Overland Mail Company stage wagons stopped here for passenger meals and to rest the mule teams at The Narrows. The Edwards Store, Inc. is responsible for preserving the historic log house and grounds, which served as a meal stop along the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route prior to the U.S. Civil War, for future geneations to experience. It is one of Oklahoma's oldest buildings and is one
of only a handful of remaining structures along the storied 3,000 mile tranportation enterprise that connected St. Louis with San Francisco before the railroads. The Edwards Store/Edwards-Hardaway Homestead & Cemetery historical site was the home of Thomas Edwards, an English storekeeper and Nancy Hardaway Edwards, his Choctaw wife. Thomas was a community leader in Indian Territory, sheltered refugees during the war, and was involved in military intrigue during the conflict in the Choctaw Nation. Together he and Nancy established a thriving business which became the first Red Oak post office during Reconstruction. Jesse Hardaway, Nancy's nephew, assisted his aunt and uncle at the store and inherited the homestead and store following their deaths in 1883 and 1888. The store ceased operations shortly before Oklahoma statehood. Jesse’s youngest son, Edgar and his wife Lula occupied the house until 1981. The historic site with its centerpiece log cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and 2021. Following historic preservation guidelines, The Edwards Store, Inc. has assessed the condition of the log cabin, saved its historic chimneys, protected its log walls from acelerated deterioration, and documented its historic architecture. Archaeological studies have been conducted and the grounds around the cabin have been cleared for restoration activities. Restoration to the 1850-1890 period will begin in Fall 2024. is an Oklahoma not-for-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service and welcomes your support of this endeavor.
