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Fire destroys familiar lakeside A-frame home
news
November 22, 2023
Fire destroys familiar lakeside A-frame home
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR,

A fire of unknown origin Sunday morning destroyed a distinctive, decades old Aframe home that sat on the side of a heavily forested hill overlooking Lake Eufaula and the SH 9 bridge.

The copper-roofed house on the north side of the highway three miles east of Eufaula was a familiar sight to motorists driving west on the highway leaving Longtown and to visitors on the nearby lake.

The unusual home, with a detached game room adjacent to the main house, haa been vacant for some time, noted Eufaula Fire Chief Cliff Shatswell.

He said he believes the uninsured structure is owned by Joe Street.

“He didn’t live there. No one has been there for a long time. Vagrants have been stealing everything out of there. Lots of police reports have been filed,” Shatswell said.

The cause of the fire is unknown, he said.

“We don’t have a clue,” Shatswell said.

A call came in about the fire at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.

“By the time we got there it was fully involved. The only thing we could do was go into a defensive mode. We cooled down the propane tank on the property, which was extremely hot,” he said.

Three trucks and six firefighters and several sheriff ’s deputies responded to the alarm.

Fighting the fire was problematic because of the isolated location and difficulty getting to it. Even though it sits near the lake, it was difficult getting water to the fire.

“There was no readily available water source,” he said.

A large metal gate slowed down the fire fighting crews.

“We had to go through the gate, then we had to walk through the woods,” he said. “There is only one way in and one way out. It was a tight, small area.”

The house and garage were destroyed. The game room was saved.

Firefighters contained grass fires that were cropping up hours after the fire.

The house once was owned by the late Mickey Medley, former wife of entertainer Conway Twitty. Mickey Medley died in 2021 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Chelsie McClelland, who says she grew up in the house, posted the following message on Facebook: “Before I get bombarded with messages I wanted to just state here … yes!! I watched my childhood home/ Conway Twitty’s exwife’s house/copper top/frame burn to the ground early this morning. No we don’t know what the cause was and nobody was there that we were aware of!!!! The game room still stands and they contained the fire the best they could to just the house and the garage. I want to personally thank the Eufaula fire department and Mc-Intosh county sheriffs who came and assisted. We are so grateful for all your hard work and dedication to your community.”

Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
B:, sports
Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR 
September 10, 2025
The Seminole Chieftains were lucky to go home with a 34-27 win over the Checotah Wildcats Friday night. Checotah’s penalties that accumulated to over 100 yards. The Wildcats moved the football up and ...
Council votes to dismiss former Mayor Warren
A: Main, news
Council votes to dismiss former Mayor Warren
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The Eufaula City Council removed former Mayor Todd Warren from the Council Monday night citing excessive absences. City minutes of past meetings presented to the Council showed that Warren missed the ...
Church celebrates 160th anniversary
A: Main, news
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Decades before Oklahoma became a state in 1907; years before the first railroad track was laid in Indian Territory in 1870 and the year the Civil War ended, folks in a remote area of what is now McInt...
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A: Main, news
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Mayor James Hickman perhaps summarized best when he sent a letter of appreciation to Karen Weldin and the Vision Eufaula Board of Directors for one of the best Wine & Art Festivals held in the city. “...
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A: Main, news
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At about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I strolled into the Las Vegas Sun newsroom where I worked as an entertainment reporter. The room was quiet, a palpable feeling of dread filled the air as the f...
Margaret Floyd Homecoming Parade Marshal
A: Main, news
Margaret Floyd Homecoming Parade Marshal
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Margaret Marie Vickery Floyd has been named the 2025 Eufaula High School Homecoming Parade Marshall. Born in 1927 in Ramona, she is the fourth greatgranddaughter of Chief McIntosh, and the mother of f...
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Editor Picks
A: Main, news
Ironhead Homecoming Friday
September 10, 2025
The Homecoming Weekend kicks off Friday, Sept.12, with a Pep Assembly at the Eufaula High School Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. followed by a parade at 1 p.m. The coronation of Homecoming Royalty takes place...
New library coordinator challenges Checotah
A: Main, news
New library coordinator challenges Checotah
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
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September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and so the new coordinator of Eufaula Memorial Library is taking that opportunity to challenge the Jim Lucas Checotah Public Library to a competition to see wh...
Braddock Dobbs joins School Board
A: Main, news
Braddock Dobbs joins School Board
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
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Braddock Dobbs, 31, son of the late Margaret Dobbs, who was on the Eufaula School Board for 15 years, is following in his mother’s footsteps. Monday night, Aug. 8, at its monthly meeting, the Board ap...
Drillers honor Eufaula veteran
news
Drillers honor Eufaula veteran
September 10, 2025
Former Army Sp4 Timothy Pickering of Eufaula was honored recently at the Driller Stadium in Tulsa as a “Hometown Hero,” a program that honors people who have had a lasting impact on the community. Pic...
news
Flea Pop-Up Market
September 10, 2025
Friday – Sunday, Sept.12-14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 210 N. Main St. Booth rental available. Call Mr. Printer at 918-689-5998, Jani at 918-839-8494 or Ricky at 918-424-9961. Prices for all three days: ...
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