Look to your right at this distinctive residence, characterized by its high-peaked central roof, wide overhanging eaves that stretch horizontally, and the whimsical two-story turret with a conical cap on the corner.
This house feels a bit like a daydream that solidified into brick and stucco. And honestly, that is exactly what it is. In 1906, Arthur C. Trumbo and his new bride went on their honeymoon to Hartford, Connecticut. While there, they toured the home of the famous author Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. The Trumbos were absolutely captivated by Twain’s Victorian Gothic mansion. They were so smitten, in fact, that they decided to bring a piece of that New England literary charm back here to the Oklahoma prairie.
The result is what you see today. It isn't an exact copy, but that turret on the northwest corner is a direct tribute to the complexity of Twain’s house. It was designed by the firm McKibban & McKibban, who you might remember were the architects shaping the look of the whole city. They mixed the Victorian turret with the trendy "Prairie Style" architecture of the time. You can see the Prairie influence in the way those long eaves hang far out over the walls, emphasizing the horizontal lines of the landscape.
Unlike the commercial district, which we saw earlier copying the serious "Chicago Style" of office buildings, this house was about pure romance and social ambition. You see, A.C. Trumbo was a man who believed anything was possible here. He was the son-in-law of A.W. Patterson, and together they co-founded the Bank of Muskogee in 1901.
These two men were the financial engine of the town. Just a year after this whimsical house was finished, they personally financed the Convention Hall for the Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress. This was a massive event held just days after statehood in 1907, designed to crown Muskogee the "Queen City of the Southwest." Trumbo and Patterson were gambling that they could make this former Creek Nation settlement more important than Tulsa.
For a while, this house was the center of that high society, hosting the elite during the heady days of the oil boom. But... ambition carries a heavy price tag. Trumbo’s banking empire eventually faced severe turbulence. In 1924, his bank merged with another to try and stay afloat, but it wasn't enough. The institution went into receivership-a failure we saw play out later with the Arrowhead Mall.
The man who tried to build a metropolis ended up managing farm properties, a much quieter chapter for someone who once lived in a replica of Mark Twain’s castle.
Speaking of his partner, let’s go see what Trumbo's father-in-law built for himself. It is just a short stroll away. Walk with me toward the next stop, the A.W. Patterson House. It is about a four-minute walk.
