Born at War Eagle on September 16, 1893, Vera Key grew up to become a Rogers civic leader. Key first moved to Rogers with her family in 1897. She graduated from the Rogers Public Schools in 1908 and the next year went to St. Louis to train as a nurse. Following a stint in the Army Nurses Corps in France during World War I, she returned to Rogers where she befriended aging writer and humorist Tom Morgan, whom she nursed through two serious illnesses. Morgan died in 1928 and in gratitude left his home to her; she devoted many hours to beautifying the gardens.
Her first civic role was as one of the founders of the
Rogers Garden Club.
The descendant of two pioneer families of the White River valley, the Keys
and the Blackburns, Vera Key next became interested in historical projects.
She was one of the founders of the Benton County Historical Society and was
active in the successful effort to gain a national military park at
Pea
Ridge. In the 1970s Key found a new interest, the Rogers Historical Museum.
An active member, she served as the first chair of the Museum Commission. A
bequest after her death in 1987 helped establish the Museum’s
endowment
fund.
Vera Key, circa 1915 (Neg. #N006506)