John McCullough Foster came to Leavenworth, Kansas Territory in 1857, less than three years after the establishment of the town. Twenty-four year old Foster and his wife, Letitia, purchased Lots 8, 9, and 10 on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Middle Street from William and Abby Marshall for $900.00. A carpenter by trade, Foster built the original four-room frame house with a one-story rear kitchen wing on the property. Ten years later, in 1867, Foster added to the house creating a brick Italianate.