Douglas H. Johnston, elected Chickasaw Governor for two terms from 1898 to 1902, built this house in 1895 on the northwest edge of Emet, 10 miles southeast of Tishomingo. Built on a foundation of bois d'arc blocks, it had oak beams laid across the blocks with floors nailed to the beams, walls and porches made of pine, a cedar-shingled roof, and stained glass upstairs windows. Most of the finishing lumber came from Denison, Texas, while the cherry mahogany mantels and facings and the original fireplace tiles were shipped from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ceilings in all rooms were 16 feet tall, lighting came from coal oil, and chandeliers with dangling crystal prisms were raised and lowered by chain or sash for lighting. The house had 8 rooms: a kitchen, dining room, parlor, two bedrooms, a library, and a nursery, with walls papered throughout in fancy patterns of that era. It was a fine home, and Governor Johnson served by appointment from statehood until his death in 1939; at age 83 he carried on tribal business there, and it was called the White House because it was always painted white.