August 10, 1986

The Tontitown Historical Museum, established to preserve the local Italian American history of Washington County, opened its doors for the first time. The museum is housed in the former Bastianelli home, which was built in 1910. Three sisters from this founding family (Rose, Zelinda, and Mary Bastianelli) had collected and preserved Tontitown artifacts and historical memorabilia. When Zelinda Bastianelli died at the age of 102, she left the family home to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The home was later purchased by the city of Tontitown to house the collection of artifacts.