The year 2025 promises to be a historic one for the Berryville Public library and, by extension, for the town of Berryville. We broke ground on the new library in April, so the library should be finished in the spring of 2026. Preparation for the new building has made us at the Berryville Library nostalgic and reflective, not just about the library’s history but also about the town’s history. Other seminal moments in Berryville Library history occurred in 1938 and 1978, so we’ll be looking back this year on what Berryville was like then, as well as what it is like now, as we also look to the future.
For October, we’re looking at where Berryville gathers and plays, both in the past and present.
Historically, civic organizations and societies were one primary way that people met and mingled.
In Berryville, both the Freemasons and Oddfellows (IOOF) have a long-established history, stretching back to the 19th century. We usually focus on the 1930s as the earliest starting point for Celebrate Berryville, but by that time, both groups were well established in the community.
The Ashley chapter of the Masonic Lodge in Berryville was established in 1853. The Odd Fellows lodge was established a couple of decades later in 1879. By the late 1800s, both groups were often meeting in the second story of the first school on the Berryville square.
By the time the 1930s rolled around, both lodges had started to settle into other homes. The Odd Fellows, in fact, still meet above 206 Public Square in a room they’ve been using since the 1930s. At the time, the building was part of the original Nelson’s Funeral Home business. Nelson’s, of course, eventually moved to its current location off the square, but the Odd Fellows remained. Around the same time, the Masonic Lodge was also holding its meetings on the square.
Both groups are still alive and well in Berryville, with the Odd Fellows still gathering on the square and the Masons now convening on Bunch Springs Road.
Though both lodges are very old, they weren’t the only civic groups in town. In 1938, the Rogers Rotary Club hosted a charter dinner for Berryville.
Today, in 2025, the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis, the American Legion, and the Lions all have active chapters in Berryville. We also have a wonderful community center, the BCC, which opened in 2002 after a community-led effort to raise money for its construction. Over 90,000 people a year use it for classes, clubs, sports leagues, and exercise, as well as events. Like some of our own fundraisers!
The library itself is also a gathering place for Berryville. Our programming brings people together of all ages, from kids for Storytime and Lego Club to adults for the adult book club and our Fourth Monday Meetups.
In the new library, we are very much looking forward to having bigger and better spaces for these programs too! Speaking of which, earlier this month, the foundation was poured for the new building!
As we wait in great anticipation for this gathering place in Berryville to be built, we want to know where you like to gather and play in Berryville!
You can answer the prompts at any of our collection stations at the library, the community center, and the historical society. Also feel free to email us your responses and any pictures you have from the 1930s, 1970s, and now at celebrateberryville@gmail.com.
Everyone who fills out the prompt is eligible for our prize drawing. Each month up to five lucky people will win small prizes that celebrate fun things to do, fun places to eat, fun things made–you get the idea–all in Berryville! Responses and photos are also eligible for inclusion in our commemorative book at the end of this project.
Learn more about Celebrate Berryville on our landing page!
The following sources were especially helpful for researching this article:
Carroll County, Arkansas. “History of Berryville.” https://carrollcountyar.com/berryville.php
Carroll County, Arkansas. “Other Communities.” https://carrollcountyar.com/other-communities.php
Mark Curtis. “Rogers Rotary Club History.” https://share.google/jWqtjOV3VPlcWQwau
Rachel Silva. “Walk Through History: Downtown Berryville.” Arkansas Historic
Preservation Program. May 16, 2015. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/ahpp-documents/sandwiching-tour-scripts/berryville-tour-script-2015b611f167-35b1-4d6a-a67b-5b2ee0a0ccd5.pdf?sfvrsn=8095d8f2_5
Berryville Book Buzz 