The best way to learn about historic houses is to look at them closely, and the most fun way to look at them closely is to do a puzzle showing a wonderful historic house! So, we made a unique and interesting collection of Historic House Puzzles for you to enjoy!
The Edwardian Inn in Helena, Arkansas, was built in 1904 as the home of local businessman William A. Short. I had the pleasure of spending a night here back in November. edwardianinn.com
The large Colonial Revival style mansion is located on a prominent rise overlooking the Mississippi riverfront. The extensive use of hardwood millwork seen here became common in the later 19th century, with the development of steam powered machinery.
I suspected the house design was from a published plan book as I recently saw someone post photos of their own nearly identical house in another state. Now, a follower has identified the design! It appears as Design 190 from George F. Barber’s “Modern Dwellings, Fifth Edition,” published in 1905. The text states that the house was recently built in Helena, Arkansas, at a cost of $16,000. This is likely a case where Barber designed the house for William Short and then published the design, making copies of the plans available for sale to others.
Beginning after the Civil War, a number of architects published books and magazines with multiple house designs from which a property owner or developer could order full sets of blueprints. Some of them allowed purchasers to customize the plans, for an extra cost.
Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” is devoted to helping to identify the character-defining features of a house, prioritize elements to be preserved or restored, and guide changes necessary to make the house serve 21st century lives.
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs! “Restoring Your Historic House is also available in bookstores nationwide and from online retailers.
© Scott T. Hanson 2026.
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Click on the dashed box at the top-right in the puzzle box below to open the puzzle to full screen. In the top left, you can change the number of pieces (100 pieces is the default), toggle piece rotation, and change the background color. Then hit “OK” and have fun!