=Situated on a tree-shaded block in the heart of Springdale, Arkansas, the Shiloh Museum is dedicated to the study and celebration of the rich history of the Arkansas Ozarks. Besides a modern museum center that houses exhibits, a research library, and a museum store, there are six 19th-century buildings to explore. The museum also offers special lectures, programs, and family events year-round, as well as a vibrant podcast program.
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.
The Shiloh Museum began in 1965 with the City of Springdale's purchase of a significant body of Native American artifacts. The City then hired a part-time director and appointed a board of trustees. On September 7, 1968, the Museum opened to the public. The name chosen for the Museum was Shiloh, the name of the settlement and church established in the 1840s on the site of present-day Springdale.
The Museum grew throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the hire of a full-time professional director, new educational programs, and new exhibits. One grant-funded project, Vanishing Northwest Arkansas, resulted in a collection of over 100,000 images; today the archive preserves well over half a million images. In the 1980s, four historical buildings were moved onto the property to join an 1870s town home already there.
In 1991, after five years of fund raising and construction, the Museum moved into a new building. Two years later the board changed the name to "Shiloh Museum of Ozark History" in order to more clearly define its scope. In 1995, a 1920s barn was moved onto the site and in 2005, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows donated their 1871 meeting hall, located one block to the north, to the Museum.
In 1982, 1991, 2004, and 2008 the Arkansas Museums Association honored the Shiloh Museum for its accomplishments by naming it "Museum of the Year."
Well over 500,000 historical photographs; primitive paintings; items related to poultry, fruit, timber industries, pioneer life, and rural town life; farm equipment; domestic tools; hand tools; clothing and textiles; archival materials; Native American artifacts; Vaughan-Applegate collection of cameras.
Prehistory & history of Northwest Arkansas
Exhibits; adult & children's programs; teacher in-service trainings; tours; demonstrations; Discovery Boxes (all free); and summer camps and workshops (fee-based).
City of Springdale, Arkansas
Access: General Public, Students, Scholars, Staff Only, Members
Appointment required: True