Arkansas's first capitol, where a legislator was stabbed to death on the House floor in 1837 — and where staff have since reported a figure in a frock coat walking the chamber.
300 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR 72201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Admission is free; donations accepted
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor gallery with elevator access; renovated historic building
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1833 · Arkansas's first state capitol building · 1837 Wilson-Anthony stabbing on House floor · Brooks-Baxter War of 1874 · National Register of Historic Places · Greek Revival architecture
Construction of Arkansas's first capitol began in 1833 under the direction of architect Gideon Shryock and was completed in stages through 1842. The Greek Revival building served as the seat of state government until the new capitol was completed in 1915, after which the Old State House was repurposed for other government functions before being restored as a museum.
The building's most documented violent episode occurred on November 5, 1837. Speaker of the House John Wilson and Representative Joseph J. Anthony had developed a bitter personal and political rivalry. During a session, the argument turned physical: Wilson drew a bowie knife and stabbed Anthony, who died of his wounds. Wilson was tried for murder and acquitted — a verdict that reflected both the personal-honor culture of the antebellum frontier and Wilson's political standing in the young state.
The building later became the site of the Brooks-Baxter War of 1874, when two rival claimants to the governorship — Elisha Baxter and Joseph Brooks — each occupied state buildings with armed supporters in a weeks-long standoff that ended only after President Grant recognized Baxter's government.
The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now managed as a free state museum, with its restored House chamber among the primary exhibits.
Sources
The restored House chamber is the focus of paranormal accounts at the Old State House. Staff have described a figure in a frock coat moving through the chamber during off-hours, locally attributed to Speaker John Wilson, though no source documents a witness seeing Wilson's face or receiving any verbal identification. EVP recordings captured during formal investigations have produced unexplained audio attributed to voices in the chamber.
A second tradition holds that Joseph Brooks, the losing claimant in the 1874 Brooks-Baxter War, also haunts the building — perhaps because his armed occupation of a state office ended in political defeat. These accounts come primarily from paranormal investigation reports and local ghost-tour literature rather than museum staff on record.
The Paranormal Traveler documented an investigation that included EVP sessions in the chamber and reported unexplained temperature drops and audio anomalies consistent with claims made by building employees.
Notable Entities
Free self-guided tour of Arkansas's oldest standing capitol building, including the restored House chamber where the 1837 Wilson-Anthony stabbing occurred, period exhibits, and displays on the Brooks-Baxter War of 1874.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Little Rock, AR
The Tower Building is the sole surviving structure of the 1840 Little Rock Arsenal and the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur. Arkansas militia seized it in February 1861 before the state formally voted for secession; Union forces retook Little Rock in September 1863 and held the arsenal through the war.
Jackson, MS
Mississippi's Old Capitol was built between 1833 and 1839 as the state's Greek Revival statehouse and served as the seat of Mississippi government for nearly 25 years. The Mississippi Legislature voted to secede from the Union here in January 1861. After the new capitol opened in 1903, the building passed to various uses before being restored in 1959 and again in the 1990s as the Old Capitol Museum, now operated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Sheridan, AR
Grant County's courthouse square in Sheridan, Arkansas has been the seat of county government since the county's creation in 1869. Three earlier courthouses occupied or stood near the square; the current 1964 Greek Revival building preserves corner markers from the 1910 structure and houses Grant County's first public clock. The Reconstruction era brought significant violence to the area.