The Thomas-Foreman Historic Home, also known as the Grant Foreman House, is a house in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, United States, built by Judge John R. Thomas on a tract of prairie land. It was later named after Thomas' son-in-law,

Grant Foreman Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

, by the Muskogee Historical Society and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Grant Foreman and his wife, Carolyn Thomas Foreman, each became notable historians who wrote a number of books and articles about Oklahoma history. On display are many of their possessions, including books and memorabilia, photos, documents and Native American works of art. When Judge Thomas moved to Muskogee after being appointed to a newly created judgeship in 1897, he had difficulty finding a suitable property for the home he wished to build. He and his daughter, Carolyn, moved into the Adams House hotel until Thomas could get a house ready. He talked to Pleasant Porter, then the Principal Chief of the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...

, who agreed to sell him a by another large vacant tract piece of the Porter Pasture, just outside the city. The Thomases moved in during 1898."Thomas-Foreman Historic Home." 2012
Accessed February 13, 2019. Reportedly, there was only one small log cabin in the vicinity and no vegetation except grass. The judge planted 350 trees which provided fruit and shade. A large red oak tree in the northwest corner of the property is the only one of these original trees still standing. Carolyn and Grant collected a number of acorns while honeymooning in California in 1905. These apparently survived until the present.

Three Rivers Museum

The Grant-Foreman House is operated by the Three Rivers Museum. The Three Rivers Museum was established in Muskogee in 1989 as the dream of local historian Dorothy Ball, chairman at that time of the Muskogee Historic Preservation Commission. The main building of the museum, the formerly-abandoned

Midland Valley Railroad The Midland Valley Railroad (MV) was a railroad company incorporated on June 4, 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hope, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. It was backed by C. Jared Ingersoll, a Philadelph ...

Depot, was obtained in 1998 with federal grant funds. Due to budget issues regarding maintenance and public access with respect to the Grant Foreman House owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Museum voted in 2002 to contract with OHS to take over the operation of that site and make needed renovations.

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References

External links

Thomas-Foreman Historic Home
- Three Rivers Museum
Historic Homes of Muskogee Oklahoma
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreman, Grant, House Biographical museums in Oklahoma Historic house museums in Oklahoma Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma Literary museums in the United States Museums in Muskogee County, Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Muskogee, Oklahoma Oklahoma culture Houses in Muskogee County, Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Muskogee County, Oklahoma Tourist attractions in Muskogee, Oklahoma