St Joseph Farmstead

St. Joseph Center is an independent non-profit organization with a mission to preserve and restore this historic property through sustainable farming and food production, programs that educate and promote agritourism, and support community outreach. Today, through the efforts of devoted volunteers, St. Joseph is a thriving, active place to learn, play, and grow! It offers the perfect blend of creativity for art, agriculture, and more. Come feel the palpable spirit that permeates this special place and join us in keeping it alive for another century!

St Joseph Center was designed by renowned architect Charles Thompson and completed in 1910. This beautiful 56,000 sq ft. building sits on 63 acres of land that has been farmed for more than a century. The property is on the National Register of Historic Places and has also been designated an Arkansas Department of Agriculture Century Farm. Over the years, St. Joseph's served as an orphanage, school, nursing home, day care, and retreat center run by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica. In 2008, the owners announced that St. Joseph's was closing and that the property would be sold. This news prompted the creation of St. Joseph Center of Arkansas, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to save and revitalize the property. In 2010, SJCA signed a 50-year lease and assumed all fiscal and management responsibilities for the property.