Philip Phagen Gillham (1828 - 1908)

Born 24 Oct 1828 in Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Matilda (Stewart) Gillham — married 6 Apr 1848 in Montgomery, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Sarah Adeline (Rogers) Gillham — married 6 Aug 1865 in Hot Spring, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Elizabeth Jane (Norris) Gillham — married 2 Jul 1890 in Garland, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died 30 Sep 1908 at age 79 in Garland, Arkansas, United States

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Biography

Philip was born in 1828. He passed away in 1908.

PVT CO H 3 Regt Mo Cav USA

GILLHAM HOUSE, ROYAL, GARLAND COUNTY

SUMMARY

The Gillham House, constructed c.1866, is locally significant under Criterion C by virtue of its status as the best local example of a log dog-trot residence from any historic period. In spite of the large, shed roof rear addition and the enclosing of the original dog-trot on the front, the Gillham House retains its fundamental original appearance as seen from the county road it faces and thus has not lost sufficient physical integrity to compromise its eligibility. ELABORATION

Phillip Phagan Gillham, Sr. was born on October 24, 1828, and raised on a farm in the vicinity of Ozark, Arkansas, near the northern bank of the Arkansas River. He remained in the Ozark area after his marriage to his first wife, Matilda Stewart, until the outbreak of the Civil War. The frequency of foraging military details along the northern bank of the Arkansas River, and particularly those associated with the Confederate units under the command of General Hindman, ravaged the family farm and even forced Gillham and his young family to become refugees for a time, escaping to Little Rock and points beyond.

It was during these travels that Matilda and several of their young children contracted either measles or influenza and died. Phillip buried them somewhere southwest of Little Rock and enlisted in the Union army, probably soon thereafter. He enlisted in Company "H" of the 3rd Missouri Cavalry (Volunteers) and served with them until his release on September 17, 1864. Since his boyhood farmstead had been virtually wiped out, he purchased a substantial amount of land in the area that would become the small rural community of Royal, just west of Hot Springs. The pine logs of which it is constructed were felled by Gillham from pine stands on the property and brought to this site for the construction of his home. Gillham remarried soon thereafter, taking Sarah Adeline Rogers King as his new wife, and having seven more children with her, all of whom were raised in this house. Phillip Gillham survived her also, remarrying for a third time in 1893 at the age of 65. His third wife -- Elizabeth J. Hance Gillham -- he married in what is now Oklahoma, and it was to her that he left the house after his death on September 30, 1908.

The Gillham House was constructed on what was then a principal north-south road through the rural area west of Hot Springs, in the days long before the flooding of the area just to the north of this house that would become Lake Ouachita. It continues to face what is now County Road #584 and remains on its original site. The several later extant outbuildings -- located just across the associated driveway to the north -- were built well after the original residence and thus are not included in this nomination.

The Gillham House is locally significant under Criterion C by virtue of the integrity and uniqueness of its original pine log construction. The combination of half- and center-notching found throughout the structure is most unusual, and probably reflects Gillham's own lack of expertise at building such log structures. The pine log construction, though not at all unusual at the time it was built, is not well-represented today in the state's historic fabric. Given that pine is a softwood and therefore prone to both structural instability and deterioration, pine log structures have not survived well over the years and relatively few remain. The fact that these logs have been so well protected from the elements over time is the only reason that they are still here at all. Finally, the existence of such a simple, traditional folk residence in this presently isolated location reflects both the historic architectural record and the settlement patterns that were common during the late nineteenth century, before steady urbanization took place and the state's rural population began to relocate to larger commercial and transportation centers. As such, the Gillham House remains significant through its ability to recall that era and to preserve its historic visual record. For these reasons, the Gillham House is a local historic resource of considerable importance.

Sources

• Told to me by my grandma.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47107897/philip-p-gillham: accessed 02 August 2023), memorial page for Philip P. Gillham (24 Oct 1828–30 Sep 1908), Find a Grave Memorial ID 47107897, citing Lowe Cemetery, Royal, Garland County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by SFC USA RET Duffie and Kathy (contributor 46950425).