Friends of the Historic Johnson Farm in Arkansas

05/12/2026

The finding aid for the Historic Johnson Farm archives are now online! https://uark.as.atlas-sys.com/repositories/2/resources/2847 Access the physical materials at the UA Fayetteville Mullins Library Special Collections.

"Benjamin F. Johnson II, a store owner in Everton, Missouri, traded his store for an apple and pear orchard to the south of Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1908....other members of his family lived in the Fayetteville area, most notably owning and operating the Johnson Mill and providing the name for Johnson, Arkansas... The farm is still in Johnson family hands at present."

"The Benjamin F. Johnson II Family Papers consist of correspondence, pictures, account books, business records, drawings, newspaper articles, educational materials, memorabilia, genealogical records, and some born digital materials related to the lives of members of the Benjamin F. Johnson II Family. The subjects of the collection include [but are not limited to] Benjamin F. Johnson II, Rachel Divelbiss Johnson, Lenora Johnson, Eva Johnson, Wayne Johnson, Wilton Johnson, Arthur Johnson, Benjamin F. Johnson III, and Lilie S. Gordon Johnson. Included are records related to Fayetteville businesses such as Fayetteville Lumber and Cement, Lewis Brothers, First National Bank of Fayetteville, and McIlroy Bank, as well as regional organizations like the Northwest Arkansas Archeological Society and the Ozark Nature Club."

04/30/2026

On display through May at Butterfield Trail Village, the Johnson Barn history and architectural model designed by UA Architecture students Maria Castrell and Natalia Zamurano in 2025! Complete with tiny cow. Very well done! 🫶
https://butterfieldtrailvillage.org/

04/09/2026

Discover the history of this farm for yourself, available to the public at UA Fayetteville Mullins Library Special Collections! Use the following identifiers to locate materials from the Historic Johnson Farm near Fayetteville:

Rieff’s Chapel School District Records (MC 2718)- Finding aid: https://uark.as.atlas-sys.com/repositories/2/resources/2815 .

Benjamin F. Johnson II Papers (MC 2716) - among many other things, this includes architectural drawings of the barn. Finding aid: https://uark.as.atlas-sys.com/repositories/2/resources/2847

Benjamin F. Johnson IV Papers (MC 2717)

10/30/2025

Halloween pranks 110 years ago at the Historic Johnson Farm: People love to have fun, even back then!

Wilton Johnson wrote to his brother Wayne on October 31st, 1915 about a neighborhood Halloween prank: “... me and the Kelly wimmin (old lady and all) stacked the furniture in the cabin close to Spring. You should have seen the mess. I took the slats out of bead (sic) and put them between the ticks (sic) and took the lard can out of the kitchen and set it under the bed. Then we drug out an old cot and set it up and took Ed’s old clothes and stuffed them and laid [them] on said cot. Got the old gun and a bottle and old ash pan for ‘spittoon’ and set it beside the cot and tied a piece of corn bread to one hand. Then we got a rock[ing] chair and set it close to the cot and got Alice’s duds and stuffed them and set them in said chair. We turned the pictures to the wall and, in fact, strewed things around right. We didn’t expect them to come home till this evening, but Ed came home last night. He was sure hot. He called Alice up about 11 to tell her about it. If anything develops, I will tell you later. I hear the old man Rogers was looking for his buggy wheels this morning. What do you think of that?”

Photos: Oct. 31, 1915 Letter from Wilton to Wayne; Cecil Kelly, Grace Kelly and friend.

09/09/2025

From Anne, "Back Roads Barns will be broadcasted on PBS this Thursday night, the 11th, at 7pm, channel 702. It is part of their Archive series!" Or watch the Johnson Barn interview with Anne starting at 21 minutes in on YouTube:

This AETN original production features barns across Arkansas. Travel through rural Arkansas on a visual road trip to classic barns that have long been a part...

08/29/2025

Blueprints and more information on the Johnson Barn is now housed at the UA Fayetteville Special Collections in Mullins Library (MC2716_Box65 Johnson Family Papers) This design was drawn by Benjamin Franklin Johnson III in 1933 when the barn was built. This shows the barn as 33 feet high!

08/19/2025

Johnson Barn pics & build info:
Designed by Harvard graduate in Landscape Architecture Benjamin Franklin Johnson III who was raised on this farm. The barn was built in June & July of 1933 after a heavy late spring snow collapsed the previous barn on the same site. Cost to Build: $1,255.40 The barn had livestock like cattle and mules, hay in the loft, and was used for various farm activities. At least 12 laborers are recorded as paid to build the barn (named below). Pay varied in the farm's 1930s accounts and included 35 cents/hour, 50 cents/hour, $1/day and so on. Listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Detailed architectural and historic information is here in the register listing:https://nara-media.s3.amazonaws.com/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AR/90000896.pdf
1. W. H. Armstrong
2. John Black
3. C. E. Brooks
4. Frank Brooks (built barn bridge, wings on foundation)
5. Ernest Clark
6. Gus Fullerton
7. Carl Fredrick
8. L. M. Kinzer (barn siding and roofing)
9. R. H. Hicks (barn siding and roofing)
10. Roy Lynch
11. J. A. Trowbridge
12. R. L. Lewis

08/19/2025

UPDATE: We're accepting our final student group today August 20th at 1:00 and will not be scheduling more until later this year. Thank You for not trespassing! -Fawn, Amanda

UA Architecture Students, Hello!
Want to visit the Johnson Barn or see original blueprints? We're a team of volunteer stewards that live on-site and can help you, but please schedule a time. Call or text Amanda (479) 799-9909. Please do not show up and wander this private property with cameras everywhere, thank you! 😉

Photo credit: 1990 AR Historic Preservation Program for the National Register listing.

06/17/2025

Today, UA Fayetteville Special Collections team and our team at the Historic Johnson Farm moved about 85 boxes of old letters, diaries and more in the Johnson Family Papers donated by Anne Prichard (née Johnson) which will be made available to the public and students for research!!
Thank You Anne, Thank You Special Collections