Collections
Over 550,000 objects make up the museum collections, covering the prehistory and history of Northwest Arkansas, including Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton, and Washington counties. Three-dimensional objects include Native American artifacts; textiles, costumes, and accessories; tools and equipment; product packages and advertising media; household and recreational items; and original art. Archival materials include books, maps, documents, and scrapbooks. Photographic images cover topics such as area people, events, agriculture, industry, buildings, and railroads.


Over 550,000 objects make up the museum collections, covering the prehistory and history of Northwest Arkansas, including Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton, and Washington counties. Three-dimensional objects include Native American artifacts; textiles, costumes, and accessories; tools and equipment; product packages and advertising media; household and recreational items; and original art. Archival materials include books, maps, documents, and scrapbooks. Photographic images cover topics such as area people, events, agriculture, industry, buildings, and railroads.
Seven historic buildings are part of the collection: Ritter-McDonald Log Cabin (1850s), Shiloh Meeting Hall (1871), Searcy House (1870s), Steele General Store (1870s), Dr. Carter’s Office (1880s), Cooper Barn (1930s), and Cartmell Outhouse (1930s). The Searcy House and Shiloh Meeting Hall sit on their original sites; the rest were moved from nearby locations. The research collection consists of 45 file drawers of clippings, pamphlets, and papers; books, letters, newspapers, directories, maps, and ephemera; archival records documenting family histories, businesses, organizations, and politics; and an oral history collection of more than 150 recorded interviews. Contact our collections manager, Carolyn Reno, for more information.
For some glimpses into our collections, visit Artifact of the Month and Photo of the Month.
Selected Collections

Berry-Braun Family Collection

William H. Chenault Collection

Ernie Deane Collection

Orville and Susan Hall Jr. Collection

Jeanne Hoffer-Tucker Collection
Paintings by folk artist Essie Treat Ward (1902–1981) of Searcy County, Arkansas. Ward has been called the “Grandma Moses of the Ozarks.” Online exhibit

Guy Howard Collection
Native American prehistoric and historic artifacts, including tools, ceramics, beads, and effigies. This was the founding collection of the Shiloh Museum. Online exhibit

Lucy Cartmell Leming Collection

Mooney-Barker Drugstore Collection

Morris Family Collection

Mary Parsons Photograph Collection
Over 500,000 images of Northwest Arkansas life from the mid-1800s forward, including the 1960s–1990s photo morgues of two local newspapers. Find out more.

Searcy Family Collection
