ROGERS — The Rogers Historical Museum is celebrating its 35th anniversary with an open house today and an invitation-only party tonight at the Peachtree at the Lane hotel.
The museum began as a bicentennial project in 1974. The museum, earlier this year, reached a milestone, receiving accreditation from the American Association of Museums, joining museums such as several Smithsonian locations in Washington, D.C., and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles as accredited facilities.
The museum opened in a former bank building at 114 S. First St., then moved into the 1895 Hawkins House at 322 S. Second St. When the museum opened in HawkinsHouse on Aug. 28, 1982, the only staff member was a parttime clerk.
Since then, the museum staff has grown to include six full-time and four parttime employees, as well as a number of volunteers.
The facility was expanded with a 5,600-square-foot addition, and the museum also took over the former public library building. The museum encompasses a total of 13,000 square feet of oft ce and exhibit area.
Gaye Bland, museum director, said that while it’s true the museum has made great strides, there is more to be done.
“We don’t have enough room for all the exhibits and materials we have,” Bland said. “A lot of our items are in storage at the museum annex. We have plans for expansion and have purchased the land,but the economy isn’t right for expansion.”
The architectural plans for the expansion are ready, Bland said, adding “when the economy turns around we will be ready to move forward.”
The museum, funded by the city, offers a variety of educational programs for children, exhibits, research material and thousands of photos of Rogers dating back to the turn of the 20th century.
Because history is always being made, the museum staff has taken hundreds of photos of modern Rogers for the archives so future generations can see what the city looks like today.
Although the museum has been part of the city landscape for more than three decades, several residents said last week they didn’t know Rogers had a museum.They said, however, they were pleased to know there is one. Most also said they think it is important for a city of Rogers’ size to have a museum.
Dorothy Hughes said she knew the city had a museum, but admitted she hadn’t been there.
“My grandchildren have several times,” she said. “I think it’s important to have a museum for our children. It gives them a chance to learn about how things used to be.”
Sam Seyler, a frequent museum visitor, said he will go again.
“I like the museum,” he said. “They change the exhibits fairly often, so I get to see new things and learn new information. The museum is informative, educational and interesting.” Seyler that added the museum is and should be an important part of the city.
Vint Eubanks said he has lived in Rogers most of his life, but hasn’t been to the museum.
“I guess I thought since I’ve live here so long there wouldn’t be much there for me to see,” he said. “However, I’m glad we have a museum so visitors can learn about Rogers’ history while visitingour city.”
Bland said she isn’t surprised that a lot of people don’t know about the museum.
“The population of Rogers has grown tremendously over the past few years,” she said. “We have a lot of newcomers that aren’t familiar with what Rogers has to off er.”
News, Pages 3 on 10/25/2010