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Dive into Arkansas' past at the Rogers Historical Museum

The museum offers a variety of exhibits showcasing Rogers history.

ROGERS, Ark. — The Rogers Historical Museum allows guests to step into the past and view the history of Rogers and the Natural State.

The 5NEWS morning crew got a chance to drop by the museum on this week's edition of Around the Corner

Located at 313 S 2nd St. in Rogers, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday. It hosts a permanent gallery and has locations for traveling galleries as well.

Permanent Galleries include:

  • Natural State - explores the geography of Northwest Arkansas and how the natural landscape attracted early settlers who later went on to shape the economy for this area.
  • Road and Rail - Early days of urbanization in this region and the establishment of Rogers in 1881 because of the railroad.
  • America's Heartland - First half of the twentieth century and how life was for people in Rogers during that time. There is also a section that talks about the famous people from Benton County.
  • White River - How life on the White River was and with William "Coin" Harvey creating Monte Ne that was later under water with the creation of Beaver Lake. How the lake impacted the landscape, growth, and economy for Northwest Arkansas.
  • Our Place - Highlights Rogers History from the 1960s to present day with various newspaper clippings.

Along with the permanent galleries, there is a section called the "Children's Gallery." 

The Children’s Gallery is a fun place where kids can play and explore historic Rogers landmarks. This space can be found in the Hailey Building exhibit galleries and includes a slide reminiscent of the old Rogers High School fire escape slide, a fully stocked mid-century kitchen, a workshop filled with tools and wood-working projects, a "Harris Baking Company" bakery, and a cozy reading nook.

Toys Well Played is the current traveling gallery featured at the museum.

The gallery displays children's toys from the 1800s to the 2000s. It will be leaving on Jan. 13 and will be replaced by a new traveling gallery, A Century of American Glassware, on Feb. 17. 

The new gallery will showcase the museum's collection from the 1870s-1970s glassware, as well as a collection of decorative salt dishes that belonged to the Reagan sisters.

Another gallery coming to the museum is the Age of Alcohol and the Prohibition. 

Credit: KFSM
C.W. Rogers, the man that the city is named after.

While at the museum, Tiffany, Jo, and Zac got a look at the some of the permanent exhibits showcasing the founding of Rogers. 

The general manager for the San Francisco Rail Company, C.W. Rogers, was trying to figure out where to put the tracks down in Northwest Arkansas. 

The people living there at the time asked Rogers to pick them and promised to name the town after him if he did. 

On May 10, 1881, the first railroad track runs through Rogers. During that time, apple production was booming in the town, which dominated the cargo on the trains until bugs, disease, and weather crippled the production. This doesn't slow the people down. Instead, they pivoted toward poultry, and the rest was history...

The museum also offers information on famous people that have gotten their start in Northwest Arkansas. Ever wondered what famous people came out of Benton County? Author Edsel Ford and aviation pioneer Louise Thaden all started in our local area.  

Additionally, the Rogers Historical Museum gives the background of the once-booming resort town of Monte Ne. The leftover ruins were officially demolished in February 2023. There are some pieces of Monte Ne that you can still catch a glimpse of when Beaver Lake's water levels are low. 

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