1947 -- The Hailey Ford dealership opens at 313 S. Second St. in downtown Rogers.
According to the Oct. 15, 1947, Rogers Daily News, it was the only building in Benton County with a completely air-conditioned showroom and offices. Jack Cadelli of Fort Smith designed the Art Deco terrazzo floor in the foyer. And the modern phone system featured separate lines so several people could call in and out of the building at the same time.
1961 -- Newt Hailey sold the dealership to a group of investors headed by James D. Yates. The name was changed to Benton County Motors.
1965 -- The name changed again to Randall-Sanders Ford-Mercury, owned by Clyde Randall from Fort Smith and managed by Bob Sanders. A new Ford Mustang sold for $2,461.46.
1967 -- Randall-Sanders Ford moved to the southwest corner of U.S. 71 Business and New Hope Road.
1969 -- Everett Pate of the Rogers Daily News renovated the Hailey Building for the newspaper, changing the front of the structure to a Colonial design.
1974 -- The Rogers Historical Museum was created as the community's Bicentennial project. Vera Key was chairwoman of the nine-member commission charged with developing the museum.
1975 -- The Rogers Historical Museum opened on Oct. 25 in a 1905 former bank building. A part-time clerk was the only paid staff member.
1982 -- The museum moved from its rented space to the Hawkins House on South Second Street, which had become the property of the city through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hawkins and family, who partially donated the property. The first director, Marianne Woods, was hired that year.
1985 -- The Friends of the Museum began a successful campaign for funds for a new 5,600-square-foot addition, which was named in honor of Vera Key.
1986 -- Ground was broken for the new Key Wing in December.
1987 -- The museum reopened on Dec. 5.
1995 -- The museum expanded into the old public library building on the corner of Second and Poplar streets. That same year, the Hawkins House reopened after a restoration project.
1999 -- The museum received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. It was reaccredited in 2010.
2006 -- Plans began for an eventual expansion.
2015 -- The museum received one of the Walton Family Foundation's first three Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program grants. The other recipients were TheatreSquared in Fayetteville and the Helen R. Walton Children's Enrichment Center in Bentonville.
2015 -- The newspaper, after several mergers and name changes, moved out of the Hailey Building, and the property was acquired by the city of Rogers at a cost of $729,900.
2016 -- Architect Roberto de Leon of de Leon & Primmer Workshop in Louisville, Ky., was hired to design the renovation of the Hailey Building as the principal home of the Rogers Historical Museum.
2017 -- The museum met its fundraising goal of $5.5 million for the expansion and renovation.
2018 -- The museum closed the Key Wing and Hawkins House on Jan. 1 to allow galleries to be moved.
Dec. 13, 2018 -- The new Rogers Historical Museum located in the Hailey Building will reopen to the public with ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.
-- Created by Becca Martin-Brown from RHM documents & James Hales' research
NAN What's Up on 12/09/2018