Located in: Arrow Rock, Missouri

Founded in 1829 on the flint-bearing bluffs overlooking the Missouri River Valley near a ferry crossing of the Santa Fe Trail, the historic Village of Arrow Rock boomed in the early 19th century, but with the shift of the river, two devastating fires, and an economy that depended heavily on trade with the South, it declined after the Civil War to become a footnote in history.

The Missouri Daughters of the American Revolution first noted the historic significance of the community in 1926 when it restored the J. Huston Tavern as a working restaurant. In 1959, the nonprofit Friends of Arrow Rock was formed to preserve more of the town’s historic buildings and related artifacts, encourage cultural and arts activities, and promote visitation.

Today the site is a major tourist attraction, drawing over 100,000 annually to its many activities and events. An adjacent State Park offers camping and a host of outdoor activities, and a Lyceum Theater attracts hundreds to its summer theater program. All historic buildings are interpreted, but also house interesting shops. The entire village has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. It is also a living community, with a handful of permanent residents, many seasonal homes, and lots of volunteers and supporters from throughout the state and across the nation.

In 2010, the Friends of Arrow Rock was awarded a Jeffris Heartland Fund grant to cover half the cost of historic structure reports for five of its historic buildings. That study was then used to formulate and guide a capital campaign strategy, which was launched in 2012 with a $230,000 Capital Campaign Challenge Grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation. On schedule, that challenge was met in 2015, and work began on four small buildings operated by the Friends most in need of attention:

• The IOOF Lodge Hall (1868) houses an early 19th Century print shop on the ground floor, and the upper level serves as meeting and event space.
• The Masonic Lodge Hall (1868) houses the Arrow Rock Craft Club and the second floor serves as a meeting room;
• The John P. Sites House (1830s/70s) interprets the life of a frontier gunsmith, and the adjacent…
• Sites Gun Shop (1840s) interprets his work space and features a collection of 19th Century firearms.