Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society

The Baxter County, Arkansas, Historical Society was founded on September 27, 1974, by a group of "old-timers," joined by some "new-comers," who were interested in preserving the history of our county.

Each issue of Baxter County History, the quarterly publication of The Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society, contains approximately 30 pages.

In 1992 the Society purchased the old Rollins Hospital in Gassville with the help of the late Charles Blackburn. It was opened in July 2000, but the tornado of February 2008 brought enough damage that made it too expensive to repair. The paper collections have been moved to an area donated by Baxter County which has been designated as the Baxter County Archives.

Baxter County Archives

Hours
Tuesday and Thursday
Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Collections

     Historic school records from all 68 school districts in Baxter County. These are from the office of the County Superintendent of Schools, which no longer exists.
     Records from old stores
     Some court records
     Native American collection, including information on the Trail of Tears across Baxter County
     Collection of railroad memorabilia
     Collection of hospital equipment from Rollins Hospital
     Collection of military uniforms and pictures of Baxter County military personnel

Genealogy

     A large collection of genealogy books and other materials from Baxter and Marion Counties, as well as records from many areas of the United States.

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     If you've lived in the area for any length of time, or if your ancestors are from Baxter County, you're sure to enjoy browsing the Archives.

     We also have a wide variety of genealogy and local history books for sale, as well as past copies of "The History," the quarterly journal of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society.

     If you are looking for genealogy we will try and help you with Baxter, Marion and Izard counties.

In 1992, the city of Mountain Home agreed to allow the Society to have a section of Cooper Park to erect Rapp's Barrens, a pioneer village of buildings which were moved from several areas of the county. The village now contains two log cabins, a shot-gun house, and the Shady Grove School. Baxter County History Day is observed each October in Rapp's Barrens. In 2002 the Rapp's Barrens Pioneer Village was officially returned to the City of Mountain Home.