McAlester House
Encyclopedia
The McAlester House is an historic house located at 14 East Smith Avenue in McAlester, Oklahoma
. Named for its builder and first owner, the colorful J. J. McAlester
, for whom McAlester was named, it began in 1870 as a 4-room log house in what was then Indian Territory
. J. J. McAlester later surrounded the log structure with a single-story house and also built a much larger 2-story Queen Anne
style house joined by a breezeway to the smaller structure. Its furnishings, many of which remain to this day, reflected the prosperity and position that the McAlester family enjoyed in the community. The building was renovated in 1960 by J. L. McAlester, grandson of J. J. McAlester. In 1980, McAlester House was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
In the early 2000s it was bought by its present owners who have continued the work of renovation and preservation. The house was featured in 2008 in a segment of the HGTV
channel's If Walls Could Talk program. The segment continues on HGTV reruns and has been rebroadcast as recently as September 22, 2009.
McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant....
. Named for its builder and first owner, the colorful J. J. McAlester
J. J. McAlester
James Jackson McAlester was an American Confederate Army soldier and merchant. McAlester is the founder of McAlester, Oklahoma as well as a primary developer of the coal mining industry in eastern Oklahoma...
, for whom McAlester was named, it began in 1870 as a 4-room log house in what was then Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
. J. J. McAlester later surrounded the log structure with a single-story house and also built a much larger 2-story Queen Anne
Queen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
style house joined by a breezeway to the smaller structure. Its furnishings, many of which remain to this day, reflected the prosperity and position that the McAlester family enjoyed in the community. The building was renovated in 1960 by J. L. McAlester, grandson of J. J. McAlester. In 1980, McAlester House was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In the early 2000s it was bought by its present owners who have continued the work of renovation and preservation. The house was featured in 2008 in a segment of the HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
channel's If Walls Could Talk program. The segment continues on HGTV reruns and has been rebroadcast as recently as September 22, 2009.