“Ace of Clubs” House

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

1. “Ace of Clubs” House Marker

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South,

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Woods.

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state,

Hemisphere,

World,

Anglosphere.

Spain,

Texas,

America,

South.

From the National Register Nomination prepared by Marie D. Landon, Dan Hardy and Joe Williams, 4/15/1976:
The

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

2. “Ace of Clubs” House National Register Marker

(mounted above the Texas Historical Commission marker)This property has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior

house was built in 1883-84 by J. H. Draughn (also spelled Draughon and Draughan), one of the city's earliest settlers and an early businessman. Born in 1843 in Waverly, Tennessee, Draughn went into the general mercantile business in that state. In the 1870's be began moving west. He worked for a while in Arkansas and when the city of Texarkana was founded in 1873 he came to work with a lumber firm, Buchanan and Company. When the firm dissolved in 1875, Draughn began an independent dry goods and lumber business. Having established himself in the community, Draughn served as one of the first mayors for a brief period from April to July, 1876. In addition, he was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Texarkana and served as President for 10 years.
The raised two-story house is located two blocks from the central business district of Texarkana near the Texas-Arkansas state line. Enclosing the beautiful grounds is a high brick wall, first built in 1884 as a low retaining wall and increased in height in the late 1930's to provide privacy. Wrought iron gates mark the entrance at Pine Street. Raised over a full basement, the apparent

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

3. “Ace of Clubs” House Markers

The markers are mounted at eye-level on the brick wall at the northwest corner of the property.

three stories of house is further heightened by its location on a high terrace above the street. An octagonal cupola rising from the central part of the roof adds to this sense of verticality.

Excerpt:  The Ace of Clubs House (also known as the Draughon–Moore 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. The structure was built in 1884 as a private residence, in an Italianate Victorian architectural style. The design resulted in the house having 22 sides. The two-story house also features a 20-foot tower and a spiral staircase. 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.
Three families have lived in the house. In 1887, William Lowndes Whitaker, Sr., acquired the building. Whitaker lived in it until 1894, when he sold it to an attorney named Henry

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

4. “Ace of Clubs” House (west elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The nucleus of the upper stories is the octagonal rotunda with a central well of about 40 feet. The cupola, with arched stained-glass windows in each of its eight sides, lights the well. The surrounding rooms on the first floor are formal rooms joined by the vestibules.

Moore, Sr. After Henry 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. The house was refurbished in 1987, and it began operating as a museum in 1988. Each room was restored to represent a different time period in the history of the house, spanning from 1880 to 1940.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

5. “Ace of Clubs” House (west elevation detail)

From the National Register Nomination:  The raised gallery, which extends around the southwest facade, is supported on stuccoed brick elliptical arches, has a cross-patterned grillwork balustrade, canopies and a low-pitched tile roof with wide overhanging eaves. Stairs are located on the western end of the gallery. There is an entry located in each of the four vestibules.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

6. “Ace of Clubs” House (north elevation)

Excerpt:  The unique design of the house has three large bays on the southwest, southeast and northwest facades and a rectangular wing on the northeast side all radiating from a central mass. An octagonal cupola rises from the central portion. In the early 1920's an off-center two-story wing was added at the rear, and another wing was built at the eastern corner of the southeast side bay.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2025

7. “Ace of Clubs” House (northwest elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The exterior detail displays Italianate characteristics. The brick walls were originally stuccoed and scored to appear like large stone blocks. Raised stringcourses delineate the floor levels. Marking the corners of the polygonal bays are pilasters formed by raised brickwork which are also stuccoed and scored to resemble large stone block quoins. Another Italianate feature is the use of the two styles of pedimented hood molds over the narrow 2/2 light windows. The low-pitched roof has projecting eaves supported by brackets and larger corner brackets. Sheltered by the eaves are frieze panels and a cornice with triangular dentils. Surmounting the roof is the wood-frame cupola with round arched windows in each of its eight sides. The windows were originally rose colored but have been replaced with purple lights. The cupola is crowned by a low roof with wide bracketed eaves.