Tour Teaches Town History

— Two dozen residents were schooled on the history of downtown Bentonville during walking tours of West Central Avenue on Saturday.

Some of the oldest houses and most famous residents were features of two tours led by Leah Whitehead of the Benton County Historical Society.

At A Glance

Bean Supper

The Benton County Historical Society will host a bean supper from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at its headquarters, 306 N.W. Second Street. Beans, cornbread and cobbler will be served. Music and demonstrations will entertain guests. Tickets are $10 a person. For more information, call the society at 273-3561.

SOURCE: Staff Report

“Bentonville has a wonderful history,” Whitehead said. “It would take all day long and we’d have to pack a lunch to take it all in.”

That’s why the society chose to focus on the houses on West Central Avenue for Saturday’s tour. The group plans possible tours in other districts, such as Third Street and the square, Whitehead said.

The tour started at the society headquarters, a post-Civil War school house at 305 N.W. Second Street. The society moved into the building after it was uncovered hidden inside a private home.

The schoolhouse was built in 1866 and served as a Sabbath school and later as a subscription school, Whitehead said. She pointed out the outer brick on the top portion of the building is in good condition because it was a wall of a second-story bedroom in the home.

“We’re thrilled to have this building,” she said. “It’s so much more visible and easier for people to access.”

Whitehead told tour participants the unknown Confederate soldier buried in the Bentonville Cemetery was originally interred near the school house.

At A Glance

City History

Bentonville was originally named Osage after the Osage Indians who hunted in the area when white settlers first moved to the area in 1837. The community was renamed Bentonville after Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri in 1841 and was incorporated on April 3, 1873.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

The tour turned south toward Central Avenue, with Whitehead pointing out former Arkansas governor James H. Berry had a home across the street from the schoolhouse. The home fell into disrepair, and the site is now a parking lot for the First United Methodist Church, she said.

West Central Avenue has three homes listed on the National Historic Register. The Craig-Bryan House, the Jackson House and the Linebarger House span more than 50 years and cover a variety of architectural styles.

The Craig-Bryan House at 307 W. Central Ave. was added to the list in 1988. Its red-brick Italianate style includes a wrought-iron balcony that was taken from the second Benton County Courthouse. West Central resident Jane Scates said a member of the Peel family requested the ironwork when he heard the county was going to dispose of it after the courthouse was rebuilt.

The Jackson House at 207 W. Central Ave. was built around 1908 and is an example of classical revival or late Victorian architectural. Detailed molding above the airy front porch is just one classic feature of the home.

The Linebarger House at 606 W. Central Ave. is one of the more unique features on the street. It is a Craftsman-style bungalow with native stone work and a flat roof porch. Built in 1920, the house was home to one of the early founders of Bella Vista, Whitehead said.

Whitehead pointed out the childhood and marital home of Bentonville aviatrix Louise Thaden, along with a Sears & Roebuck kit house at 603 W. Central Ave. People could order home kits from Sears & Roebuck between 1904 and 1940 and receive construction material, down to the last nail, via train, Whitehead said. The homes often have incredibly beautiful woodwork inside with built-in bookshelves and pocket doors, she said.

“Bentonville is an excellent example of exceptional architectural style,” Whitehead said. “We’re fortunate that on the main corridor people have stayed true to the site and to the houses.”

Celia Wallace, a Bella Vista resident who took Saturday’s tour, said she enjoys visiting downtown Bentonville and the square.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say they just love the atmosphere here,” she said.

The tour finished at the mural across the alley from City Hall on West Central Avenue. Painted by Randy Townzen in 1986, the mural depicts important events and people in the city’s history. Its sepia tones evoke the feel of a historic photograph and blend the mural with the columns at City Hall, Whitehead said.

She handed out a key that lists some of the symbolism present in the mural. For example, an airplane represents Louise Thaden, while a can of Kiwi shoe polish hearkens back to Rabbit Dickerson’s Shoe Shine Parlor.

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