The Beach House at 1820 S. Main St. in Little Rock is finding new life as a party venue by Amber Henson, an owner of A Party to Go-Go.
Henson, who turned 27 on Saturday, said she didn’t realize until after she started using the house, owned by Paul Minton of Jonesboro, that the 120-year-old, three-story house is best known to locals as the Markle House.
It was there in November 1987 that Stephens Inc. futures trader John Markle murdered his wife and two young daughters and committed suicide after his embezzlement scheme was discovered.
Henson, who has a day job as a stockbroker for Edward Jones, said the house’s grisly history doesn’t seem to bother many of her customers. She has booked “a ton of Christmas parties,” casino parties, receptions and three spring 2004 weddings.
Minton, who bought the house after it was damaged in a 1998 tornado, has become a partner in Henson’s party planning business.
The house was built in the early 1880s by A.D. Beach, thus the name Henson prefers to use.
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