From the first step you take into the Edwardian Inn, you cannot help but be swept back in time. You can feel the enchantment of a bygone era. In 1885 Mr. and Mrs. William A. Short came to Helena from Mobile, Alabama.  Mr. Short had been engaged by the Howell Cotton Company of Little Rock, Arkansas to conduct a branch of their business in this city.  In 1888, W.A. Short started his own cotton business and two years later changed the firm's name to W.A.Short and Company.  In 1895, W.A. Short and Y.F. Harrington formed a business in cotton second to none in this part of the country.  Their business totalled over $5,000,000 for the season of 1902-1903.  W. A. Short and Company invaded other markets, establishing branch offices in Pine Bluff, Brinkley, Newport, Cotton Plant, Clarendon, Forrest City, Holly Grove, Marianna, Memphis and Osceola.  A newspaper from 1904 printed the following, "W.A.Short and Y.F. Harrington have a genius for organization and are men of ability, industry, and wide capacity.  In fact, they are among the leading business spirits of Helena, Arkansas. "  In 1904 Mr. William Short built this home which is now known as The Edwardian Inn. The house was built by the Clem brothers, who were believed until just recently to have been from St. Louis, but have now been determined to have been from Fordyce.  They  also built several other homes in the Helena area, including two "sister houses", the Short-Bieri house and the West-Webb house. The Edwardian Inn remained the family home until about 1917, after which time various families owned or rented it.  From the late thirties until the early eighties, the house had been used as an apartment building, boarding house, alcohol rehabilitation center and other businesses until being completely restored as a Bed and Breakfast in 1983. The Edwardian Inn is an outstanding example of fine homes that were built in Helena around the turn of the century.  The quarter-sawn oak paneling that is used extensively throughout the house may have come from the 24 sawmills that were in the area at the time. Expert craftsmen in Chicago made the nine original mantels in the house. Eight of them remain in place with the ninth being used as the front desk for the inn. Wood carpeting made in Germany of 36 different kinds of woods are used throughout the first floor.  The stairway is of oak and is in excellent condition.  It was constructed by the Clem brothers with the applied carving and mill work coming from Chicago.  The twelve guest rooms are named for persons who are important to the history of Helena and Phillips County. Seven rooms are named for confederate generals from Helena. On the second floor we have a W.A. Short room named for the original owner.  Another room is named for the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips who owned much of eastern Arkansas in 1820.  He helped lay out the city of Helena and named it for his daughter.  The John Hanks Alexander room is named for the second black graduate of West Point, who was from Phillips County.  On the third floor, from which one can still see the River, we have the Father Marquette and Louis Joliet rooms.  They are credited with discovering, in 1643, that the Mississippi River flowed into the Gulf of Mexico.  The Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Once you step inside we encourage you to leave your busy lives behind. Sit on the porch and watch the sun chase the shadows. In the evening, when you retreat to your room you will discover everything has been appointed for your comfort. In the morning, a bountiful, homemade breakfast will help start your day off right.

Personal attention to quality and you is what makes the difference.