College Hall Basketball Court

History

The first known indoor basketball court at Henderson was located in the basement of College Hall. In 1922, J. B. Garrett and a crew of carpenters installed new flooring and bleachers and painted the walls white. The new floor consisted of several layers of material. "Deep down in the ground" the carpenters poured a layer of concrete over a layer of grain. On top of the concrete, they laid rows of 2x4s interlined with sawdust to act as a shock absorber. Next came the subflooring covered with Slater Felt, or damp-proof paper. The top flooring of Edgegrain pine, not obtainable in Arkansas, had to be ordered from Louisiana.