SPOTLIGHT
By Kara Isham | Photos by Michael Gjellum
Peel Compton Foundation Celebrates 150 Years of Preserving History
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A vital part of Arkansas’ history lies in the middle of one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
The Peel Museum & Botanical Garden, featuring one of the finest examples of Italianate-style architecture in the South and one of only a few homes of that style still in existence, sits on 3.5 acres in the middle of Bentonville.
This year, the mansion that is the centerpiece to the Peel Museum celebrates its 150th anniversary. Kelly Kemp-McLintock, assistant director of development and special projects for the Peel Compton Foundation, said several exciting events are planned throughout the year to celebrate the anniversary, highlighting the importance of the home to the area’s history.
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“This is a very special milestone year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Peel (house), and we won’t get this opportunity again,” Kemp-McLintock said. “It’s important to raise awareness for this iconic property in Bentonville so future generations can enjoy it.”
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Construction began on the 14-room Peel home, known as “The Oaks” for the surrounding oak trees, in 1874 and was completed in 1875. At its largest, the Peel property spanned nearly 150 acres, including apple orchards, gardens and cow pastures.
Home to Samuel W. and Mary Emaline Peel and their children until 1904, the house had a few other owners before falling into disrepair. When the Walton family purchased the land, Helen Walton insisted that the home and property surrounding it be preserved and restored. With the support of other Bentonville families, restoration began on the Peel Mansion in 1991 and was completed in 1993. Today, the Peel Museum offers free tours to visitors Tuesdays through Saturdays, and several of the museum’s historical spaces can be rented for private events.
Visitors to the mansion and surrounding gardens get to see firsthand the craftsmanship of the home, including the carved black walnut staircase, the original pine floors and the tall ceilings that helped keep the home cool in a pre-air conditioned era. The home featured many trends of the time that were both fashionable and functional.
The museum also offers visitors a glimpse into what life was like post-Civil War for a family of significant means. The museum is filled with photos and memorabilia from the Peel family as well as from their descendants who continue to contribute found objects or period pieces to the collection.
Recently, the Peel Museum & Botanical Garden achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums.
The Peel family moved to Bentonville in 1867 from Carroll County after their original home was destroyed in the Civil War. An attorney and eventual U.S. congressman, Samuel Peel would retire from practicing law in 1890 and organize the first bank in Bentonville — First State Bank of Arkansas.
Along with touring Samuel’s home office, visitors can also see a recreation of Mary Emaline’s dining table complete with formal dinnerware.
Chelsea Stewart, museum manager and curator of the Peel Museum & Botanical Garden, said Mary Emaline was in charge of keeping up the property while her husband worked in Washington D.C. Having faced starvation during the Civil War, Mary Emaline kept stores of food on hand and was known for her generosity to those who were facing hard times of their own. “If you were hungry, Mrs. Peel was going to feed you, no questions asked,” Stewart said.
Samuel and Mary Emaline had nine living children, and the home features a collection of the children’s clothes, books and toys, including their beloved wooden rocking horse, Bucky.
The Peel property also features seven historical gardens as well as the family’s original ice house, the last-known remaining building of its type in Arkansas. Visitors can also gaze into the 20-foot well that still contains fresh water.
All tours end at the Museum Store, an 1850s cabin moved from Prairie Grove to the Peel property as a representative of what an Arkansas family of more modest means would have called home. The store features Arkansas local products, offering unique souvenirs.
As part of the 150th anniversary, local families who helped support the original renovation of the Peel home will have the opportunity to join a special anniversary fundraising campaign, with the foundation hoping to raise $150,000 by August. As contributors to the special fundraiser, donors will be recognized by an updated donor plaque and have the opportunity to attend a party with board members and Peel descendants hosted by Jim and Lynne Walton.
“This campaign is a nod to the initial givers and the legacy left by Helen Walton,” Kemp-McLintock said.
This year will also feature several fun events, such as a community picnic June 1. The picnic will include an old-fashioned style fried chicken meal with sides as well as ice cream sundaes. There will be exhibits that take visitors back in time to experience life in the late 1800s. Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman will also bury a time capsule. “We really want to reengage with the community with that event,” Kemp-McLintock said.
She said the anniversary will also make this year’s Christmas at the Peel Museum an even more special event.
Anyone in the community has the opportunity to be part of the Peel Museum legacy, as a $150 donation to the anniversary campaign will purchase an engraved brick on the front walk leading to the home’s main entrance. They will serve as a timeless reminder of the support from the community to preserve the site for future generations.