Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Museum Gives Glimpse Of Life In Historic Canehill
Editor’s Note: The community Canehill is written as one word but the nonprofit organization calls itself Historic Cane Hill.
CANEHILL — A 1904 wedding dress is one of many exhibits that can be seen at the new Historic Cane Hill Museum, opening for the first time Saturday, March 14.
A grand opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. that day. The museum will be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with volunteers available to share with visitors about exhibits in the museum. Arrangements for group tours at other times can be made, if necessary.
Historic Cane Hill Museum is located at 14335 South Highway 45, next to the newly renovated A. R. Carroll Drugstore in downtown Canehill. The building originally was constructed in the mid 1940s as Shaker Yates Grocery Store. The building has also been home to an antique store, a trophy and wooden train whistle manufacturing workshop and post office.
The World War II era building has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places and Arkansas Register of Historic Places.
Visitors can see exhibits that include the following about Canehill: a time-line of history, a 1920s front porch, agriculture, a history of Cane Hill College in pictures and words, fashion through the years and the old Canehill Post Office with original post office boxes. Other exhibits tell about the Bank of Cane Hill, including the 3,500pound safe used in the bank, and the Civil War Battle of Cane Hill.
A rotating exhibit will be available every six months to one year. The first rotating exhibit is the original wedding bed of David Noah Edmiston and his wife from the 1890s. The Edmiston family was one of the most prominent Victorian- era families in Canehill, according to Bobby Braly, executive director of Historic Cane Hill, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the historic preservation of Canehill and communities around it.
The Edmiston bed was donated to Historic Cane Hill by family members.
“We’ve had people contacting us about having items from family members who grew up in Canehill,” Braly said. “They’ve realized their kids are not really interested in history anymore and they want to see the items preserved. It’s pretty neat to see that happening.”
Braly said the museum will only accept items that have local connections to Canehill and surrounding communities.
A group of eight volunteers have worked diligently for about four months developing the museum. This group has been led by Roy Gene Rinehart. Others volunteering are Jeannie Kisner, David Ellis, Doris Van Wolfe, Kathy Braly, Glenn Braly, Tom Pennel and John Mitchell.
Braly said he believes the museum will provide a starting place for those who visit Canehill. Many times people will ask, “What is there to do in Canehill?” he said. The museum will provide information about Canehill and volunteers can give directions on where to walk and what to see in the community, Braly said.
The museum will probably be closed around holidays but otherwise, will be open every Saturday, weather permitting. For more information, go to historiccanehill.org. The museum’s phone number is 479-824-5339.