Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 04/06/16

Summary

The W. D. and Kate McGaugh House is an interesting example of a local variation of a Folk-Victorian cottage. The house retains some original detailing; however the house has seen several additions and renovations. The house is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion C, with local significance, as an example of a turn of the century vernacular Folk-Victorian house located in Gentry, Arkansas.

Elaboration

The city of Gentry was founded in 1894, along the lines of the expanding Kansas City Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad. The town was named after the Kansas City Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad’s second vice president, Richard Gentry, the signer of the original “right-of-way” document for the area that would become the town of Gentry. The railway was reorganized in 1900 to become the Kansas City Southern Railway, which still exists today and owns about 200 miles of track in western Arkansas.[1] As with so many other towns in northwest Arkansas, the dominant industry quickly became the growing and shipping of fruit; specifically apples, but also including peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and even grapes.[2] These fruits were shipped in hundreds of box cars from Gentry to destinations all over the world every growing season. An illustration of “an Ozark apple tree near Gentry, Ark.” was even used in the Kansas City Southern Railway advertisements for its Port Arthur Route.[3] Nurseries advertised in the local paper, the Journal and later the Journal-Advance, their stock of hundreds of thousands of fruit trees which people bought by the thousand. Secondary businesses emerged to support the fruit industry, including produce houses that bought and sold local farm produce, evaporators to peel and dry fruit for sale, canneries, and eventually cold storage warehouses.[4] Much of the land surrounding Gentry was owned by the Ozark Orchard Company during the early 20^th century, a company that was conveniently located along the railroad and headquartered in Kansas City.[5]

The fruit and timber industry boomed at the turn of the 20^th century, and so did the population in Gentry. By 1900, the US census listed 419 people living in the town of Gentry.[6] Of course, the population of the town needed more than just the farms, so stores began popping up. The Journal-Advance boasted ads from the local bank, two lumber yards, two hardware stores, multiple hotels, restaurants, grocers, meat markets, barber shops, a busy post office, real estate offices, doctors, dentists, and a mortuary. The town of Gentry included both a public school and the private Hendrix Academy, a preparatory academy that opened in 1898 and closed in 1907.[7]

The railroad didn't just ship products out; they also brought products in as well. Building materials such as gingerbread trim, doors and windows, bricks, some lumber, tools, roofing shingles, and even the books that served as inspiration would have come in by train. The local newspaper gave advice to aspiring capitalist to start building houses, since every building in Gentry was occupied.[8]

The growing population of Gentry necessitated new housing and continued development. The McGaugh House was constructed during this period of development and expansion in the town of Gentry. In 1896, W.D. McGaugh purchased the property associated with this house for a $1 consideration from the Philadelphia Construction Company, the building firm associated with the railroad. The McGaughs, of the Wasson-McGaugh General Store, were one of the town’s early community leaders. The deed for the property was signed by E.L. Martin, President of the Philadelphia Construction Company. Martin was also listed on the board of directors and as first vice President of the Kansas City Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad, further strengthening the initial railroad tie. [9] The property was owned by the McGaugh family until 1902, when the abstract shows a $500 sale to Henry D. Sanford. This is most probably right after the McGaugh House was built, as the price increase most likely signals a sizeable improvement to the property. The property has since passed through the hands of some of the town's most prominent families, including mayors, aldermen, fire chiefs, marshals, school teachers, and an assistant postmaster.

Sanford was in the local real estate business and also served on the city council. He was also mayor of Gentry for a time. In 1910, the property passed into the hands of I.W. Carpenter, an important figure in the town's history. Carpenter ran a very successful business selling both groceries and furniture, which he eventually turned over to his sons Ray and Roy. They later added a mortuary business on to the back side of the grocery and furniture warehouse. This is of particular relevance, as the Carpenter buildings, designed by nationally recognized architect A. O. Clark, and mortuary are directly next door to the McGaugh House, at the corner of Main St. and Rust Ave. Starting in 1911 through 1922, Ray Carpenter owned the McGaugh House, which would have been very convenient for any late-night emergency calls. This would have been about the time when major renovations were done, including the changes to the front porch, sheet rock, sidewalks, and electrical service. In 1944, the property was acquired by Edith Cherry who was the assistant postmaster and owner of a main street business known as Cherry's Variety Store.

In 1959, the property was transferred to Nina Porter. She was the last long-term resident of the house. Mrs. Porter is fondly remembered by some long-time Gentry residents for her home bakery business, specifically the scent of her cinnamon rolls that emanated from the house. In 1981, the property was purchased by Orville Bartley. Mr. Bartley was the owner of the Gentry Watch Shop where he practiced watch and clock repair for many years. In 2006 the property was acquired by Joan Gould, who then donated it to the city of Gentry in 2014.

The current plan for the McGaugh property is to completely restore the house in a historically accurate manner, preserving as much of the original materials, character, and integrity of the property as possible. If all goes to plan, the house will be used as a city archive for collecting our history and making it available to current and future generations, as well as a potential heart of the local historic trails, and a very public, visible example of what can be done to restore and use a derelict historic building. The grounds are destined to become a small city park, a site to celebrate our natural history with native plants and trees, a landscape that complements the building. With the City's support, the goal is to revive the W. D. and Kate McGaugh property as a public, historic, accessible community space.

Architectural Style and Design

The house is a classic but simple turn of the century, single-story Victorian cottage, very likely inspired by contemporary pattern books. While not an exact replica, Radford pattern no. 63 bears a striking resemblance in size and layout to the McGaugh house and shows a clear influence of the pattern catalogs on contemporary houses of this period. The estimated cost, about $500, is in line with the increase in consideration listed in the abstract upon its sale in 1902.[10] In Ozark Vernacular Houses, Jean Sizemore refers to this type of structure as a “bent house” typical of the period and with the following distinctive characteristics: two perpendicular gabled faces of the same height, with an entry porch situated between, no central hallway, and the “favored Ozark feature” wherein each room off the porch has its own front door.[11] Although simple in style, this small structure illustrates the type and style of early 20^th century Gentry residential architecture.

Statement of Significance

The W. D. and Kate McGaugh House is an interesting example of a local variation of a Folk-Victorian cottage. The house retains some original detailing; however the house has seen several additions and renovations. The house is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion C, with local significance, as an example of a turn of the century vernacular folk Victorian house located in Gentry, Arkansas.

Bibliography

100 Turn of the Century House Plans. The Radford Architectural Company. Dover Publications, Inc. 2000.

Benton County Arkansas, Kansas City Southern Railway Company Industrial Department: Kansas City, Missouri, 1909.

Come and See Where an Empire is Building, Pamphlet, http://www.arthurstilwell.com/kcpg/index.html Accessed 8 July 2015.

Duggan, Tom. “Kansas City Southern Railway.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. 1 February 2016. http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=6302.

First Annual Report of the Railroad Commission of the State of Arkansas. Thompson Lithograph and Printing Co. Little Rock. 1901. p. 357-359.

Garvin, James L. A Building History of Northern New England. UPNE. 2002. p. 21-22.

Journal Advance: Gentry, Arkansas. 1899-1930.

Kniffen, Fred. Folk Housing: Key to Diffusion. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 55(4). December 1965.

Lancaster, Guy. “Gentry (Benton County).” Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. 1 February 2016. http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=831.

Plat Book of Benton County Arkansas: 1903 Benton County Atlas. Imperial Publishing Company. Philadelphia. 1903.

Sizemore, Jean. Ozark Vernacular Houses. University of Arkansas Press. Fayetteville. 1994.

[2] Guy Lancaster, “Gentry (Benton County),” Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Central Arkansas Library System, 1 February 2016.

[3] Come and See Where an Empire is Building, Pamphlet, http://www.arthurstilwell.com/kcpg/index.html Accessed 8 July 2015.

[4] “Big Enterprise For Gentry,” Journal Advance: Gentry, Arkansas, October 1902.

[5] Benton County Arkansas, Kansas City Southern Railway Company Industrial Department: Kansas City, Missouri, 1909.

[6] Guy Lancaster, “Gentry (Benton County),” Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Central Arkansas Library System, 1 February 2016.

[7] Ibid.

[8] “Local Hash,” Journal Advance: Gentry, Arkansas, 8 December 1899.

[9] First Annual Report of the Railroad Commission of the State of Arkansas. Thompson Lithograph and Printing Co. Little Rock. 1901. p. 357-359.

[10] 100 Turn of the Century House Plans. The Radford Architectural Company. Dover Publications, Inc. 2000. p. 47.

[11] Jean Sizemore, Ozark Vernacular Houses, University of Arkansas Press: Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1994.