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 Murrell Mansion - Park Hill, OK Posted by:  hamquilter
N 35° 51.364 W 094° 57.541
15S E 323107 N 3969756
A focal point of social life in early Indian Territory, the home went into disrepair, and then was beautifully restored by the State of Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMPBFP
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/03/2015
Views: 3
"Straight ahead on the graveled road to the Murrell Mansion, 1.2m., standing in a grove of oaks and catalpas. Though now in disrepair, the stately old building was considered the finest residence in the vicinity in Civil War days. All the timber and finishing materials were cut from the near-by trees, but most of the furniture was imported from France or bought in New Orleans and shipped up the Arkansas and Illinois Rivers by steamboat. George Murrell, the original owner, was a prominent merchant and a member of the Ross faction of the Cherokee. Before and during the Civil War, the house was a center of social activities for near-by Fort Gibson; later it passed rapidly from one owner to another, serving at one time as a school. Today (1941) it is occupied at intervals by tenant farmers. The spacious piazzas and the portico are gone, but the sturdy foundation beams of the house are still in place." [Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State, 1941]
The home was purchased by the State of Oklahoma in 1948, and beautifully restored. It is one of the few antebellum homes still extant, and the last Pre-Civil War plantation home in Oklahoma. The Murrell Home was called "Hunter's Home" by Major George Murrell, as he was a Southerner and fond of the chase. The home sits on 40 acres, and includes the original spring house, smoke house, picnic area, playground, creek, and nature trail.
The home is currently maintained by the Oklahoma Historical Society and operated as a museum.
Book: Oklahoma
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 260
Year Originally Published: 1941
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