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Helena, Arkansas
Call the inn: (870) 338-9155Book

The house

The Edwardian Inn, built 1904.

William A. Short built the house on Biscoe Street in 1904. It has taken guests as The Edwardian Inn since 1984.

317 Biscoe Street, Helena, Arkansas 72342
The front hall: oak columns, a paneled ceiling, a crystal chandelier and the oak staircase

Oak from the Delta’s sawmills, mantels from Chicago.

William A. Short built the house for his family in 1904.

The walls are lined with quarter-sawn oak paneling. The oak came from the region’s 24 sawmills, when Helena was a center of the timber trade.

Chicago artisans made nine mantels for the house. Eight are still where they were first set. The ninth is now the front desk, where every guest checks in.

Chicago craftsmen also built the oak staircase. It is still in excellent condition, its applied carving and millwork included.

The front of The Edwardian Inn in winter, with its porch and the brick front steps
The front of the house, in winter.
The parlor: a red wall, a carved mantel with a fireplace, a settee and two armchairs on a Persian rug
The parlor, with one of the original mantels.
A black grand piano by a tall window on a red rug
The piano, on the first floor.
The upstairs hallway, with a red runner, an oak railing and spindle work over the landing
The upstairs hall, at the top of the staircase.

Through the years

Four dates in the life of the house.

  1. 1904

    The house is built

    William A. Short builds the house for his family. The oak paneling comes from the region's 24 sawmills. Chicago artisans make its nine mantels.

  2. 1984

    The inn opens

    The William A. Short House opens as The Edwardian Inn and begins taking guests.

  3. 2019

    Robert Cheek takes over

    Robert Cheek becomes the inn's steward. He keeps the house's historic character and updates the rooms for today's travelers.

  4. Today

    Still taking guests

    More than 40 years after it opened, the inn takes guests from around the world.

Read the whole story: The house that outlasted its fortune

Helena, Arkansas

Near the Crossroads.

Helena is about a half hour from the Crossroads of Highway 61, the Blues Highway. Highway 61 runs from Memphis to New Orleans.

The house has a wraparound porch with rocking chairs. Guests take their morning coffee out there.

Helena has the King Biscuit Blues Festival, antebellum architecture, Civil War history and an arts scene.

Read about HelenaThings to do
The wraparound porch of The Edwardian Inn, with its white columns

Ten rooms at The Edwardian Inn.

Each one is named for a person tied to Helena.

Choose your room

Real availability, real rates. No booking fees, ever.

Or call the inn at (870) 338-9155