BENTONVILLE -- The search is on for the first executive director of the Bentonville History Museum.
"We are really excited about it," Leah Whitehead, museum board president, said of the search. "We have been blown away by the applicants. Really top of the line."
The free museum will be in the 2,026-square-foot historic train depot across from the public library on Main Street, Whitehead said. The museum is leasing the space from the city for $100 a year, an action approved by the City Council last year.
A soft opening is planned for Sept. 1. The caboose next to the building could be renovated as an educational stop, she said. The Bentonville museum will be privately funded, she said.
The first exhibit will showcase the period of the bluff dwellers through the Osage and the arrival of the pioneers, according to Whitehead.
The depot is next to Train Station Park, which features a gazebo, benches and landscaping and is accessible from the Downtown Trail, according to the city.
The museum is a nonprofit organization governed by a 13-member Board of Directors and a five-member Advisory Board. The director will report to the board, according to the job description posted on the museum's LinkedIn page.
The Board of Directors has been working on the project for six years. There have been many groups over the past 50 years wishing to have a Bentonville History Museum, Whitehead said.
The operating budget will be set by the executive director and board and will be funded by the public and community through donations and membership, as well as programming and events, Whitehead said.
A search committee started going through applications Thursday. There were 38 applicants and the committee selected five candidates and will begin interviewing this week, Whitehead said.
The founding executive director will establish the emerging museum, coordinate facility and exhibit plans, inspire broad-based financial support, oversee operations, develop staffing and pursue innovative programming in the community, according to the job description.
The director will mold the museum's focus from the ground up -- selecting items for display, preparing exhibits, designing programming and coordinating events. The director will work with the board and the community to create a museum that will engage the community and enhance the town of Bentonville, according to the job description. Compensation is set at $85,000 a year and is subject to a two-year contract.
Hiring of a director is a result of a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, Whitehead said. The grant is for two years, Whitehead said.
The Bentonville History Museum is poised to contribute to the city's cultural life, which is attracting national and international tourists and business attention through a variety of institutions including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, the Museum of Native American History, the Walmart Museum, the Peel Mansion Museum and Botanical Gardens and the Scott Family Amazeum, according to the job description.
Several cites surrounding Bentonville -- including Bella Vista, Gravette and Rogers -- have historical museums. Springdale has the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.
Randi Van Noy, curator of the Gravette Historical Museum, said history museums are important, especially to a new generation of potential museum goers.
"It's important that the community come in and tell us their stories, especially in a small town," she said.
Van Noy said she has heard of people who make road trips to visit all the small museums in the area.
The Gravette Historical Museum consists of two buildings, the Kindley House and the museum annex. The Kindley House is the childhood home of World War I flying ace Capt. Field E. Kindley, who spent much of his childhood in Gravette. The home features period pieces, many of which have Gravette roots. The annex building contains numerous displays detailing Gravette's history, according to the museum website.
Kindley, the recipient of the British Distinguished Flying Cross and an Oak Leaf Cluster for the American Distinguished Service Cross, ranked third in number of aircraft downed for the U.S. Army Air Service in World War I. He totaled 12 confirmed kills, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
Some items in the Bentonville museum will include Rabbit Dickerson's shoe-shine stand and a teller's cage from People's Bank, Whitehead said.
Arthur "Rabbit" Dickerson was a well-known graduate of the Bentonville Colored School. He became a highly regarded businessman who ran a shoeshine business for more than 50 years, then became the first recipient and namesake of a Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce award for those who make special contributions to the community, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
"It seems like every town in Benton County has a history museum, and now Bentonville will have one, too," Whitehead said.
The historic Bentonville train depot is shown, Thursday, July 7, 2022 in Bentonville. The search is on to find the first director of the Bentonville History Museum. A soft opening is planned for Sept. 1. A search committee met Thursday afternoon to winnow down applications. Visit nwaonline.com/220708Daily/ for today's photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)