Shiloh Museum Selected Moments

1965

Guy Howard, former Springdale city attorney, mayor, and judge, sells his collection of some 10,000 Native American artifacts to the city of Springdale for $15,000. The City Council and mayor accept the collection to start a museum.

1967

The city hires Linda Allen as curator on a part-time basis.

1968

On Sept. 7 the Shiloh Museum opens to the public in the upstairs of the old library building at the corner of Main and Johnson.

1977

Mary Parsons comes to the museum as a volunteer and begins to organize the photograph collection, which will eventually become the largest historic image collection in the state.

1978

The museum obtains the entire old city library building.

1980

Bob Besom is hired as the museum’s first full-time director.

1989

In January the old museum building is closed.

1991

The new museum building opens on Sept. 15.

1993

The museum celebrates its silver anniversary with an exhibit on Guy Howard’s life and changes its name to the “Shiloh Museum of Ozark History” to more clearly define its scope.

2005

New Era Lodge No. 36 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows donates their two-story, 1871 lodge building to the museum.

Bob Besom retires after 25 years as director; Allyn Lord succeeds him.

2014

A complete exhibit hall renovation, to be finished by the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2018, is marked by the opening of the new “Settling the Ozarks” (1820-1860) exhibit, including bilingual (English and Spanish) interpretation.

2015

The second renovated core exhibit, covering the Civil War through the World War I period, opens.

The historic 1871 Shiloh Meeting Hall becomes the focus of a $1 million renovation campaign.

2016

The third renovated exhibit, covering the 1920-1950 period, opens.

The museum is recognized as one of the “Top Ten Things to Do in Arkansas” by Southern Living magazine.

2017

Shiloh Meeting Hall’s interior renovation is completed and property improvement designs finalized, partly with help from a Walton Family Foundation grant of $255,673.

The fourth renovated exhibit, covering the 1950-to-the-present period, opens.

The museum is recognized as one of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s “Top Ten Stories of 2017” in arts and culture.

2018

The museum begins its 50th year.