08 Oct 2023 Museum of memories

Posted at 7:32 PMh in Features by

By Carol Rolf

The Faulkner County Museum will host its 21st annual Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The theme for the free event is “150 and Counting … Celebrating 150 Years of Faulkner County History.”

Lynita Langley-Ware, executive director, said the museum is continuing to observe the 150th anniversary of Faulkner County, which was officially celebrated in April. The county was formed April 12, 1873, from parts of Conway and Pulaski counties. The museum, located on the Faulkner County Courthouse grounds at 801 Locust St., is a lesson in history itself.

“This building was built as the Faulkner County Jail in 1896 and converted to the Faulkner County Library in 1938,” Langley-Ware said. “The Faulkner County Quorum Court created the museum in 1992, and when the library moved to its new facility on Tyler Street, the building became home to the museum in 1995 but did not open to the public until 1997.”

The museum, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, houses items from the county’s prehistory and history and maintains archival and documentary collections. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. “We depend largely on donations and memorials and the voluntary millage tax to operate,” said Langley-Ware, adding the museum was created by an unfunded ordinance.

Faulkner County Museum Executive Director Lynita Langley-Ware said they have some collections that large museums have tried to obtain. She is excited to show Open House guests dozens of exhibits on Oct. 28, including nearly 100 quilts made from 1890 to 2007, a model of The Dickerson (medical) Clinic and a rare hand-carved powder horn from the Revolutionary War era.

“That’s why it’s so important for Faulkner County citizens to pay their voluntary millage when they pay their personal property tax,” she said. “These monies keep our doors open, the lights on, and they pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the building. We want to keep this museum open here in this building for as long as possible. We apply for grants as we qualify for them, but we cannot depend on that.”

She said the museum is still undergoing preservation efforts.

“We started remodeling the building pre-COVID and have had some setbacks,” she said. “The outside is done and we are now turning our efforts inward. These efforts include redoing the wiring and lights and reworking some of the exhibits.”

The museum will be open for touring during the open house event, as will the 1830s dogtrot cabin, which will be decorated for the holidays. There will be live music by local musicians, including the Pickin’ Porch Players and the Boomers, crafts and games for all, and old-time skills demonstrations.

“We will be making corn husk dollies for the kids and demonstrating spinning and weaving skills,” Langley-Ware said. “We will have members of the Faulkner County Master Gardeners here, as well as Arkansas Master Naturalists.

“We will be selling holiday ornaments, books and museum merchandise, including T-shirts and maybe calendars,” she said. “We are still offering commemorative bricks for our Legacy Walk in front of the building; those are a great way to pay tribute to someone in your life.”