Cornelia White House, Historic house in Palm Springs, United States.
The Cornelia White House is a one-story wooden residence built in 1893 at 221 South Palm Canyon Drive, next to the 1884 McCallum Adobe. Its walls are made entirely of railroad ties taken up from the abandoned Palmdale Railroad, and it forms part of the Village Green Heritage Center.
Built in 1893, the Cornelia White House is one of the oldest surviving structures in Palm Springs. Its timber came from railroad ties of the horse-drawn Palmdale Railroad, abandoned that same year for lack of water. Since 1961 it has belonged to the Palm Springs Historical Society and, with the 1884 McCallum Adobe next door, forms the McCallum Adobe-Cornelia White House Museum.
The house is named after Cornelia White, a settler who arrived during the town's earliest days and helped shape the community. Walking through the rooms, you can see how people built their lives in the desert and what daily living looked like in that pioneer era.
The Cornelia White House and the neighbouring 1884 McCallum Adobe form the McCallum Adobe-Cornelia White House Museum at 221 South Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. Both buildings belong to and are run by the Palm Springs Historical Society, which has directed them since 1961. Visitors enter the houses to see local historical items such as the earliest telephones in Palm Springs.
What sets this building apart is its construction from recycled railroad ties sourced from an abandoned rail line near the area. This resourceful approach shows how early settlers creatively used available materials and adapted to their remote desert location.
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