Historic House Museums in Alaska
and How to Preserve Them
The Wickersham House in Fairbanks (1904-06), the Gould Cabin in Fairbanks (pre-1910), and the Oscar Anderson House in Anchorage (1915) are early historic houses that are presently being operated as historic house museums. They provide visitors with a look at how Alaskans lived in the early years of the 20th century. This was presented during our 2019 Annual Membership meeting.
Topics covered are early building materials and 3 techniques, furnishings of the period, and details of the homeowners’ lives that are presented in interpretive signage. Typical maintenance issues and major renovation problems in keeping the houses operating will be covered, as well as suggestions for grant funding and fundraising to keep them attractive and interesting to their communities and
visitors.
The Wickersham House
The Gould Cabin
Oscar Anderson House
The Presenter: Janet Matheson is a historical architect based in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she has lived since 1968. She is the author of three historical resource books on Interior Alaska, and contributed to three more in Southeast Alaska. She has served two terms as National Trust for Historic Preservation advisor for Alaska, was previously the chair of the AIA Alaska Historic Resources Committee, and was the Preservation Action board member for Alaska. She works closely with the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society on the preservation of Interior Alaska’s historic resources, and is a past board member of AAHP. She is committed to the preservation of historic architectural resources throughout the state.