Experience the History of Bentonville

Bentonville, Arkansas, was founded with just 30 people in 1838, two years after Arkansas became a state. By 1860, it had 500 residents, and it officially became a town in 1873. By 1900, it had electricity and water plants, and it was building a sewer system. By 1905, it had 2,653 people and the largest number of apple trees in the United States. The 1930s brought more dairy and poultry to the area, and tourists visited the Ozarks often. Here are some great places where you can experience the history of Bentonville.

The Museum of Native American History

This museum has a variety of fascinating exhibits. The Paleo exhibit has artifacts that are 14,000 years old. It includes fossilized wooly mammoths and flint knives. It also has Clovis spear and knife points with grooves in the middle to make attaching them to a handle easier. The Archaic exhibit covers the warming of the climate after the Ice Age, and the Mississippian Period had lots of population, agricultural, and artistic development.

There’s also an exhibit about Pre-Columbian cultures that traveled to Mexico, South America, and Central America. The Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations built cities before Columbus arrived in America, and they died out from war and disease when they came into contact with Europeans. The museum is open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and self-guided audio tours are free. You can also go hunting for arrowheads around the rocks outside the museum.

The Wal-Mart Museum

The downtown square was originally a park, and then it became a watering place for livestock. Merchants planted trees there in 1908, and the area was used to assemble artillery during World War II. The Wal-Mart Visitor’s Center opened on the square in 1990, at the location of the original Walton store. Today, it’s called the Wal-Mart Museum.

You can see the old store, a variety of interesting exhibits, and the Spark Cafe Soda Fountain. It even has a blue and yellow flavor called Spark Cream that’s custom-made for Wal-Mart. Guided tours for groups are available, and the museum is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. You can also visit until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday or Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

The Pea Ridge National Military Park

This place has a film and a historic Civil War battlefield. The battlefield has a 7-mile hiking trail, a bike path, and horse trails. You can see tinsmith and blacksmith demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a brass band plays at 10:30 a.m. You can visit the grounds all year during the day, and the Visitor’s Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Bentonville, Arkansas, has an interesting history, and the city has plenty of museums and historic sites. Kids and adults can both have fun learning about the history of the area at these attractions. You can also see the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Peel Mansion, the Bella Vista Historical Museum, and more.

Image via Pixabay

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