Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
“The Stephenson House was built in 1887 in Oakman, Alabama. The Eastlake style house is one of the oldest houses in town, built for Dr.”
Wikipedia article Stephenson House (Oakman, Alabama), CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 8 National Register listings published here for Walker County · listed in 1978 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 178 fires within 5 miles of Stephenson House between 1994 and 2020, burning about 1,611 acres in total. None started naturally. 74 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 74 |
| Debris and open burning | 62 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 28 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160906-9 |
| 6 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190929-15 |
| 28 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160928-36 |
| 25 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NWR-20140925-002 |
| 21 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oakman, the town this property stands in, in 6 storm reports between 1998 and 2011: 2 hail, 2 tornado, 1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Oakman | $215,000 | The tornado touched down just west of Jackson Street on the north side of Oakman. It then traveled northeastward, crossed School Street and AL-69, and lifted on Watts Street just east of AL-69. Metal bleachers were twisted and thrown at the Oakman School athletic field, and the concession stand at the ball field was heavily damaged. Oakman Elementary School sustained only light structural damage directly from the tornado. However, rain leaking through the damaged roof and ceiling caused extensive water damage to parts of the school building. Several houses along AL-69 suffered also significant roof damage. Approximately 150 trees were either uprooted or snapped off. |
| November 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Oakman | $105,000 | At 12:07 pm CST, an F1 tornado touched down near the intersection of Fruit Jar Road and CR 20 just east-northeast of Oakman. The tornado tracked northeastward affecting areas between the Providence and Kings Mill communities. The tornado ended at 12:14 pm CST near the intersection of SR 269 and Parrish Loop, north of Parrish. The tornado path was 6.3 miles long and 100 yards wide at its widest point. Approximately 15 homes and mobile homes sustained varying degrees of damage. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along the path, and several barns and outbuildings were also damaged. No injuries were reported.The tornado apparently came out of a very small circulation that developed on the north side of a small bowing segment. These storms were very unique in that little to no lightning accompanied them.Beg: 33 43.055/87 22.128 End: 33 45.536/87 16.314 |
| September 2011 | Flash Flood | Oakman | - | Due to heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, Alabama Highway 69 in Oakman was temporarily impassable due to flooding. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Oakman | - | Nickel size hail was reported in Oakman. |
| May 2003 | Funnel Cloud | Oakman | - | A funnel cloud was reported near Oakman just off SR 69. |
| February 1998 | Hail | Oakman | - | Nickel size hail was reported covering the ground in Oakman. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilchrist House | 5.9 miles | 1972 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 78000510 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Walker County | All 8 listed properties in this county. |
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