Bentonville's Early History

Bentonville's Early History. . , The Osage Nation first used the area now known as Bentonville for their hunting grounds. The Osage would leave their settlements to hunt in present day Benton County for months at a time before returning to their families. Settlers first inhabited the area around 1837 and named their settlement "Osage" after the Osage Nation. By this time, the Osage has ceased using the area for hunting, and the settlers began to establish farms. Upon establishment of Benton County, on September 20, 1836, Osage was deemed a suitable site for the first county seat in the State of Arkansas. The town square was established as the home of county government the following year. On January 3, 1906, Osage was renamed Bentonville in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri who strongly supported Arkansas statehood. , In 1837, the town square appears on the original plat map of Bentonville. There were 166 original town lots with 165 sq ft for residential and 82.5 sq ft for commercial. In 1885 the Bogart Hardware Building (112 E Central) and Roy's Office Supply (110 E Central) were constructed on the south side of the square. In 1888, the Terry Block Building was constructed. The Hotel Massey opened in 1910, replacing the Eagle Hotel, which hod stood on site since 1840. On May 9 1950, Sam Walton opened his new "Five and Dime" on the Bentonville Square. This space, along with the historic Terry Block Building is now home of the Walmart Museum. , Over the years, the Bentonville Square has served as the epicenter to this community. For most of its life, the Downtown Square served as the center of trade for the community. In 2008, the City of Bentonville performed a major renovation to the Square and the surrounding area. This renovation project provided a rebirth to the area commonly referred to today as Downtown Bentonville. Today Downtown Bentonville and Downtown Square are home to dozens of great restaurants, entertainment options and community events.