Sidney H. Horner House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Horner-Gladin House
|
|
Horner-Gladin House, March 2013
|
|
 Location in Arkansas
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 626 Porter Street Helena, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Helena-West Helena |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | Michael Brennam |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000401 |
| Added to NRHP | December 4, 1975 |
The Horner-Gladin House is a historic home in Helena, Arkansas. It was built in 1881 for Sidney H. Horner, a member of an important local family. The house is known for its beautiful Italianate style and was built using special hand-molded bricks. It has seven fireplaces and fancy oak floors.
Over the years, the house has changed quite a bit. In 1895, a new two-story section was added, and the front porch was made much bigger. This was also around the time electric lights were put in! Later, the house became a photography studio and home for the Gladin family for many years. Today, it's a protected landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
House History
Building the House
The Horner-Gladin House was built in 1881 by Michael Brennam. He was a well-known builder and architect in the area. The house stands about six blocks west of the Mississippi River.
Interestingly, the house was built on land that was once part of Fort Curtis. This was a Union Army fort during the American Civil War. The fort saw a lot of action during the Battle of Helena. This battle was a big fight where Confederate soldiers tried to take over Union-held Helena. They hoped this would help the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was under attack by Union forces.
Early Changes
Sidney H. Horner passed away in 1900. His house was sold to new owners. Over the next few years, they made some changes. A back porch was added in 1900. Indoor plumbing, which we all have today, was put in during the 1920s.
At some point before the 1930s, the large front porch roof was removed. This made the porch look more like it did when the house was first built. The base of the larger porch was kept and used as a patio area.
The Gladin Family Home
Ivey Gladin was a famous photographer in the Mississippi Delta region. He started his own photography studio in 1939. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy. His wife, Morvene, kept the studio running while he was away.
After the war, the Gladins bought the house with another couple. They used a special "GI Bill partnership home loan." Some local historians believe this was the very first loan of its kind in the United States after the war! This program helped soldiers returning from war find homes. To qualify for the loan, the house was changed into a duplex, meaning it had two separate living spaces.
After a few years, the Gladin family bought out the other couple's share. They then turned the house into both their family home and their photography studio. The Gladin Photography Studio stayed open in the house for almost 50 years!
Ivey Gladin took many photos. A collection of about 100,000 of his pictures is now kept at the University of Mississippi. He is also well-known for his photos of blues musician Sonny Boy Williamson II. These pictures show Williamson performing on the famous King Biscuit Time radio show.
Ivey Gladin lived in the house until 1999 and passed away in 2001. Morvene Gladin passed away in 2008. The house was empty for two years, and it started to show signs of needing repairs.
Restoration Efforts
In 2001, the Gladin family's heirs sold the house to two people who loved historic buildings. They began to restore the house piece by piece. The front porch was rebuilt to look like it did in the 1890s.
A project to fix the windows also began. Ronnie Walker, who learned special building preservation skills at a local college, helped with this. He later helped restore another important historic home called Lakeport Plantation.
Work on the house was paused for a while. One of the new owners was called to serve in the military in Iraq. They also helped with disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. A new window restoration project started in 2008 and is still going on.
Today, the house is known as the Horner-Gladin House and is a proud part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Images for kids
-
Horner-Gladin House, 1930s.
-
Horner-Gladin House, 1960s.
