Curran Hall and Jones House

We have visited two other homes in the Quapaw Quarter of Little Rock during our journeys: Curran Hall and the Jones House. Both homes have long histories, the former being built in 1843 and the latter in 1917, and both are believed to be haunted. While the Jones House is a private residence and thus we could not enter, Curran Hall has become the official welcome center of Little Rock.

Curran Hall

The Walters-Curran-Bell House, most commonly known today as Curran Hall, was built in 1843 by Colonel Ebenezer Walters as a wedding present for his bride. Unfortunately, she died before the home could be completed, after which Walters sold the property. Several years later, James Curran purchased the house; he died in 1854, leaving the home to his wife and three children. His youngest daughter would eventually inherit the house. In the mid-1880s, Mary Eliza Woodruff Bell, a widow

with four daughters, purchased Curran Hall; she restored and added on to the original building. After her death in 1911, her daughters Hattie and Fanny continued to live in the house. One of her other daughters, Eva, was the mother of Averell Reynolds Tate. Tate took ownership in 1955 and was the last individual to live in Curran Hall until the city of Little Rock and the Advertising and Promotion Commission purchased the home. Today, Curran Hall serves as the official greeting center for the mayor of Little Rock and as the city's welcome center. Guests of the mayor, including foreign dignitaries, are first met here. The building has been restored in order to represent the long history of Curran Hall. For example, entrance hall uses "floorcloth," which was the predecessor of linoleum. Restoring the floorcloth was an expensive endeavor, but is considered a major feature of the home - it even has its own pamphlet. 

Considering the age of Curran Hall and the number of deaths over the years, it comes as no surprise that ghost stories surround the historic home. Tales can be traced back to the death of Mary Walters. Employees have allegedly experienced cold spots, noises, moving objects; a ghost hunting group, Natural State Supernatural, visited Curran Hall and saw a "sparkle" on camera. When we talked to welcome center staff members on April 26, both noted that there are stories of ghosts surrounding the home, although neither went into much detail. One referred us to a book, Haunted Little Rock by Linda Howell, who apparently felt very attached to the house. Notably, Curran Hall is featured on the Haunted Tours of Little Rock (which are run by Howell), indicating this is a particularly famous site among Arkansan paranormal seekers.

The Jones House and Bungalow

Popularized by SyFy's Ghost Hunters, the Jones House and neighboring bungalow have a long history. Both located in the historic Quapaw Quarter, the bungalow was built in 1892 (presumably the Jones House was constructed around the same time, although exact information is not available) and is site of several dramatic deaths. Prominent Arkansas banker Ed Cornish lived in the home with his first wife, Nona. However, tragedy struck in 1898 when Cornish lost his six-year-old daughter. Sixteen hours later, Nona Cornish, as well as her baby, died in childbirth. He moved into the more-famous (but seemingly-less haunted) Cornish House in 1917. In the following decades, the bungalow seen robberies, fires, deaths, and murders. In the 1900s, a nurse was shot and killed in the home. In 2005, another woman, Bonnie Wallace, was murdered in the same home. Her husband died of illness soon after. Today, the bungalow and the house next door are owned by the Jones family, who were willed the bungalow by the Wallaces.

In 2013, TAPS, from the popular show Ghost Hunters, visited the bungalow and house at the request of the homeowner. We do not know of any ghost stories related to the house prior to the airing of the show, but the presence of the ghost hunters received attention in local media outlets. Reportedly, the Jones family had heard voices in both their house and the bungalow. Some of the ghost hunting team felt dizzy and heard doors close by themselves. Furthermore, a flashlight seemingly turns on by a ghostly entity. The episode ended, however, with the Ghost Hunters stating that results weren't substantial and that the Jones family has nothing to fear because any entities are probably their friends, the Wallaces. Amber Jones was seemingly disappointed; the show speculates this is because she was hoping to still have some connection with her friends.

We did not personally see these houses, both because the residences are private and because the actual address was unavailable. We did briefly walk past the Cornish House, where Ed Cornish and his second wife, Hilda (who was the founder of Planned Parenthood in Arkansas), lived. However, the fact that a nationally-syndicated program visited an Arkansas home is significant. This brought attention to Arkansas history (as stated above, Ed Cornish was a very prominent banker in the early 20th century) - the Ghost Hunters spent part of the program detailing the history of these homes for their viewers. Furthermore, Amber Jones' reaction shows the importance of ghost stories for some people; sometimes, believing a spirit resides in a place can help a person feel connected to deceased friends/family and the past. Maybe this is why some legends have become a part of the collective memories of Arkansans (and people in general); we can become tied to our histories and feel a sense of belonging to the past.