Curran Hall was constructed in 1842 as a private residence. It was built by Col. Ebenezer Walters as a wedding gift to his wife, Mary. Unfortunately, just before the house was finished in the summer of 1843 Mary died, never getting to move into the fabulous house that her husband had built for her. After her death, Ebenezer sold the house to David J. Baldwin and his wife, and he left Arkansas and its tragic memories behind. In 1849 the Baldwins sold the house to James and Sophia Curran. In 1854, James Curran died, leaving Sophia a widow with three children. That next year, Sophia married George Watkins who had been her husband’s law partner. They lived in the house until shortly after the beginning of the Civil War. In the early 1880’s, Alice Curran Conway who had inherited the house, sold it to Jacob and Mollie Frolich who also had three children. They lived in the house until 1884 when they moved to Washington, and at that point, Mary Eliza Woodruff Bell and her four daughters moved into the house. Mary was a widow and the daughter of William Woodruff, the founder of the Arkansas Gazette. Mary Eliza’s granddaughter, Averell Reynolds Tate was born in the house in 1908 and was the last resident of Curran Hall. As Mrs. Tate grew older, maintenance on the house and grounds became a problem, and when she moved out in 1993 the house needed major repair. The once beautiful grounds and gardens were heavily overgrown. The house sat vacant for three years until the City of Little Rock purchased it in 1996 in order to preserve it and keep the property from becoming just another downtown parking lot. After the city bought the house, they worked diligently to preserve the history of one of the last single-family residences left on Capitol Avenue. At one time, Capitol Avenue had been full of family homes built by the early residents of Little Rock. A new roof was quickly added to preserve the deteriorating structure, and volunteers from the Pulaski County Master Gardeners came in and worked with Mrs. Tate to remove unwanted vegetation from around the house and categorize existing plants for future plans to restore the once beautiful gardens. With the advent of development downtown in the River Market district and with Little Rock being designated as the future home of the William Clinton Presidential Library, the Little Rock Advertising and Promotions Commission decided that Curran Hall would be an excellent location for a visitor center. The Little Rock Visitor Foundation led the way, and community and corporate leaders as well as volunteers came out in force to return Curran Hall to its original splendor. On May 18, 2002, six years after being rescued from potential demolition, Little Rock Visitor Information Center opened. It was a tribute to the vision of city leaders who realize that older restored homes can serve as a doorway from the past to the present so the future may be richer. Be sure and visit the Visitor Center to obtain information about not only Little Rock but other areas of Arkansas, as well, and marvel at this beautiful restored structure. Be sure to spend some time as well walking around the grounds and gardens that are being cared for by the Pulaski county Master Gardeners. You are looking for a container about the size of a 30 mm ammo can.