Captain Henderson House

Arkadelphia's Captain Henderson House is a historic mansion originally built in 1906 for prominent local businessman and philanthropist, Captain Charles Henderson. The mansion is located on the campus of Henderson State University, which is named in honor of Henderson owing to his financial contributions and support as a member of its board of trustees. Henderson was also active in local civic affairs. The house is also significant for its design, which combines Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Neoclassical architectural styles. Interesting features include an asymmetrical design, a wraparound porch with seventeen columns, a two-story portico with large Tuscan columns, and a two-story turret. Inside, the house boasts perhaps the best collection of decorative wooden fretwork in the state. The house now operates as a bed and breakfast that is also available to rent for weddings.

Charles Henderson was born on March 17, 1850 in Scott County and the family later moved to Sebastian county. Henderson had seven siblings and, unfortunately, his father died when he was 14. At some point in the coming years he started working for a St. Louis-based livestock company as a cattle buyer and moved to Arkadelphia in 1879. His mother had already moved there in 1870 to be close to her brother and sister. Henderson earned the nickname "captain" around this time (the name "captain" was often given to cattle buyers) and it stuck. He got married in 1880 and built a home. In the coming years, he started investing in cotton, dairy, timber, oil and other industries. Eventually, Henderson started investing in railroad companies and then in banking. Between 1905 to 1916, he served as the president of Elkhorn Bank.

Henderson was also an active member of the local Methodist community. He supported the construction of a Methodist church and was a delegate at Methodist gatherings. In 1891, he was appointed to the board of trustees of Arkadelphia Methodist College (now Henderson State University), which was established a year earlier. In the early 1900s, Henderson started making large donations to the college, which was struggling to pay off its lease to the school's first president. He helped pay off the school's debt and led the effort to give the board control over the school. He became chairman of the board in 1903. After the president finally left in 2004, the college was renamed after Henderson in recognition of his leadership and financial support. In 1913, he moved to El Paso, Texas for health reasons (he had a lung condition). However, he continued to serve as chairman of the board of the college 1922. He died on June 4, 1913.

The university acquired the house in 1979 and converted it into office space, an archaeology lab, and museum in 1981. It was renovated again in 1999. It is unclear when it became a bed and breakfast inn. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

"History." Captain Henderson House. Accessed August 9, 2021. http://hsu.today/henderson-house/history.

Hope, Holly. "Captain Henderson House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 24, 1998. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/CL0939-pdf.

Sesser, David. "Charles Christopher Henderson (1850–1923)." Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Last Updated on October 17, 2019. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/charles-christopher-henderson-14024.