Overholser Mansion

About

Henry Overholser (The Father Of Oklahoma City) built this mansion in 1903 and it stands as a tribute to one of Oklahoma City's truly remarkable families of today, managed by Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.

Story

Henry Overholser was an 1889er who earned the title of "Father of Oklahoma City: as a man of modest wealth who was involved in almost every aspect of the city's growth from 1889-1903. The year the mansion was built he was listed in the city directory as "Overholser, H...Capitalist," and that does sum up his career, he was an entrepreneur who built "imposing structures" in the heart of the city; he persuaded the Frisco Railroad to build its line into Oklahoma City instead of Guthrie. In the area of political life, he served as County Commissioner, as County Finance Officer during the Panic of '97, and had been one of the "Committee of Seven" which settled land disputes during April-May, 1889. The State Fair of Oklahoma was another one of his favorite accomplishments. So respected was he that, on the afternoon of his funeral in August 1915, even the city and county offices--as well as the downtown businesses--closed.

In 1901, Mr. Overholser bought three city lots on Northwest 15th street, "out in the country" for about $2000 each at the time when the City limits of Oklahoma City ended at around NW 6th Street. The Queen Ann styled mansion is almost 11,000 square feet designed by Kansas City architect, W.S. Matthews, a graduate of Kensington Academy, London.

Many items are original to the earliest days of the mansions; several decorative objects were acquired by Mrs. Overholser between 1915 and 1940; some were added during the occupancy of the Perry's.