O. K. Palmer House

The O. K. Palmer House is the historic home of Osmer K. Palmer and is located in Chehalis, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986 and is situated in the city's NRHP-listed Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District.

O.K. Palmer House
Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission
O.K. Palmer House
O.K. Palmer House is located in Washington (state)
O.K. Palmer House
O.K. Palmer House
Location673 N.W. Pennsylvania, Chehalis, Washington
Coordinates46°40′03″N 122°58′31″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1910 (1910)
Architectural styleFour-square
NRHP reference No.86001067[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 15, 1986
Designated CHPC2006

History

Osmer K. Palmer and his wife purchased the property, which had an existing home, in 1908 from Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Miller.[2] Palmer would rebuild the historic home in 1910.[3] The house won a $5 third-place prize in the 1927 Chehalis Better Home Premises contest.[4] The Palmer's daughter, Frances, was married in the home in February 1933.[5]

A renovation, done by homeowners at the time, was completed in 1999.[3]

Osmer K. Palmer

Osmer Palmer was born in Indiana in 1872, arriving from Tennessee to Chehalis in 1906.[6] He owned a catalogue-based, pre-built home business, expanding it in 1919.[7][8] He founded the Palmer Lumber and Manufacturing Company in Chehalis in 1908.[9] The lumber company factory would burn down in 1911 but Palmer had it rebuilt the following year, enlarging the footprint in 1925.[10][11][12] As of 2023, the company remains in existence.[13]

Palmer served as a school board director for the Chehalis School District, and during the Great War, was chairman of the Chehalis Council of Defense.[14][15]

He would have three children. His only son, Leon, while attending an aviation training camp as an enlisted student, died of pneumonia in 1918.[16][17] Osmer Palmer died in 1952.[6]

Architecture and features

The home is a 2+1⁄2 story, American Foursquare style residential structure. Following standard Foursquare design, the house rests upon a squared, sandstone foundation and contains a basement. The Palmer House contains a large front porch with several broad pillars. Other features include bay windows, a hipped roof and dormers, and distended eaves.[3]

Significance

The house was officially accepted to the NRHP list on May 15, 1986.[1] As of 2023, the Palmer House was one of eleven NRHP sites in the city of Chehalis.

The O.K. Palmer House was awarded recognition as a historic, renovated home by the city of Chehalis via its Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission. The accolade, given in 2006, lists the home as a crucial part of the history of the city and a plaque, denoting the original build and important restoration dates, is displayed on the house.[3]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "Business Locals". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. September 11, 1908. p. 7. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  3. VanTuyl, Aaron (December 16, 2006). "History repeats itself". The Chronicle (Chehalis, Washington). Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  4. "Lawn Awards Made Public". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. September 16, 1927. p. 12. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  5. "Married During The Week". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 10, 1933. p. 7. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  6. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: O. K. Palmer House". National Park Service. Retrieved September 28, 2023. With accompanying pictures
  7. Ruth Kirk; Carmela Alexander (1995). Exploring Washington's Past: A Road Guide to History. University of Washington Press. pp. 387–388. ISBN 9780295974439.
  8. "Palmer Plant Is Expanding". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. May 16, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  9. The Chronicle staff (December 30, 2008). "O.K. Palmer Renovates Gutter Company in 1908". The Chronicle (Chehalis, Washington). Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  10. "O.K. Palmer Will Rebuild". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. October 19, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  11. "Factory Work Is Now Begun". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. February 1, 1912. p. 4. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  12. "These Men Help Make Lewis County Payrolls". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. April 16, 1926. p. 4. Retrieved October 3, 2023. Picture of O.K. Palmer in body of article
  13. The Chronicle staff (May 25, 2022). "Experience Chehalis to Sponsor New Mural at Palmer Lumber". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 3, 2023. Photo of Palmer Lumber
  14. "New Director To Be Chosen". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. February 13, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  15. "The Council Of Defense Busy". The Chehalis Bee-Nuggett. September 6, 1918. p. 8.
  16. "Gold Star For Leon Palmer". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 8, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  17. "SW Washington Servicemen and women World War 1". Skagit History. USGenWeb Project. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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