From local industries to pioneer life, each museum exhibit offers a unique glimpse into Siloam Springs’ rich history.
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — The Siloam Springs Museum lets you experience history even before you step in. Located at 112 North Maxwell Street, the museum is housed in a former church built in the 1950s.
Each museum exhibit offers a unique glimpse into Siloam Springs’ rich history. Current exhibits include Siloam Springs Industry, the Sager Family and Pioneer Life, the Siloam Springs Railroad, and artwork by Troy Anderson inspired by his Cherokee ancestry.
Before Siloam Springs was founded, this area and the Ozark Mountain region were inhabited by the Native American Osage people.
The museum pays tribute to Native American culture through the work of Troy Anderson, whose exhibits of local artists use art forms such as graphics, sculpture, and watercolors to depict Native American history, notable people, wildlife, and legends.
The museum’s Sager family exhibit showcases the life of the city’s “first white settler,” Simon Sager, who left Germany in the 1830s and settled near what is now known as Sager Creek. By 1880, Siloam Springs was officially incorporated as a city.
More people began to flock to the area to visit the town’s springs, which not only contributed to the population growth, but the railroad also officially arrived in 1893, ushering in an era of tourism and trade in the new town. Despite the country’s problems slowing the town’s growth, Siloam Springs residents continued to build roads, schools, government buildings and more.
By 1949, the town had become a center of the poultry industry with Simmons Foods. To this day, the Siloam Springs company distributes poultry, feed ingredients and pet food throughout the United States.
The museum displays artefacts from local industries such as Simmons Foods and Lay Ze Boy, and you can even see the first chair made at the local Lay Ze Boy factory in 1973.
To learn more about the city’s history, visit the museum, which is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and admission is free.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ App: How to watch the 5+ App on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and provide details about which story you are referring to.
