Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
Beard Cabin
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025
1. Beard Cabin Marker
Henry G. and
Etta Ray Beard
First house built
in Shawnee
1891
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.
Location. 35° 19.72′ N, 96° 54.98′ W. Marker is in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in Pottawatomie County. It is at the intersection of East 9th Street and Tom Terry Trail on East 9th Street. Marker is embedded in the ground by the doorstep. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shawnee OK 74801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma Frontier Country and in Greater Oklahoma City. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shawnee Horse Trough (a few steps from this marker); Washington Irving (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Louise Funk Fluke (about 400 feet away); Shawnee Milling Company (approx. 0.4 miles away); Home on the Range (approx. one mile away); Historic Rainbow Arch Bridge (approx. 2.1 miles away); Shawnee Mission (approx. 2½ miles away); Benedictine Hall (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shawnee.
Regarding Beard Cabin. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the cabin, written in 1982
this page online
The Beard Cabin, built in 1892, is significant because it was the first house built in Shawnee. Henry Beard came to the area in the late 1800s as a trader and developer and built the cabin which is now in the middle of the town of Shawnee. Beard purchased the quarter section of land on which the cabin now stands, and developed it for the purpose of settlement. The cabin was built in 1892 and is still located on its original site. Etha Ray who later married Henry Beard participated in the run on Sept. 22, 1891, and claimed 160 acres. It was on Etha's land, as well as Henry's, that Shawnee was settled.
The cabin originally was located in Woodland Park, which was the Beards' homestead. It was moved to its current location in 1999 after being damaged in a windstorm and restored.
Also see . . .
1. Beard Cabin (PDF). National Register nomination for the cabin, which was listed in 1983. (via Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on August 16, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. "Henry G. Beard" (PDF). Biography in A Standard History of Oklahoma vol. IV, by Joseph B. Thoburn (1916). The biography begins at the lower right corner of the page. (Submitted on August 16, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025
2. Beard Cabin Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 114 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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