FT GIBSON HISTORIC SITE WPA
N 35° 47.690 W 095° 15.183
15S E 296396 N 3963534
Fort Gibson Historic Site,Ft. Gibson Oklahoma
Waymark Code: WM1JT9
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/21/2007
Views: 106
This is one of the best examples of WPA Projects I have found.
It was one of Roosevelt's Great Projects to rebuild Historic Ft. Gibson.
From website listed.
Statement of Significance (as of designation - December 19, 1960):
Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole Indians removed from the Southeast by the Government were brought here between 1824 and 1840. The fort was abandoned in 1857 and turned over to the Cherokee Nation. During the Civil War, it was reoccupied by Federal forces until it was abandoned as a military post in 1890 and reverted to the Cherokee Nation.
Condition:
The exact site of the original Fort Gibson is unknown. The current buildings representing the original fort were constructed at 2/3 scale by the WPA. The later history of the fort is represented by stone and frame buildings on a hill to the east of the stockade fort. There are ten original structures from this later fort of which six are owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The remaining four structures are privately owned. These buildings were constructed from a period of the 1840?s to the 1880?s when the military reservation was turned over to the Cherokee Nation. There are also a few historic structures located throughout the town of Fort Gibson which date to the fort period. All of these buildings are also in private ownership. All of the privately owned structures have been extensively modified from their original construction. Scattered throughout the OHS property are the remains and foundations of other fort buildings. There is also a section of earthworks built by the Union Army of the Frontier during the Civil War.
The logs on the WPA stockade, especially those walls exposed to the northerly winds and rain, are deteriorating. Also, all of the historic structures on the hill portion of the fort, with the exception of the Commissary Storehouse/Visitor Center, are in need of extensive restoration due to deterioration. The Adjutant?s Office is in need of a new porch and the foundation is breaking apart. The Post Hospital is in need of extensive internal structural improvements to make it safe enough for visitors. The original stone barracks is also in need of extensive repairs and restoration. The blacksmith?s shop has been modified for use as a shop/garage but is showing signs of deterioration, especially on the exterior stone walls. The hill area also has an original stone powder house (date unknown) and a frame bakery building which contains what is believed to be the original bake oven. The frame portion of the building was completed in the late 20th century and is conjectural in nature.
Project type: Park structure/building (other than lodge)
Date built or created: 1936
Location: Fort Gibson Historic Site
City: Fort Gibson
Condition: Good upkeep with a little wear and tear
Website for additional information: [Web Link]
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