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Campus

The main exhibit hall of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, a white, modern-style building.

Our campus includes an exhibit hall, research library, archives, meeting room, collections storage, store, and staff offices housed in a modern 22,000-square-foot building on the original town square of Shiloh/Springdale.

A large, unpainted wooden barn with two awnings and antique farm equipment. This is Cooper Barn, which dates to the 1930s.

Victor Cooper built Cooper Barn in the 1930s on his small farm north of Springdale. The farm equipment housed in the barn includes a wagon used on the nearby Joyner farm in 1911. Together they offer a glimpse at farm life in the early to mid 1930s in the Ozarks. 

A small white building with stairs in front. This is Steele General Store, which dates to the 1870s.

John Bell Steele build the Steele General Store in Springdale in the 1870s. The metal porch awning was originally part of the Mooney-Barker Drugstore in Pettigrew (Madison County).

A small square building painted white with green shutters. This was John C. Carter's office and dates to the 1880s.

Dr. John C. Carter ran his medical practice from this building, built in the 1880s in the Middle Fork Valley area of south Washington County. The sandstone foundation formed a springhouse for food storage. Dr. John C. Carter’s Office is one of several historic buildings on the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History campus.

A wooden outhouse with a tin roof.

William Cartmell built the Cartmell Outhouse on the family farm near Brentwood in the 1930s (Washington County). It’s a two-seater!

A wooden wattle and daub cabin built in Springdale in the 1850s.

The Ritter-McDonald Log Cabin is an excellent example of an 1850s cabin. It originally stood in Elm Springs (Washington County). Like many log cabins, it eventually became a room in a larger house. The cabin is built in the wattle and daub style where the wood (wattle) is interspersed with a sticky material called daub.

A multi-room, wooden home painted white. This home is representative of 1940s middle class families in Springdale.

Archibald Smith built the Searcy House in the 1870s. In 1884, Wesley and Canzadie Searcy bought the house and kept it in the family, earning the house its current name. Today, it reflects the life of an upper middle-class 1940s Ozark town family.

A two story, rectangular building with a bell tower on the left side of the roof.

A white two story rectangular building with a small bell tower on the left side of the roof.

Shiloh Meeting Hall is one of the most visible landmarks in downtown Springdale. The community built the two story building in 1871 as a church and community building. Later it became home to the local Oddfellows organization.

Pink flowers with a sign in front designating the museum campus as a monarch butterfly waystation.

Our campus is full of native flowers, shrubs and trees that offer food and shelter for pollinators, including Monarch butterflies. Our Washington County Master Gardeners and Springdale for Monarchs volunteers keep our museum grounds beautiful. 

During the museum’s regular hours (Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), most of our historic buildings on our campus are open for exploration. The exceptions are:

  • The Searcy House is accessible only by guided tours. However, tours aren’t available on most Saturdays and holidays.
  • The Steele General Store is closed except when offering programming, but you can glimpse its interior from the front porch.
  • The Shiloh Meeting Hall is closed except when offering programming. The first-floor meeting space is available for meetings and events. Read our Shiloh Meeting Hall rental policyfor more information on renting that space. 

Why not stop by our beautiful downtown campus for a quick visit, a walk around the grounds and historical buildings, or to browse our wonderful exhibits? You’ll be glad you did.