We Are Celebrating 150 Years!

In 2025, the Peel Compton Foundation will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Peel Museum & Botanical Garden. Built in 1875, the Peel Museum is a treasured Bentonville landmark and one of the town’s oldest structures.

Samuel West Peel (lawyer, farmer, and Arkansas’ first Congressman) and his wife Mary Emaline Berry made Bentonville their home after the Civil War. Legend says that during their courtship, Samuel West Peel promised Mary Emaline that he would build her a house like the ones she remembered from her childhood in Alabama. This house is the fulfillment of that promise. In 1875, the historic Italianate home was completed and the family moved in. At that time, the house totaled 14 rooms and had two stories plus a basement and tower. The brick and stone were supplied by John Braithwaite, the owner of the first brickyard in Bentonville.

Special Events in 2025

June
Picnic on the Great Lawn

September
School Days

December
Christmas at Peel Museum