Johnstown in Cambria County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Oklahoma House
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 7, 2009
1. Oklahoma House Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Disasters • Man-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 40° 19.675′ N, 78° 55.247′ W. Marker is in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in Cambria County. Marker is at the intersection of Walnut Street and Washington Street, on the left when traveling south on Walnut Street. Marker and house are on the grounds of the Johnstown Flood Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 304 Washington Street, Johnstown PA 15901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cambria Library (a few steps from this marker); Walnut Street Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Cambria Iron Company Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Morley's Dog (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1936 Greater Johnstown Flood Victims (about 800 feet away); Market Square (about 800 feet away); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Grand Army of the Republic Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Johnstown.
Also see . . . Johnstown Flood Museum. (Submitted on March 26, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
this page online
Additional commentary.
1. Text of Information Sign, Picture 5.
"A family living in the Oklahoma house around 1900. The house, located on an alley in the Moxham neighborhood, as it loked just before it was moved to the Flood Museum. In the days that followed the 1889 Flood, survivors sought shelter in any structure for miles around. Some fashioned crude tents from blankets or built lean-tos of doors and planks dragged from the wreckage. Among the first temporary houses erected to meet this need were some 310 "Oklahoma Houses" that were distributed by the Housing Distribution Committee of the Johnstown Flood Finance Committee. Originally manufactured for homesteaders in the Oklahoma Territory, these Oklahoma houses were a very early example of prefabricated housing that was manufactured in Chicago. Hughes & Hoover Co. of Huntington, Pennsylvania erected the Oklahoma houses in Johnstown during July and August of 1889. The one-and a half story temporary houses came in two sizes - 16-by-24 feet and 10-by20 feet. In some cases, families combined one large and one small Oklahoma. The Oklahomas were provided with furnishings. The small houses were poorly suited for Johnstown's climate, and few owners found them satisfactory. A reporter from the Harrisburgh Telegraph, after examining one of the small Oklahomas,
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 7, 2009
2. Oklahoma House and Marker
The Oklahoma houses are significant in two respects: they document the living conditions of average Johnstown residents in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and they represent one of the first examples of ready-made housing in the United States."
— Submitted September 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, August 22, 2014
3. Oklahoma House Interior
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, August 22, 2014
4. Oklahoma House Interior
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, August 22, 2014
5. Oklahoma House Information SIgn with Pictures
This sign is inside the house. Admission fee required.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 731 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.
