Built in 1829, the Jacob Wolf House in Norfork (Baxter County) is believed to be the oldest standing public structure in Arkansas and the last remaining two-story dog-trot public structure in the United States.
The two-story log building stands on a hillside overlooking the juncture of the White and North Fork rivers. It was built by Jacob Wolf as the first permanent courthouse of Izard County in the Territory of Arkansas.
Wolf, a native of Germany, had made his way to the area in 1820, and eventually established a permanent home at the mouth of the North Fork River around 1824. In 1825, the territorial government granted him a license to operate ferries across both the White and North Fork rivers. Not only was Wolf a ferry operator, but he was also a carpenter, blacksmith and Baptist preacher.
Named for Arkansas’ second territorial governor, Izard County was formed in 1825, and in 1826, Wolf was elected as a representative to the Arkansas Territorial Legislature. In October 1829, he shepherded legislation that located Izard County’s permanent county courthouse in Liberty, a small town that had built up around Wolf’s family homestead and ferries. Wolf agreed to donate land to the county for the courthouse and then, like all good politicians do, landed the lucrative contract for building the structure.
Wolf built a two-story log house with a central breezeway on the first level (commonly known as a dogtrot) to serve as the courthouse. The large upper-level room that extends over the breezeway served as the courtroom. Judges and attorneys traveled from all over the Arkansas Territory to attend county and territorial court sessions.
The lower level of the building was home to the Izard County clerk’s office. The county clerk at the time was John P. Houston, an older brother of the famed Texas general and politician Sam Houston.
Families from throughout Izard County would camp on the courthouse grounds when court was in session. According to historical accounts, it was common to see dancing, hear live music, see pigs being roasted and watch people competing in games — things you don’t see at Arkansas courthouses these days!
While traveling on the White River in 1830, noted Arkansas author and politician C.F.M. Noland wrote, in an article published in the Arkansas Advocate, that “where the North Fork River joins the White River stands the Seat of Justice, Liberty; its situation is elevated and commanding….” Noland wrote that the town had a tavern, inn, general store and blacksmith shop (presumably operated by Wolf). A post office was established at Liberty in 1826.
Several counties were formed out of Izard County by 1835. As such, Liberty was no longer a prime location for a county seat, which had been moved to the town of Athens. Wolf, still a member of the Arkansas General Assembly, passed legislation to have the land he had donated to the government returned to him. The structure Wolf had originally built as a county and territorial courthouse became the home of his large family of sixteen children and five stepchildren. Wolf died in January 1863, and the house and property were sold in 1865.
In 1937, the Jacob Wolf House came under public ownership and was taken care of by local residents. In the 1960s, the Gerald and Elna M. Smith Foundation restored the building. A dedication ceremony took place on May 8, 1966, which featured a speech by Congressman Claude Fuller. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1973.
In 1999, the Jacob Wolf House received a courthouse restoration grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage’s Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The grant provided money to restore the structure to when it served as a territorial courthouse. Restoration was completed in 2002.
On Oct. 4, 2016, the Baxter County Quorum Court voted to transfer ownership of the property to the Division of Arkansas Heritage, which now operates it as the Jacob Wolf House State Historic Site to ensure that future generations of Arkansans can appreciate this historic building.
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