Henry Atchley House

The Henry Atchley House is located in Dalark (Dallas County). Constructed in 1908, the house is notable for its Colonial Revival details. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 28, 1983.

Henry Adolphus Atchley was born on January 22, 1878, in Princeton (Dallas County) to Robert and Cornelia Atchley. He married Edna Hernsberger in 1908, and the couple had three daughters and one son. Atchley moved with his parents to the Dalark area around 1900. Dalark was founded to provide timber to the Ultima Thule, Arkadelphia and Mississippi Railway. As it is located in extreme western Dallas County near Clark County, the town got its name from combining Dallas and Clark. Atchley owned a general store in the community and prospered from the thriving timber economy in the area. Sources suggest that Henry Atchley, who suffered from a speech impediment, worked with his brother Mac to operate the store. Mac worked with customers, while Henry worked behind the scenes.

In 1908, Henry Atchley constructed a home for his growing family. Located near Arkansas Highway 8, the west-facing house is a two-story, wood-frame structure. The home is fronted by a hipped-roof porch that is accessed by concrete steps. Six evenly spaced turned posts support the porch roof. A double set of doors is centrally located in the front of the home and topped with a double transom. Double-hung one-over-one windows are located on each side of the door. Three gable roof dormers are located on the front roof, and each contains a one-over-one double-hung window.

The house is constructed in three distinct sections. The front section runs north to south and is topped with a gable roof. In this section of the home is a wide central hallway with a single room located on either side. Located to the rear of this section on the south side is an ell topped with a gable roof. The final section is also located behind the front section, to the north of the other rear section. This section is topped with a hipped roof. The three sections together create a square shape.

The interior of the home includes details from the Eastlake Movement, a reform movement in architectural and household design begun in the latter half of the nineteenth century. These details include mantels in the north parlor and bedroom, as well as door and window facings with corner blocks.

A carport is located to the north of the home. Several other assorted outbuildings are located behind the house.

Edna Atchley died on July 13, 1957, and Henry Atchley died on March 3, 1958. They are buried in the Atchley Cemetery in Clark County, near Dalark. The home continues to serve as a private residence in the twenty-first century.

For additional information:
Daniel, Roxye. “Dalark.” Clark County Historical Journal (2006): 25–28.

“Henry Atchley House.” National Register for Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Office, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/DA0021.nr.pdf (accessed December 16, 2019).

David Sesser
Henderson State University