Bauxite Museum

6706 Benton Road

PO Box 245

Bauxite, Saline County, Arkansas 72011

501-557-9858

Admission to this museum is free and well worth a short trip to check out!

 

Museum Hours: Wednesday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunday 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. or by appointment

From the museum brochure: The American Bauxite Company received authorization from  their home office in Pittsburgh on July 6, 1925, for the construction of the Bauxite Community Hall.  Ground was broken for the building on July 19, 1925.  Construction was financed by dues equivalent to one hour's pay per month accessed to all employees of the company.  An example being, a man earned .25 cents an hour would pay .25 cents per month with assessments beginning September 1, 1926.

The Independence Day celebration in 1926 was held July 3, combining the celebration with the laying of the corner stone of the Community Hall and the dedication of the beautiful building.  The Community Hall was located at Benton Road and Church Street.

The Community Hall served the residents of Bauxite well with a reading room/library to the left of the front entrance and the card room to the right allocated to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.   The big hall was used as a gymnasium with its beautifully polished floors beckoning those who would indulge in basketball, boxing or dancing.  The kitchen and pantry located in the back of the hall was amply equipped to serve two hundred people at one sitting. The Masonic Lodge was located in the upstairs hall.

A board of governors elected by the employees of American Bauxite Company (Alcoa) supervised the management and operation of the building and community activities.  The company maintained the building after construction, until October 1986.  To lessen maintenance costs, alterations to the outside of the building were made in March 1972, removing the outside balcony and changing the appearance of the original building.

Bauxite Historical Association & Museum Organization & History

The town of Bauxite ceased to exist after December 1, 1968.  Alcoa continued to operate and maintain the Bauxite Community Hall until 1986 when it discontinued operation.

A town meeting was held February 1, 1968, at the Bauxite Community Hall in an attempt to preserve one of the last remaining landmarks for former residents, descendants and employees of Alcoa.

A board of directors was elected at the meeting to serve as the governing body of the new organized Alcoa Employees and Descendants Association, later named Bauxite Historical Association and Museum.  The Association received the deed from Alcoa, October 15, 1986.  In order to maintain interest in the association, the Bauxite Museum evolved.  On May 24, 1986, one room of the Bauxite Community Hall was opened, the beginning of the Bauxite Museum.  The room was formerly used as the reading room and library for the small town.  Enthusiastic support for the museum project eventually lead to the extension of the three additional rooms.

The maintenance and operation of the Community Hall and Museum is the responsibility  of the Bauxite Historical Association and Museum (BHAM).  It is financed through donations, rentals of the Community Hall, memorials and honorariums.  The museum is a 501 (c) organization and exists without federal, state or local aid.

Bauxite, Arkansas

Following the discovery of extensive bauxite ore deposits in 1887, an ore drying plant was located here by The Pittsburg Reduction Co. In 1903 a small village was laid out to house the workers. This village which included a bank, hospital, theater and several churches and business houses, became a classic example of the "company-owned" town. During World War II the community reached a peak of 7,000 people when ore from mines located near here supplied the nation with domestic aluminum which was critical in the production of arms.

Benton Saline County Bicentennial Committee

On the 50th Anniversary of the End of World War II
Dedicated to the thousands of Arkansans who worked here tirelessly to supply the vital aluminum that made possible the successful American campaign, 1941 - 1945, to rid the world of tyranny.

Dedicated by the Alcoa Employee Descendants Association and Alcoa. - July 29, 1995