The Shoppach House

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ... . ”

— From the First Amendment to Constitution

The Shoppach House stands just a few blocks from the Saline Courier in the historic district of Benton. Located at 508 N. Main St., it is the oldest brick structure in the county and has quite the history.

John William Shoppach was born in Hessen, Germany, and came to America in 1834, where he eventually made his way to present-day Saline County in the newly-created state of Arkansas.

In 1852, he and his wife, Sibby, whose family had come from

Illinois to Arkansas in 1818, built a small home in Benton. The bricks used to build the home and a nearby well were made on site by Shoppach. The brick portion of the house was built in the dogtrot style, with two rooms on either side of a breezeway. Shortly after the family’s move to Benton, Shoppach got involved in local politics and was elected county clerk. He remained in that office until his death in 1861.

During the Civil War, the small house was the home of James H. Shoppach, a private in the Confederate Army. In April 1861, the home’s front yard served as the site for the presentation of a battle flag to Saline County’s Company E of the First Arkansas Infantry of the Confederacy. The flag was made by women in the community and accompanied the forces to several battles including those at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga.

In August 1863, after Union troops took control of central Arkansas, Union officers used the Shoppach House as their headquarters, while troops were stationed in a hastily built fort on what is now the southeast corner of Carpenter and Military Roads. The Shoppach House was later used to house Union forces under Lieutenant Henry C. Caldwell in November of that year.

The structure stood through the Civil War and continued to be the home of five generations of the Shoppach family.

In 1959, the Shoppach House and grounds were sold to local resident David Demuth. The Saline County Art League organized events in which handmade items were sold to raise money to support the restoration of the home, as well as continued maintenance of the house and grounds. In 1962, the Saline County Art League moved the Pilgrim Rest Church building to the grounds of the Shoppach House.

The church was established in 1833 along presentday Colonel Glenn Road in west Little Rock. The art league repurposed the old church building as the Saline County Art Center.

In September 1974, Demuth officially transferred ownership of the Shoppach House and property to the Saline County Art League for the price of $10. A restrictive covenant attached to the warranty deed stated that the historic home and grounds were to be used specifically as “an art center, historic landmark and showplace,” and that the house and outbuildings were to “never be removed or torn down.” In October 1975, the Shoppach House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In May 1980, renovations to the Shoppach House were completed. The home was furnished with period-accurate furniture and other historical artifacts donated by descendants of the Shoppach family and other local citizens. The DeTonti Post Office, built in 1940, was moved to the Shoppach House grounds. The small building is an excellent example of a small post office in mid-20th century rural Arkansas.

Still owned by the Saline County Art League, the group has hosted book signing events, scout tours, family tours, as well as several open houses for the community to attend throughout the past few years. While the inside of the Shoppach House and other historic buildings are currently closed to the public, one can still walk freely on the historic grounds and get a sense of life in Saline County in the mid-1800s.