Text of the marker:
In 1829, when Arkansas was a territory of the United States, Jacob Wolf donated the land and built this structure as the first permanent courthouse for Izard County. Great competition existed among frontier settlers to secure the "seat of justice" for their town as it was accompanied by additional commerce. As a territorial legislator from 1827 to 1835, Wolf competed aggressively for this designation for his town, which he called Liberty. Here county government functions were transacted, and numerous regularly scheduled county and circuit court sessions were held several times a year. Wolf established a post office here called Izard Courthouse. John P. Houston, brother of American legend San Houston, served as the county clerk. Numerous early Arkansas lawyers served here as judges, prosecutors and defenders. In 1835, the territorial legislature voted to relocate the county seat to another site, and Wolf had the property deeded back to himself.
Jacob Wolf's German heritage and confident countenance have been preserved in the 1850's image of him (see left). His German influence is also seen in the expertly hewn, yellow pine logs of this two-story structure that features a first-level breezeway or "dog-trot". The logs spanning this breezeway are an exceptional thirty-two feet long. This log building form, once common on America's frontiers, has now become rare. The structure has been restored under a Courthouse Restoration Grant provided by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and administered by Baxter County Judge Joe Bodenhamer. Tommy Jameson, of Jameson Architects, P.A., served as the preservation architect for the project.
Jacob Wolf was born in 1786 in North Carolina and moved to Kentucky prior to immigrating to Arkansas. He was the father of sixteen children and five stepchildren. He was a blacksmith, carpenter, merchant and farmer as well as a legislator. Shortly after he purchased this land in 1824, he built a dwelling house, detached kitchen, slave cabins, barn, blacksmith shop and store before he constructed the courthouse. The courthouse is the only original structure remaining today. After the removal of the seat of justice, Wolf moved his family into the structure, and itserved as their family home until his death in 1863.
Additional signs are placed throughout the site to interpret the historical significance of the Jacob Wolf House. These signs have been funded in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
From the National Register application:
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visit link)
"The Wolf House is a two-storey "Saddle bag" log structure built by Major Jacob Wolf after his arrival in north Arkansas.
The foundation is stone, supporting a hand hewn log sill system. The squared outer log walls are connected at the corners by the chamfer and notch method common to early 19th century construction. The average log sectional dimensions are 11" x 7". The original chinking material has been replaced with a cementitious mortar.
The first floor has two rooms of equal size flanking the open dog-trot breezeway. The upper floor also has two rooms. One room is larger as it extends over the one-storey dog-trot. The second floor is reached by a run of open stairs from the first-storey porch to the second-storey porch. Access to all rooms is gained from the full length porches front and rear. The overall dimensions of the building, including porches, are 30 x 45 feet.
The roof is bellcast gabled with the porch roofs pitched at a slightly lower pitch than the main one. The roof is covered with hand riven cedar shingles. The porches are supported by a series of eight peeled, rough posts, not squared.
There are two chimneys outside on the gable ends. They are constructed of stone up to a line approximating the eave line and brick from there up.
The windows are double hung with a pattern of 6 x 6 lights. They are shuttered with solid, vertically boarded blinds."