SPRINGDALE (KFSM) -- One of the earliest homesteads in all of Northwest Arkansas is up for sale. It’s the Fitzgerald Station and has been on the National Register of Historical Places since 2003, but the homestead was established in the late 1820s or early 1830s. The barn on the property has significant historic significance.
“It was a station on the Butterfield Stagecoach line that went from the east to the west and there were stations like this all over, where people rested their horses, got a little bit to drink, sometimes stayed overnight. There are hardly any of these left,” Allyn Lord said.
Director of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History Allyn Lord said this barn is one of the most historic buildings in Northwest Arkansas and they want whoever purchases the property to preserve the barn.
"The land that this is on was a witness to civil war troops going back and forth, both confederate and union. It was incredibly witnessed to two bands of the Cherokee tribes on their Trail of Tears,” she said.
President of the Heritage Trail Partners John McLarty said the National Parks Service recommends that the Butterfield Stagecoach Route become a national historic trail, and if approved by congress it will have even more significance.
“You can't save everything but we would love to see this stone structure saved. It could bring a lot, not only it's historic significance but tourist come through here and if the Butterfield Stagecoach is turned into a national historic trail, they'll be a lot of people that travel that,” McLarty said.
Since the property is on the National Registry and the Alliance for Arkansas Preservation Most Endangered List there are tax advantages, state and national grants available for fixing the barn up. The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History said they are more than willing to help whoever purchases the property find out more about these incentives.