The Chisholm
Horizon Hill
Horizon Hill was built by Abraham Jefferson Seay (1832–1915) in hopes that Kingfisher would be the capital of Oklahoma Territory. Governor Seay served as the third territorial governor from 1892 to 1893. He built the three-story mansion named Horizon Hill for approximately $11,000 on fifteen acres of land just outside of Kingfisher, Oklahoma Territory. The mansion was completed in March of 1892 and hosted dignitaries present for the Cheyenne and Arapaho land opening. The mansion includes a reception hall, library, a ballroom, seven fireplaces, and a distinctive domed-roof tower. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum is open; however, we will be temporarily closing historic structures and the mansion while preservation work is completed. Please call the museum in advance at 405-375-5176 to find out what spaces may be closed.
About A. J. Seay
Abraham Jefferson Seay had a distinguished career long before he was appointed the third governor of Oklahoma Territory. He was born in Virginia, but his family moved to Missouri when he was three years old. At age twenty-one, he worked on a construction crew of the Missouri Pacific Railroad to pay for his education. Later, he taught school and studied law, and was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1861. Shortly after passing the bar and beginning his law practice, he joined the Union army as a private to fight in the Civil War, ultimately attaining the rank of colonel.
After the war, he returned to the legal profession and entered politics as a Republican. He served as a county attorney and as a circuit judge, operated a private law firm, and later became a bank president. When the territorial government for Oklahoma was being established in 1890, Seay was appointed associate justice on the Territorial Supreme Court by President Benjamin Harrison. On February 1, 1892, Seay resigned his position and was inaugurated as the third governor of Oklahoma Territory. His tenure lasted only sixteen months with one of his most significant actions being the opening of the Cheyenne and Arapaho district to settlement. Seay was an enthusiastic advocate for the territory and he encouraged the legislature to fund an exhibit for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
Governor Seay worked to raise funds for education, and supported educational opportunities for African American children. He increased public school township sections lease revenue and helped secure funds for higher education facilities. On leaving office in 1893, he returned to his home in Kingfisher where he remained active in business and Republican politics. He moved to California in 1909. Seay died December 22, 1915, and was buried in Kingfisher.
Learn More
Visit The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture to find out more about Abraham Jefferson Seay.
Digitized Materials on The Gateway to Oklahoma History
More than 1,000 photographs and documents from the collections of The Chisholm are available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Start exploring now.
The Abraham Jefferson Seay Collection
The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center in Oklahoma City houses the Abraham Jefferson Seay Collection (M2012.236). It contains his war diary from 1864, copies of correspondence, his last will and testament, and Seay family genealogy. The Governor Abraham Jefferson Seay Papers 1862–1916 are available on microfilm (Roll OHS-100) in the Research Center.
