Introduction

The Sidney H. Horner House was built in 1881 by Michael Brennam, an early builder/architect, approximately six blocks to the west of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 in Helena, Arkansas

Helena, Arkansas

Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...

. Sidney H. Horner was a member of an early Helena family and was part of a banking firm established by his father, John Sidney Horner. The Italianate style house is made of hand-molded brick. The home has 7 fire-places and oak parquet floors. The initial footprint of the house was expanded in 1895 with a two-story east wing also made of brick. At the same time, the original small front porch was expanded to run the entire length of the new east addition. Electric lights were also added at about this time.

19th Century History of the House

The house was constructed on a site that had been part of Fort Curtishttp://photos.ark-ives.com/general/2098%5F07r.jpg, a Union post which saw considerable action during the Battle of Helena

Battle of Helena

The Battle of Helena was a land battle of the American Civil War fought on July 4, 1863, at Helena, Arkansas. Overshadowed by the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Battle of Helena secured eastern Arkansas for the Union.- Union forces :...

 The battle was an belated effort by the Confederate Army to seize Union occupied Helena. It was an attempt to relieve the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...

 from the long siege on the city by Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant.

Early 20th Century History

Sidney H. Horner died in 1900, leaving a wife and 7 children. The house was sold to settle his estate and it past through several owners who made other changes to the house. A back porch was added in 1900. At some point before the 1930s, the roof of the front porch that started with the east-wing addition of 1895, was completely removed. This left the porch roof as it existed when the house was first built. The base of the front porch, starting with the east-wing addition, was retained however, and used as a patio. Indoor plumbing was also added during the 1920s

Mid-Twentieth Century Use of The House

Ivey Gladin was a well-known photographer in the Mississippi Delta

Mississippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...

, starting his own photography studio in 1939. He served in the US Navy during World War II. His wife, Morvene, operated the studio while he was performing military service. After his return from the war, they purchased the house with another couple with a loan that was referred to as a "GI Bill partnership home loan." Local historians suggest that this was the first loan of this type made in the United States after the war. The home was changed to a duplex in order to qualify for the loan. This particular program was set up after World War II to encourage returning veterans to find purchase multi-family housing in an effort to reduce the shortage of housing in the initial post war years. After a few years, the Gladin family bought the interest of the James family out. The home was then converted into their photography studio as well as making it the residence for their family. The Gladin Photography Studio remained open in the house for almost 50 years. A collection of approximately 100,000 of his photos is now part of a collection held by the University of Mississippi

University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...

 at Oxford, Mississippi http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/register/srs99/code/9a.htm. Ivey Gladin is well known among blues enthusiasts for his photographs of Sonny Boy Williamson

Sonny Boy Williamson II

Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...

 performing on the King Biscuit Time

King Biscuit Time

King Biscuit Time is the longest-running daily American radio broadcasts in history. The program is broadcast each weekday from KFFA in Helena, Arkansas, United States and has won the George Foster Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence and is currently broadcast from the KFFA studio located in...

http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/register/99/winter/r5.htm radio program. Ivey (d. 2001)and Morvene (d. 2008)Gladin lived in the house until 1999. The house sat vacant for two years and deferred maintenance took caused damage to the home.

Current History

In 2001, the house was sold by the heirs of the Gladin family to a pair of preservation-minded individuals who started a piece-meal restoration effort. The front porch was rebuilt to its original 1890s configuration. A window restoration project began utilizing the skills of Ronnie Walker, a graduate of the local Phillips Community College's Building Preservation Trades Program who went on to oversee the restoration of Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village, Arkansas. Work on the house was delayed when one of the new owners was mobilized with the 39th Infantry Brigade of the Arkansas Army National Guard for service in Iraq and later during Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans. A new window restoration project was started in the winter of 2008 and is ongoing.

The structure is known today as the Horner-Gladin House and is on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

External links

• http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Horner,_Sidney_H.,_House