One Tiny Town - Two Unusual Museums

The town of Lakeview was formed because of the Bull Shoals Dam. Completed in  1952, its construction gave rise, as well, to the town of Bull Shoals.

Ozark Playground Series
Part of the business district of Lakeview, Arkansas. Lakeview is a nationally known resort area, offering complete accommodations for the entire family. The business district is located on Bull Shoals Lake and only one mile from Bull Shoals Dam. Excellent motels, restaurants, gift shops, drug sundries, sporting goods shops and other business facilities to serve you. At Lakeview you have choice of lake or river fishing, including public boat dock, bathing beach, fishing pier and floating swimming pool for children. For fun and relaxation, visit in the Ozarks often.
Ansochrome by Huel M. Morrison

A very small town, even today, one can still find the buildings that once contained the Where Away Button Mosaics and Penrod Museum. Any indication that there were once museums there is long gone. It's interesting to realize that such a small town could house two museums virtually right next door to each other.

Penrod's Hobby Museum
Lakeview, Arkansas
One of the nation's most outstanding privately owned Hobby Museums. 57 fabulous collections from all over the world. Hundreds of rare collector's items. Representing over 40 years of collecting by Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Penrod.

Penrod's Hobby Museum now houses a motorcycle sales and repair shop and the former Where Away building currently has a store carrying all sorts of merchandise.

I don't really remember Penrod's. I moved to the Twin Lakes area in 1979, and it may have closed by then. If anyone knows more of the history, I would love to hear about it.

I do remember Where Away Button Mosaics. A friend actually bought many of the collectibles when it closed in the 1980s. If anyone know what happened to the Button Mosaics, which were not for sale, I would really enjoy learning about them.

You can see the two button mosaics on the wall below in color.

Button Mosaics
"Where Away" Gift Shop
Bull Shoals Dam, Lakeview, Arkansas
One of the world's only old Button Mosaics, created by Norman C. Engeler. There are fifteen completed Mosaics, containing over 180,000 buttons; many rare collectors items, representing thirty years of collecting and handwork.
On exhibition at "Where Away" the Ozarks outstanding Gift Shop.

As you can see, the Button Mosaics were displayed quite prominently along the walls of the shop, What you can't see, is that there were many more collectibles, including antique dolls, wood carvings by local artists like Junior Cobb, glassware, and much more displayed in the shop. Below are more of the button mosaics in color and black and white on postcards I have collected. Most have the same description on the back as the Dawn of a New Day postcard.

Red Wing is to the right in color below.

The close-ups of both Chief Crazy Horse and Red Wind show a lot more detail and some idea of just how much work was involved in each Button Mosaic.

Chief Crazy Horse
One of the world's only collections of fifteen Old Button Mosaics at WHERE-AWAY, Bull Shoals Dam, Lakeview, Arkansas. Approximately 20,000 buttons in this picture - 46 1/2 by 52 1/2 inches.

Again, if you have more about the history of either of these interesting places or about the Button Mosaics and where they ended up, I would really enjoy hearing about it.