Please park diagonally in front of house to allow for more parking space for visitors. It is located adjacent to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Elderberry Park. It was built in 1915 and is one of the first privately owned wood frame houses in Anchorage. Oscar Anderson claimed to be the 18th person to arrive in what would soon become Anchorage on April 13, 1915. Anderson, born in Sweden, brought
his wife and three children from Seattle. They lived in a tent on the bluff overlooking the house during its construction. The small bungalow measures approximately 20x40 feet. A dormer window overlooks Cook Inlet from a second floor bedroom. Additional windows for the upstairs are set under the front and back gables. Anderson went into business with a partner as the primary meat packer of the region. Their cold storage operation was the first located in Ship Creek in the temporary settlement called "Tent City." He quickly had the Ship Creek Meat Market built on Fourth Avenue soon after the Townsite Auction on July 10, 1915. Anderson was also one of the original owners of the Evan Jones Coal Company established in 1920. Anderson also contributed to the town's development through his support of air transportation and newspaper publishing. Oscar Anderson lived in this house until 1969. His widow, Elizabeth A. Anderson, donated the house to the Municipality of Anchorage in 1976. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Restoration was completed in 1982. All admission proceeds are used to maintain the property and to further its education and research programs.
