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GJPix PhotosThe Veranda Inn Mansion is a resort destination in itself. Re-live the days of the Old South & experience a relaxed, elegant way of life. Return to the days of stress free living & feel all your worries & tension melt away, as you rediscover yourself & each other.The huge verandas invite you to sit & enjoy the mountiain views, the multitude of birds & the breeze that always blows atop our hilltop. There is a wonderful view of Crescent Park & the street are perfect for strolling or enjoy a close by horse drawn carriage ride. The Mansion has a wonderful collection of art & antiques collected from travels abroad. A full gourmet breakfast is served every morining & we have a wonderful five course formal dinner party for our guest to enjoy. Please make sure to inquire and book the dinner party when making your reservations.The Veranda Inn Mansion is perfect for weddings & receptions. We can accommodate wedding receptions & functions for up to 40 people. Special Wedding packages are available upon request & are always customize to the bride and groom & number of guest attending the weddiing. Children are allowed under 16 for Weddings & Receptions. Weddings at the Mansion can provide you with fairytale memories to last a lifetime. Please contact us to start planning your reception.The Veranda Inn Mansion is rich in history as is Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We look forward to having you as our guest and to giving you an experience of grace and Southern charm, as only The Veranda Inn Mansion can provide.In 1899, W.H. Reid purchased two lots from Brigadier General Powell Clayton, the first Governor of Arkansas after the Civil War. Reid built a spacious colonial revival structure at an enormous cost of $25,000. The mansion was designed by the famous St. Louis architect, Theodore C. Link. Link also designed a variety of lovely mansions as well as Union Station in St. Louis and the Mississippi State House. A third lot was purchased in 1905. The Reid’s named the home “The Avarana.â€The November 11, 1906 Eureka Springs Times Echo reported the following:“The Avarana†a Model Country Home When Dr. E.J. Doering, Sr., one of Chicago’s noted physicians and ex-president of the Chicago Medical Society, recommended Eureka Springs to Mr. W. H Reid, vice-president of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank of Chicago, he did this city a lasting service. This was sixteen years ago and secured to us annual visits of this estimable gentleman and able financier. Besides the pleasures for which the resort is noted, Mr. Reid always anticipates on his visits here the finding of chickens, meats, eggs and vegetables which have not the flavor of cold storage.When in Chicago, Mr. Reid is in the grind of strenuous financial life, being at the head of one of the greatest financial institutions in the United States. When in Eureka Springs, he and his good lady, seem to be on pleasure bent, seeking converse with mother nature, ever ready with a pleasant greeting for all whom they meet, and enjoying to the full extent the pleasures to be found only in the Ozarks, and it is said that no one is more familiar with all the bridal paths and cozy and beauteous retreats than is Mrs. Reid.Mounted on a sure footed pony, she daily discovers new haunts of beauty, where the wild flowers of all varieties and colors are everywhere apparent and the dense foliage reach the capabilities of the limbs from which it hangs. She rides over the mountain tops, nearly two thousand feet above the level of the sea, where the tall pines bear their evergreen garb, down the hillsides where the oaks and cedars try their level best to hide the intermingling cliffs, through the valleys where the white blossoms on the dogwood and wild plum, and the variegated blossoms of the redwood and blueberry, in contrast with the clear rippling streams and pebbles of many a hue, form one grand color panorama beyond description of pen or brush.The benefits received through improved health and rest from business cares were such as to induce Mr. Reid to make a very considerable investment in Avarana, his beautiful vacation home.In 1921, EJ and Emma Walton bought the house and in April 1932 when the Walton’s were out of town, an arsonist broke into the house and set the stairs on fire. The arsonist was not very clever and even though he drenched rags with coal oil and lit them on fire in several of the staircases, he didn’t open any windows. At 3 am in the morning, neighbors found the fire and turned in an alarm.The Eureka Springs Flashlight reported the fire the next day saying “Last night’s fire is a clear case of incenedarism and it represents criminal destruction of the most wanton type. The Walton home is one of the most beautiful in this section of Arkansas, having cost over $25,000 to build many years ago. A delay of five minutes by the fire department would have meant the total destruction of this beautiful mansion.†Evidence of the fire still remains on the third floor and on the stone in the basement.In 1938, Norman Baker, Inc held title to the house. Baker, who started the Baker Cancer Clinic in the Crescent Hotel, was later convicted of mail fraud and sent to prison in Leavenworth. The house was transferred to Thelma Yount, Baker’s girlfriend, who lost it to the city in 1942.James and Mary Jackson purchased the home in 1943. Mr. Jackson served in the US Air Force and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. General Jackson grew up in Eureka Springs and was the son of homeopathic physician Dr. R. L. Jackson. General Jackson was stationed in a variety of locations around the world and the family often joined him. Rather than leave the home empty, the Jackson’s rented the house through a local realtor. It was rented as a dormitory for the workers who built Beaver Dam, which sits about 10 miles away. In 1966, the Jackson’s sold the house and in 1967, Mrs. Jackson discovered the new owner was dismantling and selling pieces of the historic house. In October 1967, the owner was two days late with the payment and Mrs. Jackson foreclosed and got the house back. She spent countless days recovering items removed from the house.In the 1970’s the Jackson’s began renting rooms to visitors and called the house “Veranda Innâ€
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