Bella Vista Business Association Directory

12 | 2023 Bella vista Business association directory Museum tells Bella Vista's unique history e Bella Vista Historical Museum is a nonprofit organization and an active member of the Bella Vista Business Association. Xyta Lucas is co-president of the Bella Vista Historical Society, which operates the museum. She finds value in the museum's BVBA membership. Recently, the Bella Vista Historical Museum hosted a BVBA morning meeting. Nearly everyone who attended knew of the museum, but many had never been inside or knew what the museum offers the community. e gi shop, Lucas pointed out, is an important part of raising funds to keep the independent nonprofit open. In recent years, museum volunteer Jill Werner upgraded the gi shop from what used to be just a card table near the entrance. She found a supplier that allowed them to order souvenirs in small quantities. Now, the museum offers Bella Vista-themed puzzles, postcards, magnets, T-shirts and baseball caps. e gi shop also offers unique, donated collectibles. Former collectors donate items, oen when downsizing, to find loving homes for their treasures when their children and grandchildren don't want them. e gi shop has seen collections of salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars and fine china. Currently, collectible elephants are featured thanks to Lucas' brother, who decided to start liquidating his lifelong collection. e museum accepts donations related specifically to Bella Vista to display as part of its permanent collection. Recently, there have been several such donations, including two slot machines from the early 1900s. "ere's no way to know precisely, but (BVBA) does give us more visibility in the community," Lucas said. at increased visibility leads to more visitors and donations from the community. Bella Vista's history is unique, and the museum tells the story that began in 1915 with Lake Bella Vista. e man-made lake was part of a planned summer resort that didn't quite get off the ground. e Lineberger brothers took over the resort in 1916 and started expanding it. ey added a pavilion for dancing, a lodge and a large swimming pool. ey also built the Sunset Hotel in 1929 and turned the Wonderland Cave into a night club. Many wealthy families from larger mid-west cities spent their summers at the cabins that surrounded Lake Bella Vista. In 1952, the resort was sold to E.L. Keith, who in turn sold it to John A. Cooper Jr. in 1965. Cooper and his company purchased many of the farms north of the resort and developed a planned community that included amenities like golf courses, country clubs and swimming pools, along with a property owners association to run them. Today, the museum consists of three large rooms that represent the three eras of the resort: the Linebarger-era, the Keith-era and the Cooper-era. A small cabin was moved from another location in town and was furnished to represent the area's earliest settlers. e museum's storage unit that houses donations for the permanent collection is currently full. Building an addition would give them a chance to spread out and add to the premanent collection, as well as provide more on-site storage. e museum's board has not made a final decision on raising funds for an expansion, but Lucas believes they will start talking about it soon at their meetings. "We're bursting at the seams right now," she said. By Lynn Atkins Special to Bella Vista Business Association Directory

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