Built in 1880 (Italianate architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
“Pickering House is a historic house in Olathe, Kansas, U.S.. Pickering, who served as the mayor of Olathe from 1878 to 1885.”
Wikipedia article I. O. Pickering House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 34 National Register listings published here for Johnson County · listed in 1980 · category: Building · built in 1880, Italianate architecture.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 169 fires within 5 miles of I. O. Pickering House between 2003 and 2020, burning about 190 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 23 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 86 |
| Debris and open burning | 30 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 23 |
| Smoking | 17 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Johnson County | 2470096 |
| 30 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Johnson County | not named |
| 3 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2460103 |
| 29 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Johnson County | not named |
| 24 September 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2670110 |
| 23 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2660016 |
| 20 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2630165 |
| 14 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2570065 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Olathe, the town this property stands in, in 145 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 74 hail, 58 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $250,000 | Thunderstorm winds ripped off portions of a roof on a VFW building and a Toys "R" Us building. Numerous trees were uprooted. Tractor trailer rigs were overturned. Power lines were also downed and power poles were snapped in two. The downtown jail reported damage. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $200,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $150,000 | Thunderstorm winds ripped a 2500 square foot section of roof off a business in Olathe and damaged a billboard along Interstate 35. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Olathe | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $50,000 | High winds from a thunderstorm downed a tree into a home. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $50,000 | A barn and power lines were blown down at 175th Street and Ridgeview. |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $50,000 | The severe storms broke a number of power poles on the west side Olathe. |
| July 2001 | Lightning | Olathe | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Olathe | $10,000 | Multiple vehicles in water. Flooding reported on second story of home. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Olathe | $5,000 | Flash flooding on highway 7, west of Dennis and Santa Fe. Water high enough to drown out cars. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $4,000 | Thunderstorm winds up to 70 mph, caused damage from 151st and Lone Elm Road, to the 1100 block of South Clairborne Road. Ten to twenty trees were reported down, along with 3 light poles. The wall of a building collapsed, and an overhead door was blown in. A home also had several windows blown out. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $2,000 | Roof damage was reported to a drywall company on 159th Street. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew 150 foot section from a wall down, at a new construction site. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | $500 | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph. Amateur radio tower was blown over at 139th and Blackbob. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Downed tree limbs reported on Logan Street in Olathe. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Transformers blown out near downtown Olathe. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Large tree downed in NE Olathe. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Lane blocked by downed tree south of 135th and Mur-Len Road. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Large tree snapped at Olathe Community Center. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Large tree down on house with significant damage in Olathe. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Social media photo of a large tree uprooted in Olathe. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Downed wires near Rogers Road in Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Olathe | - | Quarter sized hail was reported in northwest Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Olathe | - | Quarter sized hail was reported in north Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Olathe | - | Ping pong ball sized hail was reported on the northwest side of Olathe. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Tree limbs and power wires downed in Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Olathe | - | Golf ball sized hail was reported on the northwest side of Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Olathe | - | Ping pong ball sized hail was reported on the north side of Olathe. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Several reports of wires down and power outages in the area near Cedar Street. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Estimated 60 mph gusts in Olathe. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Olathe | - | Santa Fe and Lindenwood Streets were flooded due to heavy rain. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Wind gust measured at KOJC. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Several images and video came into the office and local media of strong winds in the 120th and Iowa area of Olathe. Most of the damage was from loose objects and small tree limbs. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Olathe | - | This report was received via MPing. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | An Emergency Manager reported a 60 mph wind. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | A tree with a 6 inch diameter snapped near the Olathe Cemetery. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Emergency Management reported a 10 inch tree limb broken in Olathe. |
| August 2017 | Flash Flood | Olathe | - | Several feet of running water was reported running over the road at 143rd and Locust. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Olathe | - | This report was gathered via social media. |
| September 2016 | Flood | Olathe | - | There was standing water at the intersection of Highway 7 and Elm in Olathe. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | A trained spotter reported a 70 mph wind gust in Olathe. |
| September 2015 | Hail | Olathe | - | Reported via MPing. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Multiple trees were blown down within the city of Olathe. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Numerous power lines blown down in the county. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Small pieces of debris were noted on the ground. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | A storm chaser reported measured winds of 65 mph near Olathe, Kansas. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | A member of the public reported an estimated 60 mph wind near Olathe, Kansas. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 70 mph. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Olathe | - | Cars were reported stranded due to high water, around 151st and Lindenwood, and at 139th and Mur-Lin. |
| May 2012 | Flash Flood | Olathe | - | Numerous streets in Olathe were reported flooded. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Olathe | - | The hail was reported at Santa Fe and Merlin. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Olathe | - | The hail was reported at the intersection of 139th Street and Interstate 35. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Olathe | - | The hail was reported at the intersection of Interstate 435 and Interstate 35. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Olathe | - | The hail was reported at 115th and Pflumm. |
| May 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Olathe | - | A brief EF0 tornado touched down at 1615CST near Santa Fe and Highway 7. The tornado lifted at 1616CST with no damage reported. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Olathe | - | One inch hail was reported at South Ridgeview Road and West 116th Street. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph, at the corner of 199th and Blackbob Road. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olathe | - | The ASOS in Gardner measured a thunderstorm wind gust at 59 mph. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Franklin R. Lanter House | 0.2 miles | 2007 |
 | Martin Van Buren Parker House | 0.3 miles | 1988 |
 | Albert Ott House | 0.6 miles | 1998 |
| Olathe Cemetery | 0.9 miles | 2017 | |
 | J. B. Mahaffie House | 1.4 miles | 1977 |
| Lone Elm Campground Swale | 4.2 miles | 2014 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 80001468 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Johnson County | All 34 listed properties in this county. |
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