Altus in Franklin County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
O'Kane-Jacobs House
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 15, 2023
1. O'Kane-Jacobs House Marker
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Arkansas
Historic Preservation
Program
Department of Arkansas Heritage
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 35° 26.574′ N, 93° 45.694′ W. Marker is in Altus, Arkansas, in Franklin County. Marker is on North Roseville Street south of Smitherman Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1117 N Roseville St, Altus AR 72821, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. German-American Bank (approx. ¼ mile away); Skirmishes at Roseville (approx. 4.6 miles away); Trail of Tears Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Missouri-Pacific Depot, Ozark (approx. 4.6 miles away); Bristow Hotel (approx. 4.7 miles away); In Memory of our Friends Lost in Korea, Vietnam & Iraq (approx. 4.8 miles away); World War I - Lest We Forget - World War II (approx. 4.8 miles away); Franklin County Court House (approx. 4.8 miles away).
this page online
Regarding O'Kane-Jacobs House. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
The O'Kane-Jacobs House is believed to have been built circa 1881. Property deeds reveal that in 1877 Francis M. Paine purchased the twenty acres on which the house sits for $200. Ten years later Colonel W.S. O'Kane purchased the same property from Paine for $3000. This great price disparity seems to imply that a house had been constructed on the property prior to purchase by O'Kane. Moreover, there is a beam in the fruit cellar of the house with the date 1881 faintly inscribed in chalk.
Colonel W.S. O'Kane and his family were very prominent in early Altus. O'Kane had a fruit orchard on the twenty acres of land surrounding the house and a fruit shipping business in Altus.…
In 1913, the heir to Col. W.S. O'Kane sold the property to Dr. J.L. Post, a prominent physician in Altus. … Dr. Post lived in the house until 1940. Baseball aficionados will note that Charles "Boss" Schmidt, a member of the Detroit Tigers from 1906-1911, died of a disordered digestive system in this house on November 14, 1932. Schmidt was a close friend and patient of Dr. Post. Dr. Post sold the house and twenty acres to Ferrol and Cumi Jacobs in 1940.
The O'Kane-Jacobs House is significant … as an unusual and well-maintained representative of vernaculararchitecture in the area. The arched lattice porch detailing bestows a unique and charming appearance to a rather ordinary vernacular structure.Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 15, 20232. O'Kane-Jacobs House Marker
Also see . . . O'Kane-Jacobs House (PDF). National register nomination for the property, which was listed in 1991. (Prepared by Patrick Zollner, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program; via National Archives) (Submitted on November 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 42 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
