O. B. McFadden House

{{Other uses|McFadden House (disambiguation){{!}}McFadden House}}

{{Infobox NRHP

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| image = File:McFadden House Chehalis 75001861 NRHP Lewis County, WA.jpg

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| coordinates = {{coord|46|39|29|N|122|57|54|W|region:US_type:landmark|name=O. B. McFadden House|display=inline,title}}

| location = 475 S.W. Chehalis Avenue, Chehalis, Washington{{efn|The original address, before a city wide change, was 1639 Chehalis Avenue}}

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| area = less than one acre

| built = {{Start date|1859}}

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| architecture = Bungalow log cabin

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| added = April 1, 1975

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The O. B. McFadden House is the historic home of Obadiah B. McFadden{{efn|His first name is often spelled as "Obediah" in early reporting. See sources throughout the article.}} and is located in Chehalis, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1975 and is situated south of Millett Field.

The house is the oldest structure in Lewis County and the oldest residence in Chehalis. The McFadden's were a prominent family in Chehalis, purchasing the grounds in 1859 from the Saunders family, the founders of what later became Chehalis. The Saunders built the home as part of the purchase agreement. The home was used for a time during the late 1860s and into the 1870s as an early post office for the community. By 1911, the home was described to be in a dilapidated state and underwent a restoration; a second renovation began in 1982.

The log cabin home, built with mortise and tenon joinery, is considered either {{fraction|1|1|2}} or two stories and at its initial construction, contained 8 rooms. Due to age and numerous restorations and additions, the residence contains little of its early details though the exterior walls and some foundational support remain. No photographs have been found to document the original state of the home.

History

O.B. McFadden and his wife, Margaret (Mary), purchased the property in 1859. The land, originally part of the Saunder's family settlement claim, was situated in a wilderness area.{{cite news |author1=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget staff |title=Repairing Old Landmark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUZUAAAAIBAJ |access-date=October 4, 2023 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett |date=April 28, 1911 |page=1}} As part of the agreement, the Saunders, who were the founders of present-day Chehalis, built the home for the McFadden family.{{cite web |title=Historic Resources of Chehalis |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/fd3342f5-6318-4fc1-971e-10b855bea118 |website=National Park Service |access-date=October 4, 2023 |page=3 |date=August 1991}}{{cite journal |last1=Weyeneth |first1=Robert R. |title=The Origins and Urban Development of Chehalis |journal=Columbia - the Magazine of Northwest History |date=1991 |volume=5 |issue=4 |page=5 |url=https://www.washingtonhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1991-v5-n4-final.pdf |access-date=October 4, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Ott |first1=Jennifer |title=Schuyler and Eliza Saunders settle at future site of Chehalis on May 1, 1850 |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8649 |website=HistoryLink |access-date=October 4, 2023 |date=July 2, 2008}}

The home was once used as the local post office for the town of Saundersville (also Saunder's Bottom), before it became known as Chehalis. Mary McFadden was the postmaster between 1867 and 1870, with John serving as such until 1874.{{cite news |author1=The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett staff |title=Beautiful and Commodious New Federal Building |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4A9AAAAIBAJ |access-date=October 4, 2023 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett |date=January 19, 1934 |page=8}}

Repairs to the dwelling were undertaken by a homeowner in 1911, as the building was described to be in a dilapidated state. A city council representative, Howard Miller, owned the home for several decades and undertook a restoration in 1982.{{cite news |author1=The Chronicle staff |title=Chehalis Oldest Home Restored |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-oldest-home-restored,205444? |access-date=October 4, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=December 7, 2007 |quote=From a 1982 report}}

Architecture and features

The home is a {{fraction|1|1|2}} story to two-story log cabin bungalow built with mortise and tenon construction of hewed-logs.{{cite web |title=WPA - Historic American Buildings Survey - McFadden House |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/wa/wa0000/wa0062/data/wa0062data.pdf |website=Library of Congress |date=April 1937 |quote=HA.BS Ho. WASH-83}}{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=75001861}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: O. B. McFadden House |publisher=National Park Service|author= |date= |access-date=October 4, 2023}} With {{NRHP url|id=75001861|photos=y|title=accompanying pictures}} At its original build, it contained eight rooms, including four bedrooms in the attic, or second floor, and had {{convert|10|foot|abbr=off}} ceilings.{{cite book |author1=Writers' Program of the WPA (WA state) |title=Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State |date=1941 |publisher=Portland, Or : Binfords & Mort |page=492 |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=2AE1AAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-2AE1AAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 |access-date=October 4, 2023}}

Due to its age and renovations since its construction, the home retains little of its original build, but the exterior walls and some floor support remains intact. The mortise and tenon joints are considered unusual, but provide a solidity to the structure. During one of the restorations, a dormer was added and at other points the house was placed on a post foundation and two porches were built. No photographs have been found to show the O.B. McFadden home in its original state.

Significance

File:O. B. McFadden House, 1639 Chehalis Avenue, Chehalis, Lewis County, WA HABS WASH,21-CHEHA,1-1.tif

The house was officially accepted to the NRHP list on April 1, 1975. The home is considered the oldest structure in Lewis County{{cite web |last1=Ott |first1=Jennifer |title=Chehalis - Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/8645 |website=HistoryLink |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=October 4, 2023}} and the longest continuously occupied residence in the state.{{cite web |title=Chehalis Comprehensive Plan |url=https://lewiscountywa.gov/media/documents/2017_Chehalis_Comp_Plan_Land_Use_Chapter.pdf |website=Lewis County |access-date=October 4, 2023 |page=11 |date=2017}}{{cite news |last1=Crowner |first1=Paul |title=Even in Oregon, Centralia Is Known as Washington's Hub |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/paul-crowner-commentary-even-in-oregon-centralia-is-known-as-washingtons-hub,184233? |access-date=October 4, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=November 16, 2009}} {{As of|2023}}, the McFadden House was one of eleven NRHP sites in the city of Chehalis.

Notes

References

External links

{{Commons category|National Register of Historic Places in Lewis County, Washington}}

[https://www.ci.chehalis.wa.us/visitors/other-chehalis-national-register-sites City of Chehalis National Register Sites]
[https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b94598a6-cc82-4b95-a33d-3e3ae90774e1 NRHP Photograph Form - McFadden House]
[https://revisitwa.org/waypoint/chehalis/ Revisiting Washington - Chehalis]