Military Road Museum

The Military Road Museum, commonly known as the Lavaca Museum, is located on Main Street in Lavaca (Sebastian County), a small city just outside of Fort Smith (Sebastian County). Curator Jack James began running the museum in the early 2000s. During Arkansas’s time as a territory, Lavaca served as a stop for soldiers traveling from Little Rock (Pulaski County) to the newly founded Fort Smith. The museum documents the history of Lavaca and the areas surrounding the old Military Road.

The museum is housed in one of Main Street’s four original turn-of-the-century brick buildings, owned by the city of Lavaca. Its artifacts include items representing the lives of soldiers who would have traveled through the town or on its nearby waterways, as well as items relating to the local farming community. It also features items related to the famed Lavacaberry, a hybrid variety of berry that takes its name from Lavaca, where it was planted extensively in the 1940s. Artifacts also include old photographs from area families, records and items from locals who served in the military, everyday items such as a pocketknife from the 1920s, and old telephone directories. The museum has hosted historical programs, such as the “Paths of the Young Republic: Military Roads of Western Arkansas and Indian Territory” in 2014 in conjunction with the Fort Smith Historical Society.

Most of the museum’s financial support comes from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, with additional funding from the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation as well as a Sustaining Humanities grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The museum is open on Saturdays and by appointment.

For additional information:
“Lavaca Museum to Host ‘Military Roads’ Program.” Fort Smith Times Record, January 15, 2024. https://www.swtimes.com/story/lifestyle/2014/01/15/lavaca-museum-to-host-military/26260577007/ (accessed July 17, 2025).

“Military Road Museum.” Arkansas.com. https://www.arkansas.com/lavaca/museums-libraries/military-road-museum (accessed July 17, 2025).

Mikaela Bailey
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture