10 votes

Mc Collum Chidester House

926 W Washington St, Camden, Arkansas 71701 USA

Independent

The McCollum-Chidester House is a historic house at 926 Washington Street NW in Camden, Arkansas. It is now a museum operated by the Ouachita County Historical Society, along with the Leake-Ingham Building at the rear of the property. The 1-1/2 story wood frame house was built in 1847 by Peter McCollum and sold ten years later to Colonel John T. Chidester. It is one of the finest pre-Civil War Greek Revival mansions in the state. Chidester was a prominent businessman who controversially sought to do business with Union interests during the Civil War. After the war he established a mail company that operated so-called "Star Routes" as far west as the Arizona Territory. He was not implicated in bribery scandals that attended this operation. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Reviews

Add Review

Thanks!

Your Rating

Reviewed by
adventureginger

2 Reviews
0 Helpful

July 29, 2019

I grew up a town away from Camden and always loved going to the Chidester House on field trips! I love history and it is really neat to hear the stories of the family that lived there and the involvement the house had in the Civil War. I loved looking at the relics throughout the property and imagining the people that lived there. It was also a house featured in the mini-series North and South with Patrick Swayze. As a kid, I visited at least a dozen times or more. I live out of state now with my own family, but had the chance to take my children there while visiting home and it is still a neat place to see!

Was this helpful?

Be the first to add a review to the Mc Collum Chidester House.