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Work has begun on rebuilding the back porch of the Casey House, and the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society says it needs eight more sponsored boards to reach its goal of 100.
The society thanked donors who have already given to the effort. At $150 a board, the remaining eight represent $1,200.
The porch work is part of the society’s “All A-Board” campaign, which asks supporters to sponsor a single plank in the restoration. Crews are replacing the porch’s pine boards with period-accurate white oak, a material closer to what would have been used when the house was built.
The back porch is the latest phase in a restoration that has been years in the making. Earlier work replaced the roof with cedar shingles and rebuilt the front porch. Crews later moved indoors to refurbish the floorboards and hang new wallpaper.
Born to Roof has handled the restoration, which also included attention to the home’s foundation. The building sits on stacked rock, and society members have described the foundation as one of the most urgent problems facing the structure.
The Casey House was built in 1858 by Col. Randolph D. Casey and is the oldest standing structure in Mountain Home. It is a two-room dog-trot cabin, a pioneer style named for the open breezeway that runs between its rooms.
The house served as the site of Baxter County’s first court and Mountain Home’s first post office. Casey went on to become the county’s first representative in the state legislature after Baxter County was formed in 1873.
It remains at its original location on the corner of East Wade and Arena streets, next to the Baxter County Fairgrounds. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The building has survived the Civil War, a tornado that tore off its roof in 1985 and more than 165 years of Arkansas weather. Society members have said it was close to being lost after the tornado and was saved by volunteers who picked up the pieces.
Public money has covered much of the current work. Baxter County set aside $100,000 in its 2025 budget, and the society secured a $68,000 state grant after initially asking for $142,000 for the first phase.
Board sponsorships help close what is left. The society says every gift, from a single plank to a larger project, helps preserve the landmark. Donations to the nonprofit are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Donations can be mailed to the Baxter County Historical Society, P.O. Box 2125, Mountain Home, AR 72654. They can also be dropped off at the society’s museum at 300 Bomber Blvd. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More information is available at 870-425-2551 or at BaxterCountyHistory.org.
