In 1982, the museum relocated to the Hawkins House, which the city had acquired as a partial donation from the Hawkins family. Much of the museum's collection was put into storage since the house was smaller than the bank building. To remedy this situation, the museum built a large addition in 1987. The museum further expanded in 1995 when it acquired the old public library building (it was originally a post office) next door. That building contains education offices, a classroom, and storage space.

The museum earned its first accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1999 and is one of only seven museum in the state to receive this recognition. It was reaccredited in 2010. The new main exhibit building is located in a building that was a historic Haley Ford car dealership; an attached addition was also built. The Eversole Collections building houses the museum's collection of 55,000 objects. These include textiles, furniture, images, archival materials, household items, and art.

"About the Museum." Rogers Historical Museum. Accessed July 23, 2021. http://www.rogershistoricalmuseum.org/about.html.

Bland, Gaye K. "Rogers Historical Museum." Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Last Updated August 21, 2014. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/rogers-historical-museum-4493.

"History of the Museum." Rogers Historical Museum. Accessed July 23, 2021. http://www.rogershistoricalmuseum.org/uploads/4/9/9/4/49949351/about_-_history.pdf.