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Just one block from the historic square in Berryville lies one of Arkansas’s most surprising museums.
The Saunders Memorial Museum isn’t the kind of place most travelers stumble upon when planning a weekend getaway. Yet inside this unassuming redbrick building lies a collection spanning the American frontier, the Old West, the Middle East, Europe and beyond. It is home to firearms once owned by famous outlaws and lawmen, Native American artifacts, Persian rugs, centuries-old artwork and treasures gathered from around the world by a remarkable Arkansas collector.
For anyone captivated by Western stories, a visit to the museum feels like stepping into a forgotten chapter of American history. But what makes the Saunders Memorial Museum special isn’t just what’s inside. It’s the story of the man who spent a lifetime building it and then chose to leave it all behind for Berryville’s people.
Who Was Colonel “Buck” Saunders?
Charles Burton “Buck” Saunders was born in 1867 and spent much of his childhood in Berryville after his family moved from Texas to the Ozarks. According to museum records, Saunders developed a reputation for exceptional marksmanship at an early age. His hunting skills became so well known that friends and neighbors began calling him “Buck,” a nickname that stayed with him for life.
As a young man, Saunders helped establish what would become the resort community of Eureka Springs. Historical accounts credit him with promoting the area’s famous springs and even contributing to the town’s name in its earliest days.
Eventually, Saunders headed West in search of opportunity. He worked in mining, banking, real estate, and business ventures across the American West, building a fortune that enabled him to pursue two lifelong passions: travel and collecting.
His fascination with firearms became legendary. He assembled an impressive collection in California, only to lose it in the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Most collectors would have stopped after that.
Saunders started over, with the help of his fiancee, offering his brother-in-law’s gun as the first addition to his new collection.
Over the following decades, he rebuilt his collection and expanded it far beyond firearms. Travel across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa introduced him to art, textiles, furniture, jewelry and cultural artifacts that captivated him. Everywhere he went, he brought pieces home.
Berryville Was Always Home
Despite his adventures around the world, Saunders never forgot Berryville.
In 1919, he returned to the town he considered home and spent the rest of his life sharing his collection with visitors. Thousands of people visited his residence to see the artifacts he had gathered during his travels, including on his 73rd birthday in 1936, when politicians, including Gov. Futrell, dignitaries and local friends gathered for a big celebration. At that occasion, the Governor commissioned him as “Colonel,” a title he carried for the rest of his life.
When Saunders died in 1952 at age 89, he left his collection, land for a museum, and funding to the city of Berryville, with one request: to preserve the collection and make it available to future generations. The result was the Saunders Memorial Museum, which opened in 1956 and continues to fulfill that mission, 70 years later.
Even Saunders’ former home remains part of the community, now serving as Berryville City Hall.
Legendary Gun Collection
Let’s be honest. The firearms collection draws people through the front door.
That was certainly the draw for my family. My dad was immediately captivated, while my son began asking questions about famous outlaws, frontier life and artifacts from distant places. The museum offered one of those rare moments when generations could connect over shared curiosity.
But calling the Saunders Memorial Museum a gun museum doesn’t tell the whole story.
Yes, the collection includes firearms associated with legendary lawmen and lawbreakers, including Jesse James, Frank James, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, Cherokee Bill, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. Visitors can also see rare Colt Walker pistols, early Colt Paterson revolvers, and examples that trace the evolution of firearms from early hand cannons to the early twentieth century.
What surprises many visitors is everything else.
What will you find in the Saunders Museum Collection?
The collection feels less like a museum exhibit and more like stepping into the personal treasure room of a world traveler. Thankfully, many of the docents have heard these stories over the years or met Mr. Saunders as children, so the accounts and details remain firsthand.
Highlights include:
- Lobby covered with White River area marble from Batesville
- A Sioux war bonnet reportedly worn by Sitting Bull during the Plains Indian Wars era
- An original Bowie knife connected to Arkansas frontier history
- A knife associated with Buffalo Bill Cody
- Geronimo’s scalping belt
- Extensive Native American artifacts and arrowhead collections
- Persian and Oriental rugs
- Teakwood furniture collected overseas
- Crystal, silver, China and decorative arts from around the world
- European artwork, including an original Italian painting
- Clothing and personal belongings belonging to both Colonel and Mrs. Saunders
- A colorful Arabian tent acquired during Saunders’ travels in the Middle East
One room may transport you to the American frontier. Another may feel like a European manor house. The next could showcase objects from Arabia or Asia.
That’s part of the fun; the collection reflects the curiosity of a man who wanted to see the world and to share those discoveries with others.
Planning Your Visit
The Saunders Memorial Museum is just one block east of Berryville’s historic downtown square, making it easy to pair with a day of exploring local shops, visiting the nearby Carroll County Heritage Center or taking a trip to nearby Eureka Springs.
The museum typically operates from mid-April through early November and is closed on Sundays. Admission remains remarkably affordable, making it one of the best values for history lovers in the Ozarks. The facility is wheelchair accessible and accommodates group visits and motor coach tours.
An Unexpected Arkansas Treasure
Arkansas is full of places that surprise people.
The Saunders Memorial Museum may be one of the best examples.
What began as one man’s fascination with history, travel, craftsmanship, and collecting became a gift to an entire community. More than seventy years after his passing, visitors can still walk through the galleries and experience the wonder Colonel “Buck” Saunders hoped others would feel.
Whether you’re seeking a Father’s Day outing, a unique stop near Eureka Springs, or simply an excuse to discover something unexpected in the Ozarks, the Saunders Memorial Museum shows that some of Arkansas’s most remarkable stories are still hiding in plain sight.
Saunders Memorial Museum
113 E. Madison Ave | Berryville
Website
- Open: April 15 – November 7
- Hours: Mon. – Sat. – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Last entrance at 4 p.m.
- The museum is closed on all government holidays
- Contact for group tours; tour bus parking behind the building.
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