Driving through downtown Little Rock (Pulaski County), you may have noticed a white two-story building on the corner of Third and Cumberland streets that looks very out of place. That structure would be the Hinderliter Grog Shop, and it's considered by most local historians to be the oldest still-standing building in the capital city.
The Hinderliter Grog Shop was built around 1826 by Jesse Hinderliter, who came to Arkansas with his wife, Sophia, from St. Louis. On Lots 7, 8 and 9 of the city’s Block 32, Hinderliter built the two-story, hand-hewn log building, which served as a tavern, a restaurant, an inn and the private residence for the Hinderliters. The grog shop reflects architecture common in the state throughout the 1820s and 1830s
Unfortunately, Jesse Hinderliter didn’t live long in Little Rock. He died in 1834. The grog shop was then sold at auction to repay the debt Hinderliter owed to the original owner of the property, prominent Little Rock attorney Chester Ashley.
According to local legend, the last meeting of the Arkansas Territorial Legislature took place in the old grog shop in October 1835. Arkansas historian William Pope, wrote in his book, “The Early Days of Arkansas,” that “the last Territorial Legislature met October 5, 1835 and held its sittings in the old Hinderliter house on the northwest corner of Cumberland and Mulberry Streets. There is a stone marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution (which has sunk into the ground and is barely visible now) on the corner of Third and Cumberland that attests to this story. But there is no concrete evidence that the old building ever housed the territorial legislature.
After Hinderliter’s death and the sale of the building, it continued to serve as a public building. By the 1880s, the grog shop shifted into tenements with a restaurant inside. Part of the building was also used as a laundry business. As seen in photos taken of the building in the early 1930s, it served as a grocery store and a barber shop. Eventually the building fell into disrepair and was almost demolished by the city.
But thanks to the efforts of Little Rock socialite Louise Loughborough, the old Hinderliter Grog Shop and several other vintage structures on the block were purchased by the state and restored by the Works Progress Administration. On July 19, 1941, the Arkansas Territorial Capitol Restoration officially opened to the public. The old grog shop was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 2019.
Today the restored buildings are part of the Historic Arkansas Museum, which is operated by the heritage division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. Tours are available of the grog shop, just don’t expect any adult beverages when you visit. For that dear readers, you’ll have to walk a couple of blocks over to the River Market.
May you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend.
A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.
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