Category Archives: History

Heritage Month – Fordyce House

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FordyceThe Fordyce House was built in 1904 for Mr. and Mrs John R. Fordyce.  The house was designed architect Charles L. Thompson in an Egyptian Revival style.  The Egyptian Revival style is rarely seen in houses in the United States,  major features of the style include the porch columns resembling bundles of stalks tied together and flared at the top and the “battered” walls that slant inward as they rise.

The Fordyce ‘s lived in the house until 1920 when it was sold to James Shipton who lived in the house until 1950.  The house has remained a single family home through the years.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 9, 1975.

Heritage Month – Fones House

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FonesThe Fones House, located at 902 West Second, has two areas of significance.  Architecturally, the house is a leading example of the Victorian Italianate style, which is rare in Little Rock.  Secondly, the builder, Daniel G. Fones, was a leading Little Rock businessman.

The two and one-half storey Fones House is constructed of red brick.  The exterior features a bracketed frieze topped by a steep gabled roof with wrought iron cresting, decorative window heads in several different styles and ornately railed balconies.

Daniel Gilbert Fones was born in Decatur, Georgia, on August 19, 1837, the eldest son of Alvan T. and Adelia A. Cone Fones.  Though raised in relatively luxurious surroundings, after his father’s death he was apprenticed as a tinsmith at the age of 15.  In 1855, he came to Pine Bluff, and in 1859, moved to Little Rock.  That year, he formed the Fones Brothers’ partnership which would eventually became known as Fones Brothers’ Hardware and existed until 1987.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Fones enlisted in the Confederate Army; after the war he returned to Little Rock.  He remained a civic leader throughout the rest of his life.  The Fones House was constructed in 1878 for Fones and his wife.

Fones was president of the Fones Brothers’ Hardware Company, President of the Arkansas Building and Loan Association, Vice President of the Equitable Building and Loan Association, President of the German National Bank and was associated with many other financial enterprises.  He served as an alderman in Little Rock and in 1916 was elected to the Little Rock School Board.

Fones married Texanna Dustan Reaves on May 30, 1867, who died in 1893.  In 1899 he was married to Mrs. James Hennegan Tucker.  Fones, who had no descendants, died May 28, 1916.

The Fones House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1975.

Heritage Month – Curran Hall

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Curran HallCurran Hall, sometimes known as the Walters-Curran-Bell House, stands at 615 East Capitol Avenue and is one of the few remaining antebellum properties in Little Rock.  It was built in 1842 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1976.

Curran Hall was constructed in the Greek Revival style. The original one-story structure of the house was made with walls three bricks thick, cypress interior and exterior, and solid wood trimming and was settled on a raised foundation. The original interior floor plan was a four-room, central-hall type, although it was later added to by various owners. Each of the four rooms contains its original fireplace and classically designed mantel. The original interior of the house remains relatively undisturbed; however, the two rear additions have been fully transformed. In 1848, a children’s playhouse was constructed at the back of the house. The existing playhouse was reconstructed in the 1960s with materials from various historic houses in Little Rock.

Over the years, Curran Hall has been owned by several important Arkansas families. It changed hands fairly frequently from 1842 until the 1881.  At that point in time, Mary Eliza Bell, the daughter of Gazette founder William E. Woodruff moved in.  Her descendants stayed in the house until 1993.  In 1996, the structure was sold to the City of Little Rock.  The City’s Advertising & Promotion Commission and a private foundation raised money to restore the building.  After six years and $1.4 million, the house was formally opened to the public as the Little Rock Visitor Information Center on May 18, 2002.

In March 2007, the Quapaw Quarter Association took over the management of Curran Hall as the City’s official visitor information center.  The building is open daily for visitors to tour as well as learn about activities throughout the City.

Today, (Sunday, May 10), Curran Hall is one of the featured properties on the 51st Annual Quapaw Quarter Association Spring Tour of Homes.

Mother’s Day Little Rock Look Back: Eliza Bertrand Cunningham, Founding Mother of Little Rock

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Eliza CunninghamEliza Wilson Bertrand Cunningham was the First Lady of Little Rock.  She literally was the first lady and the founding mother.

She became the first permanent female resident when she joined her husband Matthew Cunningham in Little Rock.  She gave birth to Chester Ashley Cunningham, the first baby born in Little Rock, as well as several other children with Cunningham.  When he became the first Mayor of Little Rock, she was the first First Lady of Little Rock. They hosted the first Little Rock Council meeting at their house on what is now the block downtown bounded by Third, Main, Fourth and Louisiana Streets.  Her son Charles P. Bertrand, from her first husband, later served as Mayor of Little Rock, making her the only woman to be married to a Mayor and be mother of a Mayor.

Born in Scotland in December 1788, she emigrated with her parents to the United States as a young girl.  In 1804 or 1805, she married a French businessman, Pierre Bertrand in New York City.  She lived in New York City, while he traveled to his various business ventures.  He never returned from a trip to his coffee plantation in Santo Domingo and was presumed to have died in 1808 or 1809.  She and Bertrand had three children, Charles Pierre, Arabella and Jane. (Jane may have died in childhood, because records and lore only indicated Charles and Arabella coming to Little Rock with their mother.)

Eliza married Dr. Matthew Cunningham in New York City.  He later moved to Saint Louis and settled in Little Rock in early 1820.  Eliza and her two children came to Little Rock in September 1820.  In 1822, she gave birth to Chester Ashley Cunningham, the first documented baby born in Little Rock.  (There are unsubstantiated reports that at least one slave child may have been born prior to Chester.)  She and Matthew also had Robert, Henrietta, Sarah and Matilda.  The latter married Peter Hanger, after whom the Hanger Hill neighborhood is named.

Dr. Cunningham died in June 1851.  Eliza died in September 1856. They and Chester (who died in December 1856) are buried in the Hanger family plot at Mount Holly Cemetery.

Today from 1 to 5, the 51st Quapaw Quarter Association Spring Tour of Homes

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qqa tourThe Quapaw Quarter Association will hold its 51st Spring Tour of Homes next month in historic downtown Little Rock. The event has existed since 1963 and this year we continue to celebrate decades of remarkable preservation that has made downtown Little Rock the South’s most impressive urban renewal success story!

Tickets for this award winning tour of downtown are $25 today. The tour runs from 1pm to 5pm.

The Sunday tour will feature three trolleys throughout the route.
Trolley Stops: 
  • 509 Scott Street (Christ Episcopal Church)
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)
  • Daisy Bates and Main Street(Bernice Gardens)
  • Daisy Bates and Broadway
  • 13th and Spring Street
QQATicket Booths: 
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)
  • Daisy Bates and Broadway
Restrooms: 
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)

 

Here are the properties to be featured!

Historic CURRAN HALL, ca. 1842

615 E. Capitol Avenue

Construction of Curran Hall began in 1842. The home was a wedding gift from Colonel Ebenezer Walter, to his wife Mary Starbuck. She unfortunately passed before the home was completed. The home would then be sold the home to James M. Curran in 1849. The home remained with the Currans until 1881, and Mary Curtis Bell, daughter of William E. Woodruff, in 1884. The home stayed in the Bell family until 1997, when local preservationists and the City of Little Rock joined forces to save it. The home was restored through this partnership to its original glory as a Greek Revival, and today serves as Little Rock’s Visitor Information Center.

1411 Broadway, ca. 1896

The history of construction for this home is unknown, beyond that it was likely constructed before 1896. The primary owner after its construction, throughout the 1890s and early 1900s was Frank Carl, a businessman. The structure then had various owners from 1912- 1922 and was divided up as a rental property from 1922-1935. The home was officially the Broadway Apartments from 1935 to 1975 and became commercial property after that until the Miller family purchased the home for rehabilitation. The home is now a single family home once again and has been restored with historically appropriate details.

HAILE COTTAGE, ca. 1880s

417 W. 13th Street

The Haile family, Andrew J. and his mother Annie, likely constructed the cottage in the late 1880s. This home appears to have been built as a rental property. The Haile Cottage did not remain under the ownership of the Haile family for long. It changed hands many times throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Throughout the early 1900s, there were several additions on the east and west sides of the home. There was also a second story added. It was not until 1989 that the home would be purchased to be restored to its original beauty.Carl Miller, Jr. purchased the home for restoration. When the home was purchased, it had seen years of deterioration and overall neglect. Miller’s rehabilitation restored the Haile Cottage to its original Folk Victorian charm.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1941

509 Scott Street

In 1839, Leonidas Polk helped organize Christ Episcopal church in Senator Chester Ashley’s home. It was named after Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, of which several of the group had been members. Bishop Polk arranged to buy property at the church’s present location, 5th & Scott Streets, in 1840. In 1846 the first church building was opened. By 1873, that building had been destroyed by fire. By 1887 the funds had been raised and a new building was opened. In 1938, before an unveiling of a new interior, this building burned as well. Plans were again drawn for a new church, this time in a neo-gothic style, with the exterior of Arkansas stone rather than the red brick of the former church. In September of 1941 the current building was opened. Guided tours of Christ Episcopal Church will begin at the front door and take place at 2, 3, and 4 p.m.

FIREHOUSE HOSTEL AND MUSEUM, ca. 1917

1201 Commerce Street

Little Rock Fire Station no. 2 is one of the most visible and well known landmarks in the MacArthur Park Historic District. The firehouse was opened in 1917 after moving from its Main Street location to the western end of City Park, now known as 1201 S. Commerce. The fire station, as seen today, is definitively Craftsman. Originally it featured a large porch and had some Spanish Revival elements as well. In 1959 the station was closed when a new station opened on 9th street. The building has served as a meeting location for clubs and organizations in the community, and has been managed by the City of Little Rock since the late 1990s. In 2006 Hosteling Arkansas, Inc. began plans to turn the firehouse into a hostel and museum. It is set to open later this year.

HERRON HORTON OFFICE/STUDIO/RESIDENCE, 2008

1219 South Spring Street

Architects Jennifer Herron and Jeff Horton designed and built their 2008 office and art studio as a separate structure beside the home they designed and built at the same time for their family of four. The two energy efficient structures are joined through a passageway and transition space that connects home to work and work back to home. As infill in an historic neighborhood at a point where residential begins to transition to commercial, the Herron Horton office/studio and residence offers a thoughtful and elegant counterpoint to the older homes and commercial businesses surrounding them.

Heritage Month – Hinderliter House

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HinderliterThe Hinderliter House is the oldest building still in existence in Little Rock.  It is now part of the Historic Arkansas Museum.

The Hinderliter Grog Shop began as a log structure in 1826-27 by Jesse Hinderliter, a man of German descent. It was his home and business, where he lived with his wife and two slaves until his death in 1834. Popular folklore associates the building with the last meeting of the territorial legislature of 1835. Red oak logs and cypress flooring were used in the grog shop’s construction. The clapboard siding and porch were later additions. Inside, the hand-carved federal mantel in the formal dining room shows that style was important, even in a log house on the frontier.

Many modifications were made to the building over the years.  Work to restore it in the late 1930s and again in the late 1960s removed many of these alterations.

The Hinterliter House and other structures on the Historic Arkansas Museum can be toured daily. They are being showcased today (May 9) as part of HAM’s 42nd Annual Territorial Fair.

The Hinderliter House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1970.

42nd Annual Territorial Fair at Historic Arkansas Museum today from 10 to 4

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hamlogoHistoric Arkansas Museum will host the 42nd Annual Territorial Fair on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This popular annual event is a fun and free opportunity for adults and children of all ages to experience what life was like during Arkansas’s Territorial era. Living history performances, blacksmith demonstrations, historical dances and pioneer games will be happening on the museum’s historic grounds, a preserved and meticulously recreated section of an early downtown Little Rock neighborhood.

Living historians will portray residents of the museum’s historic block. Visitors can witness a raucous card game in the Hinderliter Grog Shop, Little Rock’s oldest surviving structure (c. 1827), or visit a territorial lawyer for a land deed.  In the Print Shop, “Arkansas Gazette” founder William Woodruff will be looking for apprentices and young visitors are encouraged to apply!

Blacksmith Terr Fair for webHistoric Arkansas Museum’s master bladesmith, Lin Rhea, will provide demonstrations in the Black Smith Shop and visitors can see how cloth was dyed in the Arkansas Territory. Children will have the opportunity to make Mother’s Day cards just in time for Mother’s Day.

The “Early Arkansaw Re-enactors” will interact with guests on the grounds with historically accurate clothing, tools and accessories. The Arkansas Country Dance Society will lead guests in historical dances to tunes that were popular during the territorial era. The Southern Center for Agroecology will be selling a variety of plants and heirloom seeds for Mother’s Day and spring planting. Lunch will be available for purchase from Gammy & Gamp’s “Home Style” Food Truck.

The museum’s seven galleries of Arkansas-made art and artifacts and the Sturgis Children’s Gallery will be open during the Territorial Fair. There is no charge for parking or admission. The Museum Store will be open for Mother’s Day shopping with a variety of unique Arkansas-made gifts and books. From 12 to 2 p.m. in the Museum Store, guests will have the opportunity to meet author Layne Livingston Anderson and buy a signed copy of “Haunted Legends of Arkansas” a great book for campfire storytelling.

Currently on exhibit:

  • Suyao Tian: Entangled Beauty
  • Suggin Territory: The Marvelous World of Folklorist Josephine Graham
  • Arkansas Made Gallery
  • We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas (permanent)
  • The Knife Gallery (permanent)

Historic Arkansas Museum is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the galleries and parking are free; admission to the historic grounds is $2.50 for adults, $1 for children under 18, $1.50 for senior citizens. The Historic Arkansas Museum Store is open 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Historic Arkansas Museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, which was created in 1975 to preserve and enhance the heritage of the state of Arkansas. Other agencies of the department are Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Old State House Museum.