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Above: Hinderliter Grog Shop House, early
20th Century
Above: Hinderliter Grog Shop House today (front)
Above: Hinderliter Grog Shop House today (back)
Above: Landmark stone implanted into the ground on south-side of Hinderliter Grog Shop House
FOR MORE PICTURES AND VIDEO OF THE HINDERLITER GROG SHOP HOUSE, CLICK HERE!
On July 29, 1834, the Arkansas Gazette reported the death of Jesse Hinderliter, age 47. Except for the occasional newspaper references or tax assessment, few references remain for the grog shopkeeper, whose house is today Little Rock's oldest. Sometime between 1828 and 1831, Hinderliter built this two-story hewn-log home and grog shop, now covered with siding, on the corner of Cumberland and Mulberry (Third) streets. It is believed the siding was added following his death in 1834.
When restoration began in 1939, workmen discovered that many of the original oak logs were deteriorated beyond repair, so the decision was made to recover the Hinderliter house with white-washed siding. In 1827, possibly the year Hinderliter began construction, Little Rock resident, Hiram A. Whittington, noted the prevalence of log architectures in the fledgling capitol:
(Little Rock) is situated on the south bank of the Arkansas, and contains about 60 buildings, 6 brick, 8 framed, the balance log cabins . . . .
Like so many of his fellow citizens, Hiderliter quickly acclimated to the southern frontier environment. He began to buy land and slaves, the surest indicators of wealth and status in the pre-Civil War South.
At Hinderliter's Grog Shop, customers were afforded the friendly cheer of the barroom, a meal, and possibly lodging for the night—though the guest may have to share a bed with three or four other travelers. Local taverns would often host special events, such as Fourth of July, or Christmas celebration, or local militia muster. More than one commander saw his troops mull away due to the close proximity of the barroom. Ironically, Hiderliter, the barkeeper, served as an officer in the Pulaski County Milita.
Unfortunately, the early frontier city of Little Rock was no stranger to lawlessness and violence. In 1833, the Arkansas Gazette reported a deadly fight at Hinderliter's interrupting the barroom's usual cheer. A man, named William Russell, "who was very quarrelsome . . . when excited by liquor" attacked Hinderliter repeatedly. Jesse Hinderliter defended himself and Russell received a fatal knife wound. Hinderliter turned himself into the authorities and was released after the magistrates were satisfied the incident was a "clear case of justifiable homicide."
Was Hinderliter's the meeting place of Arkansas's last Territorial Legislature in 1835? For the past 100 years, that has been the site's primary claim to fame. Many years after the fact, William F. Pope, an eyewitness to the last session, wrote:
I just knew this old house, now sixty-two years ago, it was a two-story log building. But the addition of weatherboarding has given it the appearance of a frame structure . . . [it] was built and owned by one Jesse Hinderliter, a German, who kept a small grocery in the west end of the building, occupying the balance as a family residence . . . [it] gained notoriety as having been the place of meeting of the last Territorial Legislature in October 1835.
Pope had arrived in Arkansas in 1832 to serve as secretary to his uncle, then territorial governor, John Pope. In addition, Judge Fulton, father of William Savin Fulton, the territorial governor in 1835, lived in the house following Hinderliter's death in 1834. Judge Fulton was also a participant in the last session. It is possible that he allowed legislative meetings to be held there, although territorial records do not record such an event.
Source for all of the Above: Information imprinted on walls inside the Arkansas Territorial Restoration Museum in Little Rock
