Faulkner County Historical Society and Museum
The Faulkner County Historical Society and Museum is headquartered at the historic county jail building on the courthouse square in Conway, Arkansas.
Contents
Origins of the Faulkner County Historical Society
The Faulkner County Historical Society was founded on April 16, 1959, with the assistance of the Conway Chamber of Commerce. It is the third oldest historical society in the state. The society established a historic marker at Cadron Settlement Park, site of the oldest white settlement in central Arkansas. The society publishes Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings.
Museum Collections
The Faulkner County Museum was created by the Faulkner County Quorum Court in 1992, and is now funded by a voluntary county millage. The museum traces the history of the county from pre-columbian Native American life and the establishment of early Cadron Settlement on the Arkansas River a few miles to the northwest.
Many exhibits are organized in a way that emphasizes human interaction with the landscape and the environment. Current exhibits include a replica 1900 general store, a collection of local sports memorabilia, medical and dental implements, a display of early education in the county, antique tools, antique kitchen and laundry equipment, a Victorian bedroom, items related to local Works Progress Administration activities, displays of local historical agricultural techniques, and past railroad work.
Next door is the Daniel Greathouse Home, an 1820s-era log cabin. The museum is open from 9 AM to 4 PM on Mondays through Thursdays, and there is no admission charge for visitors.
Artifacts preserved at the museum date back to 1873. The museum houses a handmade wooden cradle constructed by former governor George W. Donaghey. There is a painting here of former slave Mandy Harlan by local artist Gene Hatfield.
The director of the Faulkner County Museum is Lynita Langley-Ware. The museum has several volunteers. Volunteer Grace MacLean is called "The Memory" of the museum.
References
- "Organization and Activities of the Faulkner County Historical Society," Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings, 1.1 (June 1971): 2.
