Ace of Clubs House

The Ace of Clubs House (also known as the Draughon–Moore House) is a historic house museum in Texarkana, Texas.[2][3] The house is distinctively shaped like a club, from a deck of playing cards, with three octagon-shaped wings and a fourth rectangular wing adjoining at a central octagon-shaped stair hall.[4][5] The structure was built in 1885 as a private residence, in an Italianate Victorian architectural style.[3][6][7] The design resulted in the house having 22 sides.[8][9] The two-story house also features a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower and a spiral staircase.[7]

Ace of Clubs House
Exterior of the Ace of Clubs House
Established1988
Location420 Pine St.,
Texarkana, Texas
Coordinates33°25′27″N 94°02′39″W
TypeHistoric house museum
WebsiteAce of Clubs House
Draughn-Moore House
Draughn-Moore House
Draughn-Moore House
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1883 (1883)
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.76002007[1]
RTHL No.9493
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 29, 1976
Designated RTHL1964

According to local lore, it was shaped as a club because its builder and original owner, Confederate veteran, lumberman, and early Texarkana mayor James Draughon, built it with $10,000 that he won in a game of poker with an ace of clubs.[2][5][10] Three families have lived in the house.[10] In 1887, William Lowndes Whitaker, Sr., acquired the building. Whitaker lived in it until 1894, when he sold it to an attorney named Henry Moore, Sr. Henry Moore, Jr., and Tyler native Olivia Smith, his wife, moved into the house in 1920. After Moore, Jr., died in 1942, his widow remained in the house until her own death in 1985, at which point it was deeded to the Texarkana Museum System in her will.[7][11] The house was refurbished in 1987, and it began operating as a museum in 1988.[7][10][11] Each room was restored to represent a different time period in the history of the house, spanning from 1880 to 1940.[4][8][9]

The Ace of Clubs House caters to business and club meetings, lawn parties, portrait photography, receptions, and weddings.[2][7] In 2016, the house's lawn hosted the Texarkana Museums System's Moonlight & Movies classic film series.[12] The house has also hosted a Victorian Christmas celebration.[13]

The Ace of Clubs House has been featured on the HGTV television program Christmas Castles.[6] It is both a property on the National Register of Historic Places and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.[3][6][14]

  • Staircase inside the Ace of Clubs House
  • Bas relief in the house

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "Ace of Clubs House". Arkansas.com. Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  3. "Texarkana: Draughon-Moore Ace of Clubs House". Texas Forest Trail. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. Buckner, Sharry (2009). Fun with the Family Texas: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. p. 221. ISBN 0762763205.
  5. Kelso, John (2011). Texas Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (4th ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. p. 163. ISBN 1493001280.
  6. "Ace of Clubs House ~ 420 Pine". Texarkana Museums System. June 20, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  7. Becque, Fran (October 28, 2012). "The Ace of Clubs House, a Must See in Texarkana, Texas". Focus on Fraternity History & More. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  8. "Ace of Clubs House, Texarkana". Go-Arkansas. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  9. Galit, Elaine L.; Simmons, Vikk (2005). Exploring Texas History: Weekend Adventures. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 1461730708.
  10. "Ace of Clubs House". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  11. Henderson, Ashley S. (2008). "The Ace of Clubs": A Social and Architectural History of the Draughon-Moore House, Texarkana, Texas, 1885-1985 (PDF). Thesis. Waco, Texas: Baylor University – via BEARdocs.
  12. Easterling, Jeff (May 16, 2016). "Moonlight & Movies Series at the Ace of Clubs House". Texarkana FYI. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  13. DeLano, Patti (2014). Arkansas Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. p. 144. ISBN 1493016075.
  14. "Ace of Clubs House". TravelTexas. Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

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