National Register of Historic Places

Draughn-Moore House

Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
Listed
June 28, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76002007

About this property

The Ace of Clubs House (also known as the Draughon–Moore House) is a historic house museum in Texarkana, Texas. The house is distinctively shaped like a club, from a deck of playing cards, with three octagon-shaped wings and a fourth rectangular wing adjoining at a central octagon-shaped stair hall. The structure was built in 1885 as a private residence, in an Italianate Victorian architectural style. The design resulted in the house having 22 sides. The two-story house also features a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower and a spiral staircase. According to local lore, it was shaped as a club because its builder and original owner, Confederate veteran, lumberman, and early Texarkana mayor James Draughon, built it with $10,000 that he won in a game of poker with an ace of clubs. Three families have lived in the house. In 1887, William Lowndes Whitaker, Sr., acquired the building. Whitaker lived in it until 1894, when he sold it to an attorney named Henry Moore, Sr. Henry Moore, Jr., and Tyler native Olivia Smith, his wife, moved into the house in 1920. After Moore, Jr., died in 1942, his widow remained in the house until her own death in 1985, at which point it was deeded to the Texarkana Museum System in her will. The house was refurbished in 1987, and it began operating as a museum in 1988. Each room was restored to represent a different time period in the history of the house, spanning from 1880 to 1940. The Ace of Clubs House caters to business and club meetings, lawn parties, portrait photography, receptions, and weddings. In 2016, the house's lawn hosted the Texarkana Museums System's Moonlight & Movies classic film series. The house has also hosted a Victorian Christmas celebration. The Ace of Clubs House has been featured on the HGTV television program Christmas Castles. It is both a property on the National Register of Historic Places and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

Location

420 Pine St.
Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
33.42423, -94.04439

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Draughn-Moore House

This page lists Draughn-Moore House. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Draughn-Moore House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Hotel Grim
Industrial
0.1 mi
Texarkana National Bank (Motor Bank and Parking Garage)
Industrial
0.2 mi
Offenhauser Insurance Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Saenger Theater
Industrial
0.2 mi
Texarkana National Bank
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Draughn-Moore House listed on the National Register?

Draughn-Moore House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Draughn-Moore House?

Draughn-Moore House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Draughn-Moore House?

The period of significance for Draughn-Moore House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Draughn-Moore House?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Draughn-Moore House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Bowie County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Bowie County.

Explore BowieCounty ›

More historic places in Texas

Browse all historic places in Texas.

View Texashistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Texas history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Texashistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Draughn-Moore House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report