Xyta Lucas is so excited about obtaining an old winery sign, she can hardly describe what the donation means.
She pauses, looking around the Bella Vista Historical Museum, trying to put into words what the sign symbolizes.
The Bella Vista Historical Museum is currently closed to the public due to covid-19 concerns. For more information, contact the museum at 479-855-2335.
The old, white winery sign -- with a designation of No. 25 -- is part of a puzzle that the Linebarger brothers successfully pieced together.
The No. 25 means that Linebarger was granted the 25th permit in the state of Arkansas, Lucas said.
Bella Vista's rich history, which started decades ago, can be attributed to the Linebargers, their dreams and their vision, Lucas, the museum's co-president, said.
C.A. Linebarger, one of three brothers, moved to Bella Vista in 1918, to serve as general manager of the properties the brothers had purchased from the Rev. William Baker and his wife Mary. The brothers developed the Wonderland Cave, the Sunset Hotel and built hundreds of cottages.
By the mid-1930s, C.A. Linebarger began to search for other revenue means, Lucas said. He launched a winery business in a converted garage attached to the original log cabin, she said.
The cabin is located in what is now considered Old Bella Vista.
"The prohibition lifted in 1933," Lucas said. "He was looking for other ways to make money."
Sara Parnell, who recently owned the log cabin, operated an "Artists Retreat" there. When she sold the property, she donated the sign to the Bella Vista Historical Museum.
Workmen hung the sign at the museum two weeks ago. An old layout of the wine's location and storage capacity, with old wine labels, now compliment another long-standing exhibit that displays three old bottles of wine. One of the bottles is half-full of wine, Lucas said.
Labels featuring the wines are colorful and creative. The Linebarger-created wines include Belle of Bella Vista, which featured a label complete with a grape design, and the Wonderland (Cave) Wine, which featured a label with a ribbon, colors of burgundy, red and blue and a chapel in the background.
Marketing the wines in Arkansas -- and outside the area -- proved successful for Linebarger.
Local historians are excited to take a better peek into history. The donation is meaningful for those who wish to learn even more about Bella Vista's early beginnings.
"I don't even know how to describe it," Lucas said. "Bella Vista wouldn't be here if it weren't for the Linebargers. Any aspect of the Linebarger history is significant for the museum," she said.
Rooted in history
Bella Vista's beginnings began with the Bakers, who sold to the Linebargers in 1917. The brothers developed the resort and operated their business holdings until 1952 when they sold the property to E.L. Keith. Keith eventually sold to developer John Cooper Sr., Lucas said.
The old log cabin, which dates back to 1853, is a starting point for historical purposes. When the Linebargers began developing their land, they built on a two-car garage in 1928. By 1935, the garage was converted into a winery to enable the production of wine, she said.
Lucas shows documented letters from customers who requested orders for the wine. Distributors were located in and outside the area.
Old records that show the bank account for such was closed in 1945.
More light was shed on the old winery's history when granddaughter Carole Linebarger Harter moved back to the area in 1996, Lucas said.
Articles featuring her renovation of the old winery were published in The Weekly Vista that year.
Harter raised the old building's roof and renovated the old winery. She lived there after turning the dilapidated building into a residence.
Harter found an old grape press that looked like it hadn't been utilized. Historians believe that Linebarger purchased the already pressed grapes from nearby Tontitown, and then bottled the juice.
Some wine was bottled and stored in Wonderland Cave. Wine was served at the Sunset Hotel, distributed to a wide range of sellers and sold both locally and widely.
The historical influence of the Linebarger brothers cannot be understated. To have a part of that history on display is something Lucas cherishes.
"Anything we can salvage from the Linebarger days is a very big deal for the museum," she said.
General News on 04/30/2020