ROGERS — To preserve or destroy is the question preservationists and historians must resolve regarding one of the last surviving structures of Monte Ne.
Local historians are to meet Tuesday with two U.S. Corps of Engineers representatives from Seattle to discuss the future of Monte Ne, said Lauren McCroskey, program manager.
William “Coin” Harvey built the Monte Ne resort on 320 acres near Rogers in the early 1900s. At one time the resort had its own railroad and two of the largest log cabin hotels in the United States, according to historians. Most of the property was flooded when Beaver Lake was built in the mid-1960s.
The only structures remaining include a tower and the amphitheater seating. The amphitheater only can be seen when lake level is low.
Mary McCormick, a corps architectural historian, and Joseph Murphey, a corps historian and photographer, are scheduled to meet with local historians at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Monte Ne, McCroskey said.
FAST FACTS
Monte Ne Resort
The Monte Ne Resort was the creation of William “Coin” Harvey at the turn of the 20th Century.
• The resort had the first indoor swimming pool in Arkansas.
• It had the first golf course in Northwest Arkansas.
• It was the site of the only national presidential convention (the Liberty Party) in Arkansas.
Source: Shiloh Museum Of Ozark History
“Mary will be in Rogers for about three days gathering data on the history of Monte Ne, and Joseph will be taking large-format photos of the site,” McCroskey said.
The information will be used to determine whether to raze the Monte Ne tower or formulate a plan to preserve the site, McCroskey said.
“The report won’t be ready until sometime in May,” she said.
One historian scheduled to meet with the Murphey and McCormick is Gaye Bland, director of the Rogers Historical Museum.
“We would like to preserve the tower and create walking trails and a park with the history of Monte Ne at the site,” Bland said. “The visit from the corps is part of that process.”
Allyn Lord, director of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark, is equally determined to save the Monte Ne tower.
“People don’t realize the history behind Monte Ne. I really want to see the site preserved,” Lord said.
Lord and Bland said they know preservation depends on the corps’ report.
“If the report states the tower is worth saving, then we have our work cut out for us,” Lord said.
Bland said a nonprofit organization will have to be formed to raise money to fund a $10,000 feasibility report on how to preserve the site and the possible cost of such a project.
Glenn Jones of the Benton County Historical Commission, who also is scheduled to meet with the team on Tuesday, is interested in saving the site.
“I’m waiting to see if the corps says, ‘You guys are crazy,’ or it’s good project,” Jones said. “As much as I would like to see the site preserved and park built on the site, I have to know that the tower is stable and ensure it’s worth saving.”
Another aspect that bothers Jones is whether the public cares about preserving Monte Ne.
“I would guess more than 90 percent of the people living in the area have no idea what Monte Ne is or was. I know historians are interested, but I don’t know whether the public is or not,” he said.