Hardwood Tree Museum set for Chaffee Crossing

Announcing the placement of a Hardwood Tree Museum at Chaffee Crossing is a move to begin preserving the artifacts and other history related to the numerous economies built around the renewable production source, said Bob Worley.

The Association of the Hardwood Tree and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority are expected to formally announce today (Nov. 22) that 15 acres near the Arkansas River Valley Nature at Chaffee Crossing. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission also is supporting the effort.

“Donation of land by the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority and an arrangement with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission will enable the Association to accomplish its objective of locating the museum in a forest setting near the Nature Center,” noted a release from the FCRA.

Don Flanders, board chairman of Flanders Manufacturing and an executive committee member of the association, is expected to announce during a press conference held 1:30 p.m., Tuesday (Nov. 22), at the Nature Center that the plan is endorsed by the History Department of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, the Fort Smith Museum of History, the Fort Smith Historical Society and city of Fort Smith officials.

“At one time there were more than 1,000 woodworking establishments in the state, from baseball bats produced in Harrison, to the world’s largest producer of bows and arrows in Pine Bluff,” Flanders noted in the statement. “Fort Smith became the nation’s largest center of furniture production west of the Mississippi River. Pioneers of this industry were instrumental in the creation of the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests. It seemed only fitting to have the museum locate here and Chaffee Crossing provided the perfect setting with its abundance of natural resources and history all in one place.”

Worley said association members are sensitive about not competing with the U.S. Marshals Museum for dollars and attention, but the group wanted to get the word out in an effort to collect artifacts from the hardwood industry.

“We have learned that many people will clean our their attic and send those things (artifacts) to the landfill,” Worley said.

Worley said a large part of the Arkansas and Fort Smith regional economy was initially built around the many uses of hardwood.

“There is so much history here … you know, here in Fort Smith during World War II, we made all the wooden Army rifles for training,” Worley explained. “The hardwood tree has fueled the economy of hundreds of communities throughout the state. We want to capture that.”

The association has acquired “museum software” to help categorize and store collections, Worley said.

Worley said he began to push for the museum following a trip to Japan about four years ago. During the trip, he visited a museum in Yokohama dedicated to the silk worm.

In the museum “there was a mulberry tree, with a worm and the silk thread … I thought, ‘My gosh, if Japan can build a nice museum around a worm, why can’t we build a museum around a hardwood forest?’” Worley said.

According to the FCRA statement, the association has several short-term goals. They include:
• Acquire, preserve and exhibit the hardwood tree, and display objects that are of historical significance to the hardwood trade industry;
• Work with volunteers to collect unique artifacts, documents and interviews, and developing a computer database;
• Mark and identify trees and plant additional species of hardwoods and native flora to improve Nature Center programs; and,
• Provide landscaping and prepare outside exhibits.

Worley said the museum may have a facility in place in seven years, but said the timeline is not certain.

Those interested in helping with the association effort are asked to contact Worley at 782-4220.