Imagine, if you will, a younger Texarkana at the turn of the 20th century. Known as the "Gateway to the Southwest" there were nine railway lines employing about 2,000 men with a combined monthly payroll of more than $200,000. Every day 36 passenger trains and an average of 158 freight trains came in and out of the Twin Cities that had been in existence fewer than 40 years. Roger O'Dwyer had immigrated to Texarkana in the 1880s and was a partner in the O'Dwyer and O'Reilly Dry Goods Co. on the Arkansas side of town. He wrote to his childhood friend, Patrick J. Ahern, back home in Ireland about this booming town he had settled in and invited Ahern to join him here.
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Welcome reception @ Arkansas Arts Center — 07.07
The Arkansas Arts Center held a welcome reception for the new executive director Todd Herman with a welcome talk, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
At the age of 21, Ahern arrived in Texarkana and became a partner in the firm, eventually buying out O'Reilly's interest. On Oct. 1, 1890, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. O'Dwyer and Ahern grew rapidly and moved to 110-112 E. Broad St. The building was comprised of three floors and a basement, accommodating both retail and wholesale trade.
Ahern married Mary Olive Lansdale of Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 1904, and brought her home. In 1906 they built their house at 403 Laurel St., in the heart of the "Quality Hill" section of town. The couple had designed their own floor plans and rented a home just down the block so Mary could watch the Burdsal Co. construct the large Classic Revival structure.
Located next door to the Ahern House, on the same lot, is the home of Mrs. Ahern' s elder sister, Mrs. J.P. Kline. Living some distance from the local businesses, yet past the route of public transportation, the sisters wanted to live near each other.
The Aherns had six children, five of whom were born in the 403 Laurel home: Joseph (1905-2002), Mary (1907-2003), Ann (1910-1988), Catherine (1912-1931), John (1912-2004}, and Eleanor (1917).
The home is a large 2-1/2 story concrete block structure, set on a corner lot with a low retaining wall, which serves to accentuate the buildings already large scale. The hip roof projects over the street-facing sides and is supported on those sides by two-story Doric columns.
The retaining wall is important because it adds subtle height to the overall appearance of the house and also adds to the showmanship of the main entrance.
Set in the wall are five concrete steps with an ornate metal railing that leads to the continued sidewalk, that leads to another five concrete steps with a railing, that leads up to the floor of the front porch and to the main entrance of the house. The house has five chimneys.
At the end of the porch, near the steps, Ahern carved his initials into the concrete before it dried.
On the side facing East Fourth Street, a portion of the upper level has been enclosed for a sleeping porch, one of the few alterations made to the structure.
The first floor of the home consists of a central hall, music room, parlor, library, dining room, kitchen, butler's pantry and powder room. The second floor consists of four bedrooms, two baths, a nursery room and a sleeping porch added in 1918. All six children slept on the porch during the summer.
The original gas-and-electric combination chandeliers still illuminate the home and both gas and electric sconces can be found in the library and parlor. There are six gas fireplaces in the house, four on the first floor and two upstairs; each has a unique mantle design with Italian tile in various colors. The floors throughout the house are made of virgin edge cut pine, lightly stained. A darker mahogany stain was used on the interior woodwork, pocket doors and staircases.
None of the interior woodwork has ever been refinished.
Mary personally cleaned the woodwork throughout the house each year.
The cabinets in the pantry are original, as well as much of the furniture still in the home. Each of the bathrooms is equipped with original fixtures, including claw-foot tubs.
The house plans are still stored in the house, as well as a trunk containing Mary's wedding dress. Their croquet set and baby bassinet are also located in the attic among several of their other possessions. Among those items are three pianos used by music students through the years.
The Aherns' charities extended in all directions irrespective of race or creed. They were devout members of St. Edward's Catholic Church and were largely responsible for the successful completion of the plans establishing the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The Sisters oversaw the Michael Meagher Memorial Hospital (now CHRISTUS-St. Michael). During the construction of the convent, the sisters lived at the Ahern home.
For years, Ahern owned more land than anyone else in the city. In addition to his mercantile and real estate interests, Ahern was also a member of the board of directors of the Texarkana National Bank, Texas Cotton Oil Co., Southern Furniture Co., Miller Land and Improvement Co. and many other industries in Miller County.
Patrick Ahern died July 30, 1932; Mary outlived him by almost 40 years, passing away on March 4, 1970. Both are buried at Calvary Hill Cemetery.
Through the years, the Quality Hill neighborhood of Texarkana has undergone many changes and a number of the large homes in the area have disappeared. The continuous ownership of the house by the Ahern Family has assured the preservation of the house through the years.
In 2005, the Texarkana Museums System assisted the Ahern family in placing the family home on the National Register of Historic Places. Through the efforts of Eleanor Horrigan, the youngest daughter of P. J. and Mary O. Ahern, the house was preserved and plans were made to use the home as a living history museum.
(Texarkana Museums System hosts exhibits and cultural programs at the Ahern Home each month - generally on the fourth Saturday of the month. The property is available for rent as a venue for small weddings, meetings and events. For information on tours or rentals, contact the museum at 903-793-4831.)