National Register of Historic Places

Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House

Lehigh, Coal County, Oklahoma
Listed
March 10, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82003676

About this property

The Benjamin Franklin Smallwood House is a stone house located near Lehigh, Oklahoma. It was the home of Choctaw leader Benjamin Franklin Smallwood. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places. Benjamin Franklin Smallwood was an important leader of the Choctaw. He was representative to the Choctaw nation from 1847 to 1887. As a representative, he held the office of speaker for many years and was the leader of the National Party. He was elected Principal Chief of Choctaw Nation in 1888 and served for two years as chief. Because he refused to meet with United States government officials unless they came to his home, his home was where important meetings of Choctaw legislators, religious leaders, and members of the United States Congress were held. The house was originally part of a 500-acre farm that included four mineral springs. In 1982, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is the last surviving structure associated with Smallwood. At the time it was built, the Smallwood House was located in Atoka County, a part of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation. The house is a two-story sandstone building measuring 50 by 50 feet (15 by 15 m). The roof is gone; it was originally a gabled roof. The building has sixteen windows; those on the second floor measure 5 by 3 feet, and those on the first floor are 3 feet square. At the time of the national register application in 1982, the walls were intact except for a cave-in on the south side above a second-story window. On the north wall, there is a chimney and fireplace. The house has a stone porch, which has been forced away from the rest of the house by tree roots.

Location

Lehigh, Coal County, Oklahoma
34.46231, -96.27611

Categories

NATIVE AMERICANPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Merchants National Bank Building
Industrial
2.9 mi
Coalgate School Gymnasium-Auditorium
Industrial
5.9 mi
United States Post Office Coalgate
Industrial
6.3 mi
First Oil Well in Oklahoma
Civil War
7 mi
Pioneer Club
Industrial
10 mi

Nearby Battles

Boggy Depot
1863Civil War
6.2 mi
Skirmish at Boggy Depot (Choctaw Nation)
1863Civil War
12.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House listed on the National Register?

Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House?

Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House?

The period of significance for Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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