A blockhouse stood on this site in the late 18th century, built originally for defense but also used as a trading post, a residence, and a public gathering place. When French trappers and other early settlers were in this area, the Osage occupied the land north of the Arkansas River, and when they were on the warpath, settlers used the blockhouse as a refuge. The blockhouse appears in some French and Spanish journals and other early records. In the early 1800’s, the John McElmurry family owned the property and lived in the blockhouse as a residence.