Helena Library and Museum

Last updated

Helena Museum of Phillips County
Helena Library and Museum.JPG
Helena Library and Museum
Former name
Phillips County Library and Museum
Established1891
Location623 Pecan St., Helena, Arkansas
Coordinates 34°31′42″N90°35′19″W / 34.52833°N 90.58861°W / 34.52833; -90.58861
Type History museum
ArchitectLibrary: George R. Mann (1856-1939) Museum: Andrew Pomeroy Coolidge (1875-?)
Website helenamuseum.com
Helena Library and Museum
Arealess than one acre
Built1890 (1890)
Built byRaenhart & Simon (library)
Part of Perry Street Historic District (ID86002594)
NRHP reference No. 75000400 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 6, 1975
Designated CPNovember 26, 1986

The Helena Library and Museum (now called the Helena Museum of Phillips County) is a historic building at 623 Pecan Street in Helena, Arkansas. Originally constructed in 1889 by the Women's Library Association to house a library for the city of Helena, it has also housed the county library, regional library and the county's museum.

Contents

Building history and description

The main portion of the building is a 2+12-story mansard-roofed Second Empire structure, and was constructed between 1889 and 1891. The local fraternal organizations (The Royal Arcanum, American Legion of Honor, B’Nai Brith, York Rite Masons, Golden Rule, Knights of Honor, Knights and Ladies of Honor, Reynold Lodge No. 7, Knights of Pythias, Junior Lodge No. 15, & Ancient Order of United Workmen) worked with the Women's Library Association to raise funds to purchase the property and start construction. [2] While it is currently the only Second-Empire style building in the county, it was originally designed to match other buildings in the town, according to local lore, the building was constructed to match the other two schools in Helena at the time, which were both built in that style. It is Helena's oldest civic building, and was used not just to house the library, but also as a social venue until about 1914, when its main space was fully devoted to the library. In 1929 a 1+12-story wing was added to rear to serve as a space for museum exhibits on local history. [3] The building first opened to the public on September 11, 1891. Originally, the library only occupied a small room on the first floor. The largest rooms were reserved for meetings and fundraisers to help pay down the cost of construction. This continued until 1914, when the Women's Library Association had fully paid off the construction debt. They then moved the book collection into the first floor's main hall. [2]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. [1]

Phillips County Museum

The Women's Library Association undertook a project to construct the first art and museum gallery hall in the state of Arkansas in 1916. By April, 1930, they had constructed a 1 1/2 story addition to the library building to house and display their sizable collection. They used local architect Andrew Coolidge, who had also designed the Jewish country club and multiple commercial buildings in Helena. The interior of this space is dominated by a large wrap around walkway.

Collections

The museum has one of the oldest and varied collections in Arkansas. Some highlights include a letter signed by the Marquis de Lafayette, the first board cut from the Chicago Lumber Mill in West Helena in 1920, a ceramic gravy boat salvaged from a riverboat that exploded 1831, a masthead off of a Spanish imperial warship that was sunk in the Battle of Manila, the Phillips Guards Confederate Battle Flag, and the city of Helena's original 1820 plat map.

The museum also has a sizable collection of Native American Mississippian culture pottery. The majority was collected by locals in the southern end of the county, with a few being donated by the first president of the Women's Library Association and noted Arkansas ornithologist, Louis McGowan Stephenson.

In 1976, the museum partnered with the Charles Edison Fund to bring a collection of artifacts from Thomas Edison's laboratory to display in the museum's main gallery.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiloh Museum of Ozark History</span> History museum in Springdale, Arkansas

The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, located in Springdale, Arkansas, is a regional history museum covering the Arkansas Ozarks. Programs, exhibits, and events relating to Ozark and Northwest Arkansas history are offered by the museum to the public. The museum has a large research library and the largest collection of historic images in Arkansas. The library is open to the public during regular museum hours. The geographic region covered by the museum includes the following six counties: Benton County, Boone County, Carroll County, Madison County, Newton County, and Washington County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnum Museum</span> History Museum in Connecticut, U.S.

The Barnum Museum is a museum at 820 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It has an extensive collection related to P. T. Barnum and the history of Bridgeport, and is housed in a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George B. Cox House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The George B. Cox House is a historic residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. An Italianate building constructed in 1894, this two-and-a-half story building was built as the home of leading Hamilton County politician George B. Cox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenox Library (Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Lenox Library is the principal public library of Lenox, Massachusetts. It is managed by the non-profit Lenox Library Association, founded in 1856, and is located at 18 Main Street, in a former county courthouse that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward G. Acheson House</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

The Edward G. Acheson House is a historic house at 908 West Main St. in Monongahela, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. Probably built about 1870, it is notable as the home of Edward G. Acheson (1856-1931), the inventor of carborundum, and as the likely site of its invention. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Literary Hall</span> A mid-19th-century library and museum in Romney, West Virginia

Literary Hall is a mid-19th-century brick library, building and museum located in Romney, a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the intersection of North High Street and West Main Street. Literary Hall was constructed between 1869 and 1870 by the Romney Literary Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dogtrot house</span> Style of house

The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some theories place its origins in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some scholars believe the style developed in the post-Revolution frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee. Others note its presence in the South Carolina Lowcountry from an early period. The main style point was a large breezeway through the center of the house to cool occupants in the hot southern climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport Public Library</span>

The Davenport Public Library is a public library located in Davenport, Iowa. With a history dating back to 1839, the Davenport Public Library's Main Library is currently housed in a 1960s building designed by Kennedy Center architect Edward Durell Stone. The Davenport Public Library system is made up of three libraries—the Main Library at 321 Main Street; the Fairmount Branch Library at 3000 N. Fairmount Street (41°33′06″N90°37′54″W); and the Eastern Avenue Branch Library at 6000 Eastern Avenue (41°34′59″N90°33′12″W).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillips County Courthouse (Arkansas)</span> United States historic place

The Phillips County Courthouse is located at 622 Cherry Street in Helena-West Helena, the county seat of Phillips County, Arkansas. This 2.5 story municipal building has served as the county courthouse since 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Street Historic District (Helena–West Helena, Arkansas)</span> Historic district in Arkansas, United States

The Perry Street Historic District encompasses a fine collection of early-20th century architecture in Helena–West Helena, Arkansas. It includes fifteen buildings, arrayed on the single city blocks stretching south and west from the junction of Perry and Pecan Streets. The buildings on these blocks represent a cross-section of private and public architecture spanning 1880–1930, including two churches, the only synagogue in Phillips County, and the county's oldest public building, the 1879 Helena Library and Museum. Most of the residences in the district were built between 1900 and the 1920s. Although most of the residential architecture is Arts and Crafts in style, it includes two fine Queen Anne Victorians: the Moore House at 608 Perry and the William Nicholas Straub House at 531 Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney H. Horner House</span> Historic house in Arkansas, United States

The Sidney H. Horner House was built in 1881 by Michael Brennam, an early builder/architect, approximately six blocks to the west of the Mississippi River in Helena, Arkansas. Sidney H. Horner, a member of an early Helena family, was part of a banking firm established by his father, John Sidney Horner. The Italianate style house is made of hand-molded brick. The home has 7 fireplaces and oak parquet floors. The initial footprint of the house was expanded in 1895 with a two-story east wing also made of brick. At the same time, the original small front porch was expanded to run the entire length of the new east addition. Electric lights were also added at about this time.

The University of Arkansas Campus Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009. The district covers the historic core of the University of Arkansas campus, including 25 buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorgas–Manly Historic District</span> Historic district in Alabama, United States

The Gorgas–Manly Historic District is a historic district that includes 12 acres (4.9 ha) and eight buildings on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The buildings represent the university campus as it existed from the establishment of the institution through to the late 19th century. Two buildings included in the district, Gorgas House and the Little Round House, are among only seven structures to have survived the burning of the campus by the Union Army, under the command of Brigadier General John T. Croxton, on April 4, 1865. The other survivors were the President's Mansion and the Old Observatory, plus a few faculty residences.

Downtown Beaumont is the central business district of Beaumont, Texas. It is where the city's highrise buildings are located, as well as being the center of government and business for the region. Downtown Beaumont is currently experiencing a renaissance, with streets, sidewalks and historic buildings receiving significant attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mills Community House</span> United States historic place

The Mills Community House, also known as the Mills Cottage and the Benzonia Public Library, is a former dormitory located at 891 Michigan Avenue in Benzonia, Michigan. It is significant for its association with Bruce Catton, who lived there when his father was president of Benzonia Academy. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Barnes House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Jonathan Barnes House is a historic house on North Street in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Built about 1775, it is locally distinctive as one of only a few colonial-era houses, and is a well-preserved example of Georgian styling. It has also seen a number of socially significant uses, serving at times as a tavern, library, music school, and fraternal lodge. Surviving interior architectural details provide a significant view into the history of tavern architecture. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estevan Hall</span> Historic house in Arkansas, United States

Estevan Hall is a historic house at 653 South Biscoe Street in Helena, Arkansas. With a construction history estimated to begin in the late 1820s, it is probably the oldest building in Phillips County, Arkansas, and has been in the hands of the Hanks family, early settlers of Helena, throughout. It is an architecturally eclectic structure, the main style of which is derived from alterations in the 1870s which had a strong influence of the French architecture of New Orleans. It is set high on a ridge overlooking the Mississippi River, and has an expansive veranda typical of plantation houses further south. Its interior has been little altered since renovations and modernizations in 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capt. Joel Whitney House</span> Historic house in Maine, United States

The Capt. Joel Whitney House is a historic house at 8 Pleasant Street in Phillips, Maine. Built in 1829 for a prominent early settler and businessman, it is one of the oldest houses in the small inland community, and probably the only two-story building of that age. It is now owned by the Phillips Historical Society, which houses museum displays in the rear sections. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Former Audubon County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Former Audubon County Courthouse, also known as the Audubon County Historical Society Museum, is a historic building located in Exira, Iowa, United States. Court proceedings were first held in a schoolhouse in Hamlin's Grove after Audubon County was established in 1851. The county seat was relocated to Exira ten years later, and a disagreement erupted over where the county seat should be located. The county board of supervisors made an appropriation for a new courthouse in 1871, but its construction was delayed due to the disagreement. Exira eventually won and officials constructed the courthouse for about $2,200. The Exira Hall Company was established to build the two-story, frame structure. County offices were located on the first floor and the courtroom was located on the second floor. The county seat was moved to Audubon in 1879.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice and Police Museum</span> Living history museum in New South Wales, Australia

The Justice and Police Museum is a heritage-listed former water police station, offices and courthouse and now justice and police museum located at 4-8 Phillip Street on the corner of Albert Street, in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Edmund Blacket, Alexander Dawson and James Barnet and built from 1854 to 1886. It is also known as Police Station & Law Courts (former) and Traffic Court. The property is owned by the Department of Justice, a department of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Museum History". Helena Museum of Phillips County. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. "NRHP nomination for Helena Library and Museum". Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved November 2, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]