Bentonville resident Jerry Jones was a student at Morning Star Schoolhouse when he was in the first grade, just before the school closed in 1948. He remembers his teacher taught first through sixth grade all in the same classroom, with about 30 children total.

“I probably learned more in first grade than I ever did later on,” he said. 

Jones was one of several residents who shared their experiences with the historic schoolhouse on Feb. 27 at a public workshop held at the Bentonville Community Center. The event was part of an effort to gather community input on future programming for the Morning Star Schoolhouse building, which is no longer in use, and its surrounding greenspace. 

The 7-acre property at the corner of Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and Morningstar Road is now owned by the Walton Family Foundation. The foundation proposed a partnership with the city of Bentonville to transform the land and building into a community space — similar to its use once the school closed. 

For years, the former schoolhouse building served as a gathering place for nearby residents. Debra James remembers attending town meetings, chili suppers and bluegrass festivals on the site with her mom and grandma as a child. The building also served as a meeting place for 4-H programs.

“It's hard to imagine now, but we were out really far in Bentonville when we were growing up. So it served as a hub,” James said. 

Ideas for Future Use

Martin Smith, president of Ecological Design Group — which was hired to create a master plan for the site — said they would be looking at the transformation in two phases. The first would be concentrated on programming and access to the former schoolhouse building, and infrastructure and landscape would be the focus of phase two.

“We want everyone in the community to feel like they have ownership in the development of this space, and that's what's going to make it successful as we go,” Smith said.

While they are still in the initial idea phase of its future use, Smith said they are looking at working to minimize vehicular traffic due to its location on busy Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard. 

John Greer, a preservation architect with WER Architects, said the former schoolhouse, which he believes dates back to 1915, is part of the fabric of Bentonville. Inside the building, which is a little over 2,000 square feet, there is a stage, a kitchen and bathrooms, he said.

“The building has good bones. That's the good news,” he said. “The ideas that we want from you today is, how are we going to do this? What is the building going to serve?”

Bill Coffelt, a historian with Vintage Bentonville, said his main interest with the project is preserving the historic structure. 

“We’re losing too many of those,” he said. 

He said he’d like to see the history showcased within the building, with historical murals on the walls.

Bentonville resident Cindy Walters said at one point the building had served as a space for a home extension club, where people gathered to do canning and crafting activities. She said she’d like to see the space used for similar functions.

Debra James said her ideas for the space included a community garden, a space for farmers markets or community yard sales, and an area for a pavilion and playground.

“I just commend everyone associated with the project,” James said. “It is good to see it come back to life. And I think everybody is proud — the folks I've talked to in the community — they're proud that there's an interest being taken into the old schoolhouse.”