HISTORICAL MUSEUM NEWS

Battle of 1812

Our annual meeting, to which the public is invited to attend, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24. Our speaker will be Dale Phillips, a recent retiree to Bella Vista who was with the National Park Service for 41 years, including 10 years as manager of the Chalmette Battle of New Orleans site. His program will be on the importance of the War of 1812 and, in particular, on the Battle of New Orleans. He will explore some of the lesser known reasons for the War of 1812 and what led to the British effort to capture New Orleans. He will also examine the British campaign and the battle of Jan. 8, 1815, in detail. He has authored numerous articles on U.S. military history and been involved with historical documentaries. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

Citywide garage sale

We will make available 17 parking spaces in front of the museum for individuals who would like to participate in the citywide garage sale on April 26 and 27 but don’t want to have a garage sale at home. Volunteer Dustie Meads will coordinate this project, which will be a fundraiser for our “Settlers Cabin.” If you are interested in renting one or more of the spaces, please contact her for details at 479-553-8116.

New exhibits

Our long awaited new glass display cases arrived recently and now contain exhibits about the former Crime Watch program which served residents of Bella Vista for many years, and the Phillips Pro-Celebrity golf tournaments, which were held for eight years in Bella Vista as a fundraiser for cancer (the predecessor to today’s Cancer Challenge). The exhibits in these cases will change out from time to time. If you are a collector of items that you are willing to have displayed at the museum on a temporary basis, please stop by or call and leave a message at the museum.

Tours and programs available

Private tours of the museum and programs about the history of Bella Vista are available outside of normal open hours for church groups, students, civic clubs, businesses, etc. To arrange for an event, please leave a message at the museum, 479-855-2335, or contact Xyta Lucas at 479-876-6118.

Hours of operation

The Historical Museum is located at the corner of U.S. Highway 71 and Kingsland Road, next door to the American Legion, and is open 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The phone number is 479855-2335. The website address is bellavistamuseum.org.