OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Google Map (new tab)

Google Streetview (new tab)

Overview

This story-and-a-half-log cabin housed Obadiah McFadden, an early Chehalis, WA, resident and noted jurist and legislator. It has been the longest continuously occupied residence in WA State.

Building History

This residence was home to Obadiah B. McFadden (1814-1878), who President Franklin Pierce named, in 1853, as a temporary member of the Oregon Territorial Supreme Court. A year later, on 08/21/1854, he was sworn in as a Justice on the new Washington Territory's Supreme Court. He took over as the WA's Suprene Court's Chief Justice on 08/02/1858 serving until 1861; as this house was completed in 1859, its construction occurred while he served as Chief Justice.

Following his time on the court, he served in the Washington Legislature’s Council Chamber as President, representing three counties--Thurston, Lewis and Chehalis--between 1861 and 1864. For eight years, McFadden operated a legal practice in Olympia, WA, until 1872, when he was elected as a Democratic representative for the Washington Territory in Washington, DC. He remained in Washington, DC, for only one term, before returning to Olympia where he died on 06/25/1878.

Building Notes

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS-WA-83) has documented the O.B. McFadden House.

Alteration

The house was modernized in 1918.