PHotograPHErS Mandy Corbell, Von Castor, Chris Cummings, Cathy Spaulding, Ronn Rowland
adVErtiSing dirECtor Brenda Adams
adVErtiSing SaLES Kris Hight, Angela Jackson, Therese Lewis
Green Country Living is published by the Muskogee Phoenix. Contents of the magazine are by the Muskogee Phoenix. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Muskogee Phoenix. Green Country Living, P.O. Box 1968, Muskogee OK 74402. email eridenour@muskogeephoenix.com - Editorial: (918) 684-2929 Advertising and distribution: (918) 684-2804
Cody and Emily Key enjoy their farm house with two daughters, Eleanor, 6 and Penelope, 2.
Photo by Mandy Corbell
YOUR FAMIL Y’S HEA LTHC ARE, CLO SE TO HOM E.
As part of Saint Francis Health System, Oklahoma’s largest healthcare network, Warren Clinic offers an extensive range of high-quality primary care and specialty services in Muskogee and Fort Gibson.
Formore information about WarrenClinic or to makeanappointment, please call 918-488-6688 or visit saintfrancis.com/muskogee.
CARDIOLOGY/CARDIOVASCULAR CARE
3340 West Okmulgee Avenue
Debasish Chaudhuri, M.D.
Satish Kohli,M.D.
TammyStiles, APRN-CNP
101 Rockefeller Drive
John Evans, D.O
Bryan Lucenta,M.D
Jackson Wong-Sick-Hong, M.D.
FAMILY MEDICINE
108 LoneOak Circle, Fort Gibson
Charity Johnson, D.O.
Alicia Childs, APRN-CNP
Bradley Littleton,APRN-CNP
3332 West Okmulgee Avenue
Sr. Gianna Marie Savidge, R.S.M., M.D.
3506 West Okmulgee Avenue
Rebekah Kriegsman, D.O.
GENERAL SURGERY
101 Rockefeller Drive
Richenda Herren, M.D.
Sumit Kumar,M.D.
Patrick Ross,M.D.
INTERNALMEDICINE
3332 West Okmulgee Avenue
DavidKyger, M.D
Sr. Grace Miriam Usala,R.S.M., M.D.
OB/GYN
3504 West Okmulgee Avenue
Jonathan Baldwin, M.D.
EdwinHenslee, M.D.
108 LoneOak Circle, Fort Gibson
SarahPoplin, APRN-CNM
ONCOLOGY
300 Rockefeller Drive
Fuad Hassany,M.D.
ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE
2900 North Main Street
Peter Fast, M.D.
Ronald Hood, M.D.
Deborah McAlister,M.D
OTOLARYNGOLOGY (EAR, NOSE ANDTHROAT)
101 Rockefeller Drive
EdgarBoyd, M.D.
PODIATRY
101 RockefellerDrive, Suite 204
Patrick Branagan, D.P.M.
KevinDux, D.P.M.
PSYCHIATRY
211 South 36th Street
Paul Matthews, D.O.
RADIATION ONCOLOGY
300 Rockefeller Drive
Selamawit Negusse,M.D
RHEUMATOLOGY
2900 North Main Street
Isabel Vega,M.D.
WALK-IN CLINIC
108 Lone Oak Circle, Fort Gibson
Monday –Friday 8:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m
Fort Gibson beauty showcased
From the editor
Elizabeth Ridenour
Our latest edition of Green Country Living focuses mainly on Fort Gibson.
Some of the most beautiful, unique homes in the area are being built in Fort Gibson. The schools are topnotch, and the people can’t be beat.
Fort Gibson residents are some of the friendliest people around — always ready to help each other in times of need and ready to share with others.
When it comes to history, well,
Fort Gibson’s claim to fame is for being the oldest town in Oklahoma.
It also is the location of Fort Gibson Historical Site and Fort Gibson National Cemetery, both of which keep people coming back to visit.
But once visitors arrive, they see the beauty in Fort Gibson. It’s downtown has been revitalized, and is the center of the town’s events and gatherings. A beautiful gazebo provides a stage for those gatherings.
In this edition, we’ve chosen some of the most beautiful, relaxing
spaces to be found in Fort Gibson.
We highlight the home of contractor Cody Deatherage and his family and how they’ve designed it to be inviting and functional with some of the newest features available.
The Key family built their farm house on 40 acres passed down from her great-great grandmother from her original Indian allotment. But it’s not your old fashioned farm house. It’s filled with beautiful finishes.
Chris and Vicki Housley’s home was built after the couple tired of living in the woods by Fort Gibson Lake. They chose a
location with wide open spaces. The interior of the home also is filled with wide open spaces. The rooms are spacious and welcoming.
And if you’re a history lover, head over toward the Fort Gibson Stockade. That’s because Wendy and Tom Hatley have restored a white farm house built in 1890 by the grandson of Cherokee Chief John Ross. You certainly step back in time when you walk through the door, and the Hatleys have done a beautiful job decorating the home. It’s so well done, the home serves as a vacation rental.
And if you’re interested in
some creative art, just take a trip around the block. On the next street over is a tree that has been carved to look like a fairy. It’s eyecatching, colorful and playful.
And just down Oklahoma 80, you’ll find an establishment called the Dam Bar. Following a flood in 2019 that destroyed the one-story structure, the owners rebuilt — much bigger and better — with the help of a lot of area residents. We take a look at the new business.
We hope you enjoy this peek into the beautiful homes of some of Fort Gibson’s residents and enjoy the laid-back, friendly lifestyle.
Modern house on the prarie
Builder’s Fort Gibson home perfected for family
Contractor Cody Deatherage feels right at home on his acreage east of Fort Gibson.
For one thing, he said he built most of the homes in the neighborhood, just off Three Mile Road north of U.S. 62.
He also loves the countryside.
“We love the hills that are behind us. We enjoy that it’s
close to town and have space to spread out,” he said. “You get to see the seasonal ducks and geese come in. We have a blue heron who comes in and is constantly hunting and fishing.”
Cody and Lauren Deatherage, plus their three children, have lived in their newest house for about a year and three months.
Cody Deatherage built the home as a modern house on the prairie.
By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell
Glorious sunsets were one thing that drew Cody and Lauren Deatherage to their spread east of Fort Gibson.
A courtyard with black iron gates surrounds a swimming pool and three lounge areas.
Guests pass through the courtyard and by the pool to get to the main entry.
“You get the full feel of the entire house going through the courtyard,”
Cody said. “It’s not just one entry and the rest of the house,”
The 42-inch oversized front door is black outside and white inside the house. A deep spiderweb ceiling looms overhead.
“It’s not full-blown contemporary,
but a modern contemporary home,” he said. “Fresh, light colors, lots of sunlight.”
The entry, kitchen and living area play on this black and white theme, with flashes of natural maple. Porcelain tile floors resemble wood planks.
ABOVE: Doors opening onto a courtyard, plus a second-floor balcony hint at a grand entry.
LEFT: Lauren and Cody Deatherage join their children — Vivian, 1, Luke, 5, and Evelyn, 7 — by their swimming pool.
BELOW: Turf and a fire pit offer a cozy poolside setting.
ABOVE: Furniture and floors in natural hues complement the black and white interior.
LEFT: A built-in dining area bench also serves as storage space.
Featured Home Deatherage
A big screen TV and an electric SimpliFire fireplace form black rectangles on one wall. Two small windows top two black hutches on each side. Cody said he bought the fireplace from Hearth and Pool in Tahlequah.
Lauren Deatherage said they bought most of the furniture from Restoration Hardware or West Elm.
A built-in bench with storage cubbies, surrounds the oval dining table.
“I have different napkins, tableware and chargers. We also have several platters in there,” Lauren said.
Black chairs by the table come from Pottery Barn.
She said Christen Heath of Blue J Home helped with the design.
The kitchen’s island has a built-in sink that features ledges for a cutting board, drying rack and scrubber brush bin. Fixtures are brushed gold.
ABOVE: A shower with tiles and shelves is next to a pedestal tub in the master bath.
LEFT: The master bedroom has a built-in headboard with a switch to control lighting.
A walk-in pantry has a freezer and coffee shelf. The white countertops contrast with black kitchen cabinets. The cabinets were custom made by Elite Cabinetry of Tulsa. An LED pendant light from LifeStyles Lighting and Furniture hangs over the kitchen island.
The Wolf range is gas and includes a grill and griddle.
“We get quite a bit of use out of it, especially for breakfast in the morning,” Lauren said.
There are two ovens, and the range has a pot filler so that water is convenient.
Cody said he built the wood slat ceiling over the kitchen.
Doors throughout the house are solid core, and most are 8 feet tall downstairs. Ceilings are 10 to 12 feet.
Natural light floods into the master suite. Deatherage said most of the day, they don’t even turn lights on. The bed has a built-in cushioned headboard with a light switch. A sunny sitting area and exercise room is just off the bedroom.
The master bathroom features a pedestal tub and tile shower. His-and-her sinks have maple cabinets.
Master bedroom walk-in closets seem two stories tall, with pulldown clothes racks on top. Even they have windows to stream in natural light.
Beside the master bedroom is 1-year-old Vivian’s room, which has a circle ceiling, bathroom and walk-in closet.
A spacious laundry room, mud room and half bath are on the other side of the first floor.
Cody designed the metal gate that keeps the toddler from going up the steep maple steps going to the second floor.
The older children share a play area with built-in shelves, as well as balconies.
Luke, 5, has a walk-in closet
The kitchen features several areas for dining, a corner pantry and a wood slat ceiling.
Featured Home Deatherage
and a full bathroom.
Evelyn, 7, said she helped design her room, which features plenty of pink and gray. She said she likes her pegboard bulletin board.
“I like to put pages up there,” she said.
She has her own bathroom, walk-in closet and access to the balcony.
The second floor has walk-in access to the insulated and temperature-controlled attic.
LEFT THEN CLOCKWISE
The Deatherages can spend warm nights in their courtyard.
A balcony has several entrances.
The master bedroom features a sitting and exercise area.
“We actually have our return vents and supplies in the attic, all of our data communication storage,” Cody said.
The garage has a full parking area, plus space for a work-out and workshop. The garage has its own shop sink and heater.
A three-section sliding door opens onto the pool and courtyard.
Galaxy Home Recreation of Broken Arrow installed the pool, which features chaise lounges on one, ankle-deep
end and a seat on the deep diving end. More loungers and a hammock are placed beside one part of the pool. A dining area with a stone fire pit are by the shallow end.
The two-story porch outside the master bedroom has a tongue-ingroove pine ceiling.
A separate room with a three-quarter bathroom, heating and cooling, can be used as a guest room or poolside changing room.
After moving Rustic Elegance from downtown Muskogee to downtown Fort Gibson, Iquickly realized that it was the best move I’ve ever made. The great people of Fort Gibson welcomed me and my shop with open arms. I’ve made lifelong friends here and have had an amazing time getting involved with the local Chamber of Commerce and community events. Istarted Rustic Elegance over 20 years ago as ahobby after early retirement from UPS. Inever imagined I’dend up in beautiful and historic Fort Gibson. I’dlike to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful people of Fort Gibson and surrounding areas for their loyal support and business. As always, my inventor yisalways changing. So please come visit my little shop for your gifts, home decor, candles, clothing, and much more.
Very Sincerely,
DannyTempleton
Rustic Elegance
Family history surrounds the Key home east of Fort Gibson. It is on a family allotment.
Key family embraces history on farm
40-acre property used for farming, raising pigs
Emily and Cody Key’s family lives on a 40-acre piece of Fort Gibson history.
“This is an original Indian allotment to my great-great grandmother, said Emily Key, who is of Cherokee ancestry. “The land was given to her and got passed down. She had seven children, and her last one became a lawyer in Texas. She decided to put the land
in a trust, so the land went to the oldest living male heir. When my great-great grandparents died, it went to my great-grandparents.”
They have a copy of Cherokee citizen Bell Brown’s deed, dated Feb. 24, 1905, and filed Dec. 10, 1914. Cody is Choctaw.
Key said her family used the property through the generations, farming and raising pigs.
By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell
The Keys moved to Fort Gibson from the Oklahoma City area because they wanted to live closer to family. Emily Key said they originally used a builder, but became dissatisfied. So they built the three-bedroom house themselves, with family and subcontractor help.
“Our friends helped us, and my parents
ABOVE: Cody and Emily Key enjoy their farm house with two daughters, Eleanor, 6 and Penelope, 2.
LEFT: A back patio features an entertainment area.
BELOW: Hagrid, the Great Pyrenees, has lots of room to roam on the Key property.
have a construction background,” she said. “My family is Cook Construction. So, my dad started calling in all the favors he needed. Randy Menie at Firstar Bank was our loan officer, and he helped us out.”
The Keys moved into the house three years ago. They now share the farm with
their daughters, Eleanor, 6, and Penelope, 2, as well as a Great Pyrenees named Hagrid, a brown hound named Cowboy, two cats named Minnie and Daisy, plus 18 chickens.
The vaulted front porch faces west.
“We sit on the front porch a lot during the summer because the girls like to play
right there,” Emily said.
Inside, hollow pine beams surround the entry and support the vaulted ceiling in the living area.
“We had a couple of really good trim guys, Steve and Gary Crawford,” she said. “And their brother Chuck did all the cabinets. They were a huge help.”
In the living room, a wood-burning fireplace has a white brick hearth and mantle. Built-in cabinets and shelves are along one wall.
Christen Heath of Blue J Home designed cabinets and lighting throughout the house, Emily said.
Kitchen cabinetry includes doors with windows and doors without. Open shelves in one corner display plates, bowls and jars. Wide drawers are great for trays. Deep drawers for pots and pans help the family avoid having to dig into cabinets.
LEFT: The master bathroom features a bathtub with a window and plate glass surrounding the shower.
BOTTOM: The living room features a vaulted ceiling, brick fireplace and built-in cabinets.
Betty Blackwell
Emily Key had convenience
and easy access in mind when the kitchen was designed.
“I’m an occupational therapist, so I thought this will be the house we live in for forever, so I made sure everything was as accessible as possible,” she said. “All of our doors are 3-foot doors. There are 4 feet between the islands. Drawers pull out so you can get to them easier.”
Pete Peterson of Fort Gibson did the plumbing. Stainless steel Whirlpool appliances came from Lowe’s.
Lighting fixtures come from sources as varied as Pottery Barn and the Shades of Light Store.
“I’m an occupational therapist, so I thought this will be the house we live in for forever, so I made sure everything was as accessible as possible.”
— emily Key
A built-in dining room hutch was a last-minute decision — and a good one.
“My grandma had a hutch and she always kept her Armetale,” Emily Key said, referring to Wilton Armetale platters and tableware.
“My aunt had me registered for Armetale, and I have used that stuff so much over the years,” she said. “I had that in mind when we were building this.”
Windows on three walls add lots of natural light to the master bedroom, which has a tray ceiling and fan.
The master bath has a shower
surrounded by plate glass and a window by the bathtub.
On the other side of the house, Eleanor’s room has big picture windows, rainbow wallpaper and a unicorn on the wall.
“I like to put pictures on its horn,” Eleanor said.
Penelope’s room also has lots of natural light. The toddler bed has a mattress on the floor to keep her from crawling out.
The girls’ shared bathroom has two low shelves that pull out to help them reach the sink and brush their teeth. Emily said the shelves lock in place.
The Keys combined their laundry room with their mudroom with access to the garage. It has a sink, cabinets and folding shelf.
“We wanted to be able to come in and hang up their stuff, or throw it in the laundry,” Cody said.
Emily said she wanted the laundry/ mudroom space, because she knew they were going to live on a farm, so they needed space and convenience.
“That’s why I put the cabinets in between,” she said. “That’s why I put a sink in here. I use the sink a ton. That’s
why we wanted all the storage.”
A bonus room upstairs, used for storage and a play area, has a closet and access to a walk-in attic.
The back patio has an outdoor sofa set and faces the sunrise.
Beyond the back patio are a play area, chicken coop and garden. This year, the family is growing radishes, carrots, potatoes, onions and lettuce.
“When it gets warmer, we’ll plant peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, and beans, corn,” Emily said. “Corn, we’ll probably just have as a wind-break.”
LEFT THEN CLOCKWISE: Natural light fills the master bedroom from three sides.
Chickens have their own space in a backyard pen.
The Keys grow radishes, carrots, lettuce and potatoes in their garden.
GREATTHINGS ARE HAPPENING….
The Henry Clay Meigs house dates to before Oklahoma became a state and sits across from the Fort Gibson stockade.
‘Almost
a tear-down’
Historic home rebuilt as vacation rental
History surrounds visitors to Wendy and Tom Hatley’s vacation rental in “Oklahoma’s first town.”
Henry Clay Meigs, grandson of Cherokee Chief John Ross, built the white farm house in 1890.
The replica of the log Army stockade, part of the Fort Gibson Historic Site, is right across the street on Ash Avenue.
“Sitting on the porch, you can hear the visitors over there,” Wendy Hatley said. “You can’t tell what they’re saying, but you can hear them laughing. You hear school groups. It’s just an enjoyable part of town.”
Hatley recalled growing up being intrigued by the house. But it had deteriorated over the years.
“We bought it in 2017; it was almost a tear-down,” she said.
By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell
With help from family and friends, the Hatleys spent four years returning the house to livable condition.
She said Derek Pfeiffer of Fort Gibson’s Complete Remodeling “was vital in the restoration.”
“He could do things we couldn’t do,” Hatley said. “I called him the week I bought it. He loves this house and he’s been on board the whole four-year project.”
They all worked to undo decades of remodeling and “modernizing.”
“The ceilings in here were all dropped and sheet-rocked,” Hartley said. “We didn’t know we had these 10 foot ceilings.”
The house retains its original beadboard ceilings and heart pine floors. Remnants of the original wallpaper can be seen in the entry. Most of the windows also are original. Hatley said she set up shop in a nearby shed and restored them herself.
Sconces are original to the house. The rest are purchased from eBay or donated.
ABOVE: Wendy Hatley says the kitchen is her favorite room in her vacation rental.
LEFT: Items throughout the Henry Clay Meig house came from such places as the Red Shed, Hattie’s House, Granny’s Porch and Briar Patch.
“Most are period,” she said. “We found out the house was built before Fort Gibson got electricity around 1905.”
Don’t worry, the house features all new electricity, all new plumbing. Comfort Heat and Air of Tahlequah installed the nearly unseen heat and air.
“The guy who did our heat and air hid it so well,” Hartley said. “We put it where it’s above you and behind you in every room you enter. You’re going to notice it when
you walk into the room. But you don’t see it.”
Visitors also won’t see the flat-screen TV when they enter the parlor. They’re more likely to see the spinning wheel by the window and the hutch full of books. The TV is tucked in a corner, above a steel sewing machine treadle.
Hatley said most of the furniture was donated by or purchased from friends. She got a parlor recliner from Bob Loftis
Furniture.
A reading room and den has shelves of photos of Meigs and his family, as well as history of the house, the fort and the region.
The original house had no kitchen until about 1900, when an addition was built, she said. The kitchen was located in two locations over the years.
The Hatleys gutted the original kitchen to the floor.
The kitchen features vintage appliances with such modern elements as a cooktop stove.
ABOVE: A fresh baked pie in a cast iron skillet awaits diners.
BELOW: A curtain hides a dishwasher, and the kitchen sink dates to the 1930s.
ABOVE: A walk-in pantry features shelving for tableware.
LEFT: A dining area also features a sink.
“We did not know this was the kitchen when we bought it,” she said. “We could see grass.”
The kitchen sink was bought brand new — back in the 1930s. Curtains hide a dishwasher and microwave under the counters. A refrigerator is in a properly-ventilated cabinet. The oven dates to the 1920s, but features a new cooktop from Lowe’s.
People can enjoy breakfast by a corner window.
Hatley turned the other old kitchen into a laundry room.
A first-floor powder room has a military bathtub from the late 1800s. But it’s only for show, not bathing.
“We were afraid if we put hot water in it, it would continue deteriorating,” she said.
The bedrooms are on the second floor, up the steep, winding watch-yourstep stairway.
The master bedroom has a kingsized bed with a cozy throw. An ensuite
LEFT: People can read about the history of the Meigs family, as well as the Fort Gibson area, in a reading room.
BELOW: Baskets of all sorts hang from a wood ceiling.
BELOW:
bathroom has a shower.
The other two bedrooms share a hall bathroom.
Baby Boomers are sure to love the second bedroom. It features framed Daffy Duck, Road Runner and Baby Huey comics over the twin beds and a framed Pin the Tail on the Donkey game.
“We tried to think of things we had in our childhood,” Harley said. “We didn’t really want it to be a child’s room, but we just kind of channeled it.”
Hatley loves the third bedroom best. It features a queen bed and intricately quilted bedspread.
“This is the first room I finished, the first
floor I finished, the first ceiling I stained, the first walls I painted,” she said, adding that she can see her flowerbed from a window.
Hatley designed the flower beds to attract butterflies.
“Lots of dill, fennel, zinnias, Mexican sunflowers, lots of the old fashioned pink phlox that gets waist high,” she said.
RIGHT: Photos of Henry Clay Meigs and his family are on a shelf.
The living room features a spinning wheel and a braided rug. A TV is hidden on a back wall.
Watch carefully for a woodchuck that frequently visits the garden and noshes on tomatoes.
“He is so stinking cute,” Hatley said. “He’ll come out here when the clover’s in, and he just looks around like a little man.”
The Hatleys opened their vacation rental last October.
Guests have said they love the house’s history and have given good reviews, Hatley said.
“The only thing is the train,” Hatley said, referring to a train that runs about a block south.
The train’s rumble has a tendency to shift wall hangings, she said.
“I warn people who are here are overnight that there’s a train whistle,” she said.
ABOVE: The main bedroom features a wood floor, cozy throw and en suite bathroom.
LEFT: Framed comic book covers add a Baby Boomer touch to a guest bedroom.
A vintage military bathtub in the powder room is for show only, not for bathing.
Spacious on inside, outside
Housleys home has plenty of personal touches
After living in the woods by Fort Gibson Lake for several years, Chris and Vicki Housley have found a wide open space to be far more manageable.
The Housleys live in a three bedroom-plus house on the flatlands east of Fort Gibson.
“I like being in an open area,” Vicki Housley said.
“We lived in a long cabin at Fort Gibson Lake. It was 10 acres. But the house was built in the 1980s, and there was a lot of upkeep. Trees were falling all the time and it was a lot of work. We decided we needed to build a house. This is more manageable.”
Cody Deatherage of Fort Gibson custom-built the house in 2020.
By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by ChriS CuMMingS
Chris and Vicki Housley’s house east of Fort Gibson features enough garage space for six cars. But Chris Housley uses one bay for his woodworking shop.
“He worked with us really well,” she said. “We showed them our plans and he just accepted everything. He was very easy to work with.”
The Housleys, who are retired from the oil business, moved into the house with their two Boston terriers, Roxi and
Lexi, in 2021.
A front porch gives the couple ample view of their surroundings. They can see the OG&E power plant from their front yard.
The house’s interior is as spacious and open as their property.
A vaulted ceiling caps the main living area and kitchen.
Flat gray stones rise two stories from an electric fireplace.
“I wanted it to go all the way to the top,” Vicki said.
Chris Housley did the floating
Vicki and Chris Housley enjoy their spacious house with their two Boston terriers, Roxi and Lexi.
shelves and cabinets on each side of the fireplace, as well as the end tables in the living room. His handiwork can be seen throughout the house.
“It’s just a hobby,” he said.
The Housleys said nearly all their newer furniture comes from Sutherlands Furniture Gallery.
A wet bar by the kitchen features a sink, beverage chiller and KitchenAid ice maker. That’s also where they keep the coffeepot.
Granite countertops are throughout the house.
Twin Oaks Custom Cabinets in Neosho, Missouri, made the custom cabinetry in the kitchen.
“They did an amazing job,” Vicki said. “We have all these pullouts.”
The Housleys keep trays, pads and other flat items in the pullout shelves.
A Cafe’ induction cooktop speeds cooking.
“You can boil water in two minutes,” Chris said.
TOP: A formal dining room can accommodate 10 people.
BELOW: Chris Housley crafted the floating shelves and cabinets in the living room, as well as the end tables.
ABOVE: Lexi and Roxi, two Boston terriers, wait outside the Housley’s sunroom, which has a vaulted ceiling.
LEFT: The master bathroom features his and her sinks, a vanity and a bathtub built for two.
The microwave/convection oven is wide enough for a pizza.
Below, an oven features “French doors” that open out instead of down.
A four-panel sliding glass door opens wide onto the back sunroom, which also has a vaulted ceiling. Windows surround sides. Chris carved the wooden toy boats hanging on one wall.
An office features Chris Housley’s rich custom cabinet work. One cabinet lowers into a Murphy bed for extra company.
“This was a bedroom in the original
plans, but we wanted an office,” Vicki said. “We have a lot of grandkids.”
One closet features the wires and controls of the house’s entertainment system.
“We have music here, in our bedroom, in the sunroom,” Chris said.
Two bedrooms, joined by a Jackand-Jill bathroom, are on one side of the house.
A master bathroom features his and her sinks, divided by a lowered counter for a vanity.
The bathtub is wide enough for two.
“We do take baths in there together,” Chris said. “It’s nice to just sit in there and have a glass of wine, turn on the jets and just sit and relax.”
Vicki and Chris each have a walk-in closet. Her closet features a full-length mirror and four hangar rods that can be lowered. His closet features a cabinet that he made.
An upstairs loft can be a play area, a bedroom or both. There are four beds and a sitting area.
“They can play games up here or watch TV and they just hang out up
here,” Vicki said.
The second floor also has a full bath. A walk-in closet, lined with shelves, is large enough to be a bedroom.
A small window overlooks the living room. Iron bars help keep the windows clean. Vicki said the youngsters like to tap on the glass and wave at anyone below.
“And I’m like, ‘don’t touch the glass,’” she said. “I put up the bars so I don’t have to worry about the grandkids busting through there.”
A laundry room has a shelf and sink. A tiny mudroom by the garages, more like a nook, features a seat, bins and coat hooks.
The house has two one-car garages and two two-car garages.
Chris said his garage originally was the boat garage.
“Now I just park my truck and the golf cart in it,” he said. A smaller garage serves as his wood shop. He keeps cabinets and pegboards along one wall, and stores different size
boards along the other.
Vicki’s vehicle and two Sea-Doos are in the other large garage.
A fence surrounds the backyard to help keep Lexi and Roxi safe at home. The property goes beyond the fence.
“We put motion lights around the corners, so that even when they go out there at night, I can see them,” she said. “There’s been people who have lost dogs to coyotes. We’ve never had trouble here, but I keep an eye on them.”
The kitchen features an island for dining and a glimpse into a second-floor window.
TOP: A second floor loft serves as a sleeping area and a lounging area.
LEFT: Stairs lead up to a second-floor loft.
They can play games up here or watch TV and they just hang out up here.”
— vicki housley
S m a l l T o w n
W e l c o m e
F o r t G i b s o n
S m a l l T o w n W e l c o m e
F o r t G i b s o n
Spring Home Services
FEATURES
» ADDRESS: 3916 Putter Place.
» ASKING PRICE: $789,500.
» SQUARE FOOTAGE: 4,409.
» BEDROOMS: Four.
» BATHROOMS: Three full, two half.
» HEATING AND COOLING: Geothermal heat pump, tankless water heater.
An aerial view of the Putter Place house shows an array of lounging opportunities by a custom swimming pool.
House from the Future
Home filled with modern amenities
Mike Leonard’s and Ginger Batson’s home seems like The House from the Future with its clear glass counters, a ventless fireplace and bathtub lights that change color.
“We built this to be the modern home,” Leonard said. “That is the style we
like. You always have the maintenance. We really haven’t had to update it because we built it, we liked it and we still like it.”
As much as they love the house, the two are moving to Tulsa to be closer to grandchildren.
A driveway circles in front of the house, passing under a porte-cochère that serves as the entrance.
By Cathy Spaulding • Photos submitted by VaSt Media
Beyond The Lis
Mike Bartley built the home in 2005. Batson and Leonard have lived there since 2007.
“It’s a great neighborhood. Everyone looks out for each other. You have the country club steps away,” Batson said, referring to Muskogee Golf Club.
The entry opens immediately onto the two-story living room, an oak black wood floor sweeps through the open plan.
A pass-through ventless fireplace divides the living and dining areas. It uses black lava rocks instead of wood.
“No chimneys, we just put fuel in it,” Batson said. “It burns clean and there’s no flue or chimney or anything.”
Pass-through shelves on both sides of the fireplace can be used to display tall sculptures or plants.
A sunken wet bar has a plateglass counter and a window that opens to the swimming pool.
ABOVE: The entry makes a grand statement in the neighborhood. BELOW: The entry door features frosted glass framed in black.
ABOVE: The swimming pool features a waterfall and stools where people can get a drink by the window.
LEFT: One back patio space offers plenty of room for conversation and relaxation.
Leonard said swimmers can sit on shelves built into the pool. The bar has stainless steel sink, refrigerator and ice chest.
The kitchen’s island has a thick glass, raised dining counter. The kitchen sink backsplash is plate glass, as are walls around bathtubs and showers.
“I love glass, because I hate cleaning grout,” Batson said. “Dickmann Glass put that in. I think he did all of the glass.”
The kitchen also has a wine chiller and refrigerated drawers for other beverages.
The kitchen has two dishwashers and two ovens, all stainless steel and all JennAir.
You won’t see a bulky vent over the cooktop range. Instead, push a button and a vent rises from behind the heating elements.
“Mike is an art collector, so we wanted to have plenty of room for art,” Batson said. “We didn’t want the normal vent that comes down. It was pretty modern back in 2007.”
Behind the kitchen is a deep walkin pantry with counters for small appliances.
A downstairs bedroom features a walk-in closet, windows on two sides and
ABOVE THEN CLOCKWISE:
A balcony lets people upstairs see a sweeping living room, and people downstairs see art.
A second floor balcony features room for suntanning.
A pass-through ventless fireplace featuring black lava rocks, divides the two living areas.
Custom cabinets surround a flat screen TV.
a full bath.
Tall glass doors lead into a corner office.
Two French doors in the master bedroom offer an ample view of Muskogee Golf Club’s greens. A walk-in closet with a built in dresser island wraps around the master bathroom.
The master bathtub features spa jets and lights that change color.
A mirror fills an entire bathroom wall and can show a TV broadcast.
“It looks like a mirror when the TV’s turned off. You turn the TV on when it comes through.”
Upstairs is a nook that can be used as a den or play area.
A balcony with a plate-glass half-wall overlooks the living room. The living room looks up at art displays.
Two upstairs bedrooms open onto a spacious balcony. A spiral staircase leads to the backyard and pool. A spillway fountain pours water along one side of the pool.
“They call it a cocktail pool, it’s just 4-feet deep throughout,” Batson said. “You can put a couple of lounges in there, but no diving.”
LEFT THEN CLOCKWISE:
A corner bar allows the bartender to step down to serve people inside and in the pool.
The kitchen is loaded with modern features, including two dishwashers and two ovens, all stainless steel and all JennAir.
The master bathroom features glass shelves and a tub with colored lights.
The master bedroom looks out onto the swimming pool and back courtyard.
The photo above, submitted by Joan Wilcoxen, shows the face of the fairy tree carving done by Shawn Helgeson at a house in
The photo on the right shows the face after Wilcoxen replastered the face to look more like her niece Devyn, the granddaughter of homeowners David and Ruth Redding.
Fort Gibson in 2017.
Mother Nature helps with carving
Chainsaw artist makes art out of fallen American Elm tree
It was the summer of 2016 that changed the front of David and Ruth Redding’s home in Fort Gibson.
A massive storm made its way through the area with winds clocked as high as 115 mph. The damage was all throughout Green Country.
The Reddings lost an American Elm tree that put their house at risk.
“The tree had two branches and one of the branches split,” David said. “So we had no choice but to have it removed, but Ruth convinced me to leave it as a very large stump.”
They thought about hiring Clayton Coss, a renowned chainsaw artist in Tulsa, but thought cost might be an issue. That’s when fate stepped in.
By ronn rowland • Photos by Von CaStor
Shawn Helgeson, a neighbor’s boyfriend, had just started in tree carving and said he could do it.
“I think it was his first major tree carving,” Ruth said. “He did the wings marvelous but there were a lot of things out of proportion. He did the best he could — like I said it was his first go-round.
“It was a scary fairy. I would put plants on it to hide the face and all.”
The Reddings said they wanted it to look like their granddaughter Devyn Harper but they said it looked like something “that would come alive.”
In stepped Ruth’s sister, Joan Wilcoxen, who Ruth said would come over and just moan.
“My poor little niece, this is what they think she looks like,” Wilcoxen said laughingly.
So one day Wilcoxen told the them, “I’ll fix it for you if you don’t come up with something better.”
BELOW: The bottom of the carving shows vines wrapping themselves around the base.
The wings of the tree-carved fairy at the Redding house in Fort Gibson need occasional coating of varathane to keep the piece in excellent condition and display the detail of the design work by Shawn Helgeson.
David
and Ruth Redding, left, and Joan Wilcoxen stand next to the fairy carved from an American Elm in front of the Redding’s house in Fort Gibson. The tree was damaged during the July 2016 storm. (Photo by Ronn Rowland)
When Shawn Helgeson finished his carving of the fairy at the Redding’s house in Fort Gibson, he carved the initials “T.D.” in the base of the piece. Helgeson refers to himself as the “Tree Doctor.”
When Shawn Helegson finished the carving, the Reddings were not happy with the way the fairy’s face looked. Ruth Redding went so far as to put flowers around the face to draw attention away from it.
On The Menu On The Menu
LABOR OF LOVE
Iconic watering hole back in business with upgrades
Tambra and Charlie Blackwell said it was a labor of love.
The proprietors of The Dam Bar on the north side of the Grand River at the Fort Gibson Dam lost the entire establishment in the 2019 flood.
Now, they are up and running with a bait and tackle shop on the lower level and the bar above it. Off to the side are
one-room cabins for rent on a daily basis — only one bathroom and it’s a single room outside.
“We had to close because of COVID,” Tambra said. “After that, they closed us down because of the water well — they wouldn’t let us use our well. We wanted to re-drill another one, but they would not let us do that so we had to bring water off the mountain so we had to go through a temporary license.”
Story and Photos by
ronn rowland
J.R. Jackson, right, sits at the bar sipping his adult beverage and chatting with Tambra Blackwell at The Dam Bar at the Fort Gibson Dam. Tambra and her husband Charlie rebuilt the bar and reopened in early April after the building was destroyed in the 2019 flood. The wood for the bar and some of the structure was donated by regular customers and friends of the Blackwells.
Once they got the license, they still had some maneuvering to do.
“We were only opened so many days a week and had to pay for that license every week,” she said. “We finally brought water down the mountain in October, but they wouldn’t let us use that until two weeks ago. We had to remain on potable water until then because they were on a boil ban.”
The original structure was one story.
When the river rose out of its banks, it took everything around the structure with it, including the bar.
“We’re still in the process of adding,” Tambra said. “We going to add barbecue and sandwiches. We’re hoping to have our kitchen open the first of the summer.”
Charlie, a builder by trade, was responsible for the rebuild.
“We had a lot of help, our friends and regular customers” he said. “We tried to
ABOVE THEN CLOCKWISE: The Dam Bar at the Fort Gibson Dam went from a one-story watering hole before the 2019 flood to a two-story establishment complete with a bait and tackle shop on the bottom level.
A custom-made fishing pole is ready to be worked on in the bait and tackle shop in The
A customer of The Dam Bar at the Fort Gibson Dam carved a chair that is a replica of Charlie Blackwell’s hand for the bar. Charlie and his wife Tambra reopened the bar in early April after the building was destroyed in the 2019 flood.
build the cabins and the bar to look the same. And that’s the plan for the dining area, so it will all look like a strip deal going through here.”
J.R. Jackson, a regular customer at the Bar, says it’s just like seeing family when he stops by.
“Well, he’s a crook,” Jackson said sarcastically. “Really, it’s just a home away from home. Everybody’s family down here.”
Dam Bar at the Fort Gibson Dam.
For customers who are headed upstairs, access is by an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant wheelchair ramp. The bait shop is by through the front door.
“We have a custom pole builder in the bait shop,” Charlie said. “That’s what he does is build custom fishing poles. He repairs and builds them, along with reels.”
A lot of the lumber used for the rebuild was reclaimed from other structures or donated.
“The lumber here on the front was trees,” Charlie said. “Big old cottonwoods. I took them to the saw mill and they sawed them up for me. Same in the front of the cabins.”
Once he got the wood to rebuild, Charlie needed a place to store it until he needed it.
“We got a farm in Wagoner with some great big buildings on it,” he said. “So I accumulated and accumulated and
A customer took the
All that was left of The Dam Bar’s original structure after the 2019 flood waters receded was the slab and rubble. (Submitted by Tambra Blackwell)
The main access to the bar at The Dam Bar is using an American with Disabilities Act approved wheelchair ramp.
accumulated lumber. The small pieces on the front of the building — those are old cedar fence pickets.”
Also adding to the rustic look are animal skeleton heads mounted to the front of both the main structure and the cabins.
“Cattle heads on the front of the bar and deer heads on the cabins,” Charlie said. “The fireplace inside the bar, that’s built out of leftover rock from the bottom of the house.”
ABOVE THEN CLOCKWISE:
bark from a tree that was tumbled in the 2019 flood and carved a bear that sits in the corner of the stage at The Dam Bar at the Fort Gibson Dam. Charlie Blackwell said the fireplace that sits near the front entrance of the bar is “built out of leftover rock from the bottom of a house.”
Trivia Challenge
Teams of contestants had to refresh their knowledge of trivial topics when they competed in the 2022 Trivia Challenge at Muskogee Civic Center.
by Cathy Spaulding
Photos
Photos by Ronn Rowland
Photos by Ronn Rowland
Edward Jones is celebrating 100 years of partnership
As we celebrate 100 years, we want to thank our clients and communities for helping us get to where we are today. With your par tnership, we’re poised to continue helping to create brighter futures for generations to come.
Kevin R White, AAMS® Financial Advisor 116 N 3rd St 918-681-4285
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Financial Advisor 948 W Shawnee St, Ste 948B 918-682-1648
Melissa Goodman-Nissley, AAMS® Financial Advisor 600 Emporia, Ste D 918-687-4786
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