Oklahoma Historic Home Tour: McCully Sod Home

Oklahoma Historical Society: Sod House Museum

The Marshall McCully Sod House is Oklahoma’s only remaining sod home. Built in 1894, the home is located in Alfalfa County in Aline - thirty miles west of Enid, Oklahoma.

Marshall McCully poses in front of his sod home

Marshall McCully took part in the land run in September of 1893, when the Cherokee Outlet opened for settlement. After securing his homestead, McCully lived in a dugout on a creek bank while constructing the sod home using buffalo prairie earth blocks in August of 1894. A team of horses pulled a sod plow and cut the earth into long rows. A flat shovel was then used to cut the rows into 18 inch blocks. The blocks were stacked like bricks to form walls, rafters were made with the timber and also covered with sod. Finally, McCully plastered the interior of the two-room home with an alkali clay.

The McCully family lived in the “soddy” until 1909 when they built a two-story farm house. The sod dwelling was used and maintained as an outbuilding for storage. After Marshal McCully's death, his daughter helped the Oklahoma Historical Society obtain possession of the sod home in 1963. The home has never been moved, but a large protective metal building now encompasses the fragile structure.

Also open for exploration is a hand dug cellar that was cemented in the 1920’s.

Wonderful pictures of the property and family line the walls as well as other household items commonly used at the turn of the century.

Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday

9am-5pm

Admission:

Adults $7

Seniors (62+) $5

Students (6-18) $4

Family (up to six) $18

Comments

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The Renaissance Neighborhood History Project

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