Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

08/26/2026

😢 Rest in peace, Dolly.

As remembrances pour in for the late, great musician and humanitarian Dolly Parton, we will add this Arkansas connection to the mix.

Pictured here is Arkansas folk singer/songwriter Jimmy Driftwood with Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton at the Driftwood Barn in Mountain View (Stone County); May 21, 1980. Driftwood had arranged for Fonda to stay with local couple Lucy and Waco Johnson so she could study the characteristics of a “mountain woman” for her role in The Doll Maker, which was released in 1984 as a made-for-TV movie on ABC. Parton (a mountain woman herself), who had just starred in the 1980 movie 9 to 5 with Fonda, was there at the barn too. Arkansas's Levon Helm would appear in The Doll Maker with Fonda.

Read more about Driftwood here: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jimmy-driftwood-2187/ and Helm here: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/levon-helm-628/

08/25/2026

Preserve Your Ozark History: Free Digital Scanning Events in Gentry and Gravette! 📸📜

The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History is hitting the road to help you digitize and safeguard your family stories, historical photos, letters, and regional documents for future generations.

Our team will scan your items on-site—you keep all original physical materials along with a free digital copy. With your permission, copies will also be preserved in the Shiloh Museum archives to help protect our region’s rich history and culture!

Upcoming Event Schedule
📍 Gentry Public Library
• When: Tuesday, September 22 | 10 AM – 12 PM
• Special Presentation: Historian Rachel Whitaker kicks off the event with an opening talk: "Moonshine in the Ozarks."

📍 Billy V. Hall Senior Activity & Wellness Center (Gravette)
• When: Wednesday, September 23 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Event Highlights
• 📁 Free Archival Scanning: Bring regional photos, historical documents, letters, and family stories.
• 💾 Keep Your Originals: Receive digital files on the spot while keeping all your physical items.
• 🏛️ Community Preservation: Help build the Shiloh Museum’s permanent regional collection.

Don't let your family history fade—bring your items by and let us help you preserve them!

08/21/2026

What on earth is this? 🤔

We don’t have the physical object in our collection—just this mystery photograph from the First National Bank in Springdale!

Our best guess is that it’s a vintage desk stamp (with the rubber stamp on the bottom), but could it be something else? An antique change saver with a built-in calendar? A miniature time machine…? ⏳

Does anyone recognize an item like this or know what it was used for? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

👉 Help us spread the word: If you share this post, please set it to Public and tag us so we can see all your great responses.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo is from the Shiloh Museum’s First National Bank of Springdale Collection (S-2004-97-47).

08/14/2026

Happy ! 📷

Season’s Greetings in… January? 🎄🤷‍♀️

Despite the holiday sign on the wall behind this group, this photo of First National Bank in Springdale employees was actually taken in January 1971. We’re pretty sure it was snapped inside the bank, but we need your help filling in the blanks—we don’t know the identities of the men (and woman!) in the picture!

Can you help us name anyone in this photo?

👉 If you share this post, please make sure to set it to PUBLIC so we can read your comments and responses. Thank you!

Photo from the Shiloh Museum’s First National Bank of Springdale Collection (S-2004-97-18).

08/12/2026

🌟 Learn about an important moment in Ozark history when Shiloh Museum historian Rachel Whitaker presents "The Oft-Overshadowed Lewis Ross" at 1 p.m. Saturday, August 15, at the Historic Cane Hill College building.

While Chief John Ross dominates the history books, his brother Lewis quietly wielded immense political and economic influence during a crucial era for the Cherokee Nation.

Open to the public as part of the Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association's meeting, this presentation uncovers the fascinating, untold impact of a key historical figure!