History of the Baker House:
The Structure and the Occupants
by Amy M. Thompson - North Little Rock

Introduction

The Baker House, built with Victorian Queen Anne architecture, is located in the historical Argenta district in downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas at 109 West 5th Street. The Baker House was built in 1898-1899 by Artemas Colburn. The house went through several owners before being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Some of the data and historical sources are fuzzy and disagree on dates and occupants between 1901 to 1916, so those fifteen years are inconclusive. Looking at the Baker House abstract may help clear up some of the inaccuracies.

Additionally, there is a legend surrounding the Baker House which is now known to be incorrect. This legend is discussed in more length under the heading "North Little Rock Legend - Debunked."

Small Bit of North Little Rock History

This section is here to help researchers who want to follow up with the primary sources. The Baker House today is listed at 109 West 5th Street. There was a time that the street was named "Monroe." Primary sources will be confusing because of the name changes to the city.

(The following information is taken from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History. For more details on the history of NLR, please visit the Encyclopedia's NLR article.)

In the earliest days, the area north of Little Rock on the other side of the river - which was called Argenta - was unincorporated, so Little Rock annexed the area in 1890. So the territory (which had residents!) officially became the 8th ward of Little Rock.

The area was reannexed by North Little Rock in February of 1904.

In January of 1906, North Little Rock adopted Argenta as its name.

In October of 1917, the name was changed back to North Little Rock.

Timeline

Year	Milestone	Owner	Street Name	Backing Document
1896-1897	House Built	A.E. Colburn	Monroe	Gazette Sept 13 1896, Jan 19 1897, and Feb 7 1897 (see Colburn section for notes).
1901	House Sold	George Porter Davidson		NLR Times March 25, 1982 page 9b
1901	House Sold	??		Baker House NRHP Nomination Form
1906	House Shown as Vacant	None		North Little Rock City Directory
1907	House Shown as occupied by "Terry"	Terry		North Little Rock City Directory
1908	House owned by George Davidson	George Davidson		North Little Rock Times (see Davidson section for notes)
1914	House Shown as occupied by George Davidson	George Davidson		North Little Rock City Directory
1916	House Sold	C.J. & Annie Baker		Baker House NRHP Nomination Form & NLR Times July 1, 1976 page 20a
1919	House Shown as occupied by "CJ Baker"	CJ Baker		North Little Rock City Directory
1977	House Sold	Frederick Hampton Roy, Sr.	West 5th	Baker House NRHP Nomination Form
1977	House Sold	Frederick Hampton Roy, Sr.	West 5th	Baker House NRHP Nomination Form
1978	Placed on Historical Register	Frederick Hampton Roy, Sr.	West 5th	Baker House NRHP Nomination Form

Colburn

According to the 1900 Federal Census, Artemas E. Colburn was a jeweler (specifically a watch maker) who was born in New Hampshire in April of 1863. His father was born in New Hampshire, and his mother was English Canadian. Colburn�s wife, Estelle, was born in October of 1868. In 1900, the Colburns had three daughters listed on the census: Viola age 9 (born in September 1890), Mildred age 3 (born in November 1897), and Stella age 1 (born in February 1899).

At this time, the Colburns owned (mortgaged) and lived in the Baker House (named for later owners, the Bakers) which is listed as being on East Monroe Street (the house didn't have a street number at this time).

A number of boarders (mostly railroad men) lived with the Colburns.

Interesting notes:
In the Arkansas Gazette (p. 5 December 1, 1894: "North Side Gossip"): Colburn - watch and jewelry repair, diamond setting.
In the Arkansas Gazette (p. 2 September 13, 1896: "North Side Gossip"): "The new brick veneered residence of A.E. Colburn is now nearly completed."
In the Arkansas Gazette (p. 8 January 19, 1897: "Across the River"): "Mr. Colburn will soon move into his beautiful new home near his store."
In the Arkansas Gazette (p. 7 February 7, 1897: "North Little Rock"): "Mr. Tom Tracy, foreman on Mr. Colburn's new brick residence, is now constructing a handsome stairway. Mr. Colburn will move into his new home in about a month."

The History Gets Hazy

The history gets a little hazy around 1901. According to the Historical Nomination, the shouse was sold in 1901. The NLR Times article from 1982 indicated that the house was sold to George Davidson. The article was inspired by Davidson's daughter who grew up in the house. There is a photograph of her as a young girl beside the house in 1901. However, the house is shown as vacant in the 1906 NLR city directory, and in 1907, it lists a "Terry" occupying the house.

The following is the information we have so far.

Davidson

According to Davidson's daughter, Marguerite (see NLR Times March 25, 1982 Page 9B), in 1901, Colburn sold the house to George P. Davidson. George Porter Davidson was a mechanic for Missouri Pacific Railroad. According to the 1910 Federal Census for Arkansas, Pulaski, Little Rock Ward 4, District 120, the Davidsons owned a house at 2008 West 11th street. The family members on the census record (Wife Kate, son Floyd, and daughters Margaret(sic), Katherina, and Nellie all match the family names in the March 25, 1982 North Little Rock Times article.

According to the 1914 City Directory, George Davidson, foreman, lived at 109 W. 5th Street.

Interesting notes:
In the NLR Times (1908): "George Davidson is moving into the large brick residence at 5th and Main."

Baker

The 1910 Federal Census shows Cadmus J. Baker living at 1505 Main Street, and the 1914 City Directory shows he still lives there. However, by the 1920 Federal Census, Cadmus Baker is living at 109 W. 5th Street with wife Annie, son Burrell J., daughter-in-law Georgia, son-in-law Stephen Felton, daughter Lillian Felton, and (granddaughter?) Mary Francis Felton. The census also shows numerous lodgers. Baker was born in approximately 1866, and his wife, Anne, was born around 1873. The Bakers both worked in the loan business. The house stayed in the Baker family until 1977 when it was bought by Dr. Hampton Roy. In 1978, the house was placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

North Little Rock Legend - Debunked

There is an oral legend that Colburn was a black jockey from England, and he was forced to move from his residence because of racial discrimination. This legend is very wrong. Contrary to oral tradition, Colburn and his wife were both white, and Colburn worked as a jeweler. (Note: The African American jockey that tradition has placed in the Baker House actually owned what is now the Engelberger House, also in North Little Rock. Also, he didn't move because of racial prejudice.)

The NLR History Commission has gone to great lengths to correct the story. Two newspaper articles worth mentioning are
Arkansas Democrat Gazette - June 8, 2007 page ? Arkansas Democrat Gazette - June 13, 2007 page 5B

For further reading on the Jockey, please see the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry by Cary Bradburn from the NLR History Commission.