Arts

Shiloh Museum photo archivist Marie Demeroukas presented this slide program during a reunion of the Crossbowettes, a girls archery team from Huntsville, Arkansas, on November 15, 2020.

Members of the Crossbowettes, a 1950s-1960s girls archery team from Huntsville, Arkansas, share stories during a reunion held at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History on November 15, 2020. Museum photo archivist Marie Demeroukas is the moderator.

Historic preservation consultant Joan Gould shares some of her experiences in documenting pre-Civil War architecture in Northwest Arkansas. Recorded January 17, 2017.

Marty Benson and Laura Redford, members of the Northwest Arkansas Handweavers Guild, share findings from their study of some three dozen hand-woven coverlets in the Shiloh Museum collection. Benson and Redford are experienced weavers and weaving instructors with an interest in history and historic textiles, and both are volunteers at the Shiloh Museum. Recorded January 15, 2014 Follow Marty and Laura's continuing research on Ozark Coverlets via their Facebook page.

Ann Early, state archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, discusses the art and craft of prehistoric Indian pottery. Recorded September 19, 2018.

Ethel Simpson, retired archivist with the University of Arkansas Special Collections Department, explores the life and work of Otto Ernest Rayburn, an author and educator who moved to the Ozarks in 1917, spent years amassing newspaper clippings, magazine articles, letters, and photos related to Ozark lore and life, eventually organizing his collection into a 229-volume "encyclopedia." Today the collection is housed in the Special Collections Department at the University of Arkansas's Mullins Library. Recorded April 19, 2017.

Retired archeologist John Riggs explains the history of Arkansas's western boundary line. During his thirty-four year career in archeology, Riggs worked in Arkansas for the Arkansas Archeological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Recorded August 21, 2019.

A history of the Kansas City & Memphis Railway, known as the "Peavine" Railroad, by local railroad historian Mike Sypult. Recorded January 16, 2019.

Independent researcher Mary Ann Kahmann discusses the history of Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine. Established in 1942 as a Catholic chapel atop Mount Gaylor near Winslow, Arkansas, the church was organized due to the efforts of local women who saw the need for a church in their remote community. Kahmann and Juana Young are the authors of In God's Pocket: The History of Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine. Recorded February 20, 2019.

Rubicely Hernandez Monter and Zessna Garcia Rios, former members of the Northwest Arkansas Community College DREAMers (an organization composed of students who were brought into this country without documents as children) discuss their life experiences. Recorded September 20, 2017.

Brooks Blevins, professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, discusses the life of Minnie Atteberry, a Searcy County, Arkansas, farm woman who kept a daily diary from the 1930s into the 1960s. The Atteberry diaries were donated to the Special Collections Department of Mullins Library at the University of Arkansas by Searcy County historian James Johnston in 1993. Recorded October 21, 2015.

Zoe Medlin Caywood shares stories from her thirty-plus years as owner-operator of War Eagle Mill in Benton County, Arkansas. In 1973, Caywood and her parents, Jewell and Leta Medlin, rebuilt the mill. It was the fourth War Eagle Mill to be built on the site along the banks of the War Eagle River. Recorded September 16, 2015.

Local fly-fishing guide Scott Branyan discusses fly-fishing in Arkansas. A native Arkansawyer, Branyan has over twenty years experience as a fishing guide on the White River. He is also a freelance photographer and outdoor writer. Recorded on July 15, 2015.

Local historian Denele Campbell discusses her book, Aquarian Revolution: Back to the Land, a collection of thirty-two interviews with people who moved to the Ozarks in the 1960s in search of a life removed from the trappings of modern society. Recorded June 17, 2015.

Kathleen Cande, senior project archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, describes the Survey's work to document and preserve historic cemeteries in Arkansas. Recorded March 18, 2015.

Shiloh Museum outreach coordinator Susan Young shares the life story of Essie Ward, a folk artist from Searcy County, Arkansas. Recorded June 18, 2014. NOTE: In her talk, Young states that upon meeting Jesse Ward, Essie Treat went home and told her folks she had just met the man she was going to marry. In fact, it was the other way around: Jesse went home and told his folks he had just met the woman he was going to marry. 

Joyce Mendenhall, administrative specialist with the Washington County (Arkansas) Extension Service, traces the history of home demonstration clubs in Arkansas. Recorded August 21, 2013.

Journalist, educator, and historian Ernie Deane is remembered by his daughter, Frances "Fran" Deane Alexander. Ernie Deane was a press officer for Gen. George Patton during World War II and at the Nuremberg Trials after the war, a newspaper columnist, a journalism professor, a director of the War Eagle Fair, a champion of historic preservation, and a community activist. Recorded November 16, 2011.

Dr. Roy Rom, emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Arkansas, and owner of Rom Family Orchard in Fayetteville, discusses the history of apple production in Arkansas. Recorded August 17, 2011.

Ozark Ecological Restorations founder Joe Woolbright and biologist Joe Neal discuss the history of plants and birds related to regional tallgrass prairies. Recorded August 17, 2011.

Dr. Guy Lancaster, editor for the online Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, discusses his extensive research on "sundown towns" in Arkansas: communities were white residents expelled all or most of the town's African American residents. According to Dr. Lancaster, some 100 towns in Arkansas are suspected to have been sundown towns, most of them in the northern and western sections of the state. Recorded March 8, 2011.

Prof. Chalon Ragsdale of the University of Arkansas Department of Music explores folk song collecting using the work of two 20th century collectors as examples: Percy Grainger, who collected in England; and Mary Celestia Parler, who collected in Arkansas. Recorded October 20, 2010.

A program by Father Moses Berry, curator of the Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum in Ash Grove, Missouri. Recorded November 10, 2012.

In 1984, at the age of 70, Madison County farmer Milton Cooper began keeping a daily diary. His entries describe a way of life common to many Ozark rural families, but rarely chronicled. Museum outreach coordinator Susan Young shares some of his entries. Recorded August 18, 2010.

Independent researcher Abby Burnett discusses the ways Ozark folks helped one another when there was a death. Burnett was recently featured in "Silent Storytellers," a documentary produced by the AETN about the history and culture of Arkansas cemeteries. Recorded May 19, 2010.

In May 2010 the producers of Winter's Bone collaborated with the Shiloh Museum to premiere the film in Arkansas. Prior to the premiere, director Debra Granik, music advisor Marideth Sisco, and some of the musicians held a performance and Q & A at the museum. Recorded May 16, 2010.

A panel discussion by Deryl Powers, Shirley Lucas, Charlie Alison, and Kim Agee, Fayetteville residents spanning more than seventy years. Recorded April 21, 2010.

Independent researcher Mike Sypult discusses a few of the region's historic train wrecks and rail accidents. Recorded January 20, 2010.

Brooks Blevins, professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University, explores Arkansas's image and stereotypes through the years. Recorded in 2009.

Dr. Brooks Blevins, professor of history at Lyon College, discusses the life and times of folk singer Jimmy Driftwood at the 14th annual Talking Ozarks Symposium held at the Shiloh Museum in September 2007.

Dick Bennett, emeritus professor of English at the University of Arkansas and co-founder and former president of Fayetteville's OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology, reflects on the peace movement in Northwest Arkansas from 1965 to 2000. Recorded August 15, 2007.

A program by Dennis Sixkiller, host of the radio show, "Cherokee Voices, Cherokee Sounds," produced by the Cherokee Nation. Recorded October 13, 2007.

Shiloh Museum photo archivist Marie Demeroukas shares tips for preserving your family photo collection. Recorded January 17, 2007.

Shiloh Museum director Allyn Lord discusses the often-misunderstood history of the Benton County community of Monte Ne. Recorded February 4, 2006.