Summer Suppers: A Taste of the Times at the Mills-Davis House

Summer Supper: A Taste of the Times at the restored Mills-Davis House

The Quapaw Quarter Association kicked off our Summer Supper series at the Mills-Davis House, an Italianate Little Rock home built in 1878. Guests were taken through the house and enjoyed listening the preservation journey of the home from Jennifer Carman. Dinner included 13 small bites from Territorial Arkansas to the present. Thank you to Jennifer Carman and Kat Wilson for supporting this event and providing a beautiful space to discuss Little Rock history and preservation wins.

The Mills-Davis house was constructed in 1878 by Abraham Anderson Mills and his wife Eliza Missouri “Eudie” LeFevre Mills, who lived in the house until the early 1940s. Built in the Italianate architecture style, the Mills-Davis house stands as a unique time capsule for the style in Little Rock. Art historian, Jennifer Carman, purchased the home in 2016 and restored the property over a two year time span. Now the property operates as a photography studio, office, and AirBNB. The Mills-Davis house is a prime example of historic preservation in the MacArthur Park historic district. The house went through an extensive rehabilitation. Jennifer's background in art history and appraisals, gave her the starting point to complete the rehab using sensitive practices, dedicated replacements, and period appropriate finishes.

In addition to being an accredited personal property appraiser, Jennifer is an independent art historian and curator who consults, advises, and writes on many topics in the fine and decorative arts. Jennifer is an alumna of Hendrix College who holds a Master's degree in Art History from the University of Glasgow, and is a Graduate Connoisseur of Christie's in London. Jennifer holds a Certificate in Appraisal Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase College earned through the American Society of Appraisers, where she is an Accredited Senior Appraiser. 

Kat Wilson is a photographic artist with a studio located at the Mills Davis House. Kat's art centers on portraiture through elaborate, constructed environments, often created in close collaboration with the people being photographed. Kat's work has been published in Communication Arts, Virginia Quarterly, and Oxford American, and exhibited at institutions including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. It has also been projected at The Louvre. In 2026, the exhibit, Habitats, will be on view at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in an expanded presentation.

Recipes for this Summer Supper included an 1840s Biergarten Brats dish attributed to Little Rock's George Brothers; another recipe dating from 1840-1870 for Nathan Warren's famous Tea Cakes; a 1732 recipe for Fish House Punch, which packed quite a punch with rum, cognac, and peach brandy. You can't explore the world of culinary history without stopping in mid-century America. A 1950s recipe named "Cornelia Terry's Devilish Ham Puffs" were quite popular. The recipe is attributed to the named Cornelia Terry, who lived at 2020 Arch Street for many years. This recipe had been published in the 1972 cook book published by the Junior League in Little Rock. The crowd pleaser of the night may have been rosemary candied bacon known as "Millionare's Bacon." This is a holiday dish served at Jennifer and Kat's house for Christmas each year. 

You can read more about the Mills-Davis house on their Facebook page here.

Read about our feature in the Little Rock Soiree here!

This Summer Supper was graciously supported by Jennifer Carman and Kat Wilson. If you are interested in supporting our work and agree with our mission, please reach out to us at qqa@quapaw.com