Before statehood
A surviving family home connected to Goodwater during the Indian Territory era.
PRESS & MEDIA
A 133-year-old family home is still standing at Goodwater.
Press information, story angles, verified project facts and image guidance for coverage of the Whiteman Home preservation effort.
The story in 60 seconds
The Whiteman family dates its Goodwater home to 1893. Oklahoma Historical Society archival material independently identifies the W. J. Whiteman home as built before 1907, placing the surviving house in the Indian Territory period.
W. J. Whiteman settled at Goodwater in 1893 and became its first postmaster in 1894. His wife, Mattie Josephine Harris Whiteman, was a Choctaw citizen by blood and daughter of Henry C. Harris of Pleasant Hill.
Generations continued using the house. A Choctaw Nation family publication records grandson Henry Herbert Whiteman as born there in 1927. Roy Whiteman returned to the home in November 2025 and began the present preservation effort.
The family is raising $125,000 by May 2027 toward preservation.
Fundraising campaignFast facts
Location: Goodwater, McCurtain County, Oklahoma
Family construction date: 1893
Independent evidence: archival photograph identifies the W. J. Whiteman home before 1907
Preservation goal: $125,000
Deadline: May 2027
Current use: private residence; not open to the public
Project site: SaveTheWhitemanHome.com
STORY ANGLES
More than one way to tell this story.
Choctaw family history
Mattie Harris Whiteman connects Goodwater to Henry C. Harris, Pleasant Hill and a deeper Choctaw family record.
Generations returning
A family residence whose meaning accumulated because descendants kept coming back.
Objects that survived
An indoor well, historic photographs and a Rock Island Plow sign bearing W. J. Whiteman's name.
Accuracy notes for reporters
The project distinguishes family-established history from independently documented evidence. The 1893 construction date is family history; independent archival evidence establishes the W. J. Whiteman home before 1907. The project does not claim National Register listing, Choctaw Nation designation, grant awards or organizational endorsement unless and until such status is formally received.
Images
Historic and current house photographs are available on the photographs page. Reporters seeking publication-quality files or permission details should contact the project before republication of archival images owned by third-party repositories.
Research
Supporting sources and evidence notes are available through the site's sources and research sections.