Glade Community Historical Society

The Glade Community Historical Society (GCHS) was incorporated on November 14, 2011, to preserve the history of the rural northwestern Arkansas area of Glade (Benton County). The nonprofit GCHS is a 501(c)(3) charity.

The purpose of the Glade Community Historical Society is to promote the recounting, recording, publishing, preserving, and disseminating of historical matter of the Glade community and surrounding communities. The mission is to collect histories and artifacts that represent the lives of earlier generations who lived in the area.

Dr. Anita Frevert was its first president. Along with board members, Frevert established phases and goals for the organization. Board members meet at least eight times a year, with four educational meetings for the public each year. A minimum of four newsletters are published each year. Family dues are $25 annually to maintain the organization.

Phase One entailed the relocation of the Glade Post Office and Store building. Fifty years earlier, it had been moved to a farm at Pea Ridge (Benton County) by owner Lysenby Williams due to rising waters at Beaver Lake. The foundation rocks remained, covered by the lake. For the new location, Doris Briley donated land next to Coal Gap School. A land survey was completed, the building permit was received, and trees were removed from the site prior to construction of the concrete foundation. During a drought period, the foundation stones were moved from the lake to the new site following permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The roof had to be removed from the building in Pea Ridge, and a mover transported the old building back to Glade.

After the roof was replaced with new corrugated roofing, exterior walls required filling, and window glass and floorboards were replaced as needed. Foundation stones were placed at the new site, and interior walls and building contents were returned to the site. The site then underwent electrification, weatherizing, and conversion into a museum, which included a post office corner.

Almost all projects were completed with volunteer work and with help from grants from the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission.

Other projects have enhanced the site. The Coal Gap School bell had been moved to Gateway (Benton County) and then to Cassville, Missouri, before the Douglas family volunteered to assist with its return, and a grant from the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission provided for a bell tower outside the Glade Museum in 2021. The following year, the Corps of Engineers gave permission for a pathway, and a grant provided signage for the Glade Community Historical Society on the old Jennings Ford Road from the museum to the White River across to Larue (Benton County), Blackburn Road, and War Eagle Mill. A small onsite bridge was built by a volunteer in 2023.

The society has as a standing goal the collection of oral histories relating to Glade, Pine Log (Benton County), and Garfield (Benton County).

For additional information:
Glade Community Historical Society. https://gladehistory.org/ (accessed August 9, 2023).

Patricia Williams Heck
Glade Community Historical Society