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Museum History

1974: The Rogers City Council formed a Museum Commission to oversee the creation and operation of the Museum, in response to local citizens who were concerned about the loss of their heritage. The Commission acquired space in a 1905 bank building in downtown Rogers and began collecting historic artifacts. The Friends of the Museum was organized to help arrange displays and staff the Museum.

1975: The Museum celebrated its grand opening.

1982: The Museum hired its first director and moved into its own building, the Hawkins House. This 1895 five-room brick building was furnished as a turn-of-the-century home and opened for guided tours. Most collections were placed in storage in a local warehouse.

1987: A full-time registrar was hired and the collections were moved back into the Museum.

1988: The Key Wing, a 5,600 square-foot addition to the Hawkins House, was dedicated, providing space for collections storage, a workroom, offices, and two exhibit galleries.

1989: The Museum was honored as 1988 “Museum of the Year” by the Arkansas Museums Association.

1992: The Museum significantly expanded its staff and was the only museum in Arkansas to receive a general operating support grant from the Institute of Museum Services.

1994: Museum staff produced an award-winning exhibit, “Final Respects: Dealing with Death in the Victorian Era,” now touring museums nationwide. The Museum began the Hawkins Hundred Project, raising over $30,000 to undertake repairs and extensive renovation and reinterpretation of the Hawkins House. The completed project won a commendation from the Victorian Society in America and an Excellence in Preservation through Restoration Award from the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.

1995: The City turned over to the Museum a historic building (1919) which was renovated for use as an education and collections storage annex; the building opened in 1996.

1996: For accomplishments during the year, including a dynamic growth in educational programming and production of a second exhibit, now traveling nationwide, “Let’s Play: Pastimes from the Past,” the Museum received the “Museum of the Year” award by the Arkansas Museums Association.

1997: The publication “The Sagers: Pioneer Cabinetmakers,” based on intensive regional research, won a 1997 AASLH Certificate of Commendation

1999: The Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums, certifying that the museum operates according to standards set forth by the museum profession.

2001: A third traveling exhibit, "What's Cookin'? Two Centuries of American Foodways," began touring nationally. The Museum was once again the only museum in Arkansas to receive a general operating support grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

2002: With Marilyn Collins, the Museum published Rogers: The Town the Frisco Built, a city history.

2004: The Museum won the "2004 Educational Program of the Year" award from the Arkansas Museums Association for its 2003 school program "The Van Winkle Story," as well as a Certificate of Commendation from AASLH. A fourth traveling exhibit, "Here Comes the Bride: Weddings in America," began touring nationally.