Upon the death of Governor Johnston's son, Douglas, Jr. in May 1971, the Chickasaw White House at Emet and all its contents were given to the Oklahoma Historical Society.  Later that year, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Unfortunately, budget cuts in the mid-1900s forced the Oklahoma Historical Society to return the house to the Johnston heirs. Douglas Johnston's granddaughters were Dougie Harbach (living in Morocco) and LaNita Stuart (Oklahoma City).  In March 1998, Dougie Johnston Harbach and Duncan Stuart (husband to deceased LaNita Stuart) signed over the house and their ownership of its original sixty acres to the Chickasaw Nation.  Great-granddaughter Megan Kirk Stuart Wosaba, of Phoenix, Arizona arrived in Ada, Oklahoma that same month to participate in a ceremony formalizing the agreement between the Johnston family and officials with the Chickasaw Nation.

In May 2000, the Chickasaw Nation was awarded a Historic Preservation Fund grant to begin an architectural survey of the site for restoration purposes.  With the help of the federal grant, the tribe will begin the tedious process of restoring the house to it's former grandeur.  Eventually, the Chickasaw White House will become an integral part of the Chickasaw Nation's cultural and historic preservation program.  A comprehensive interpretative plan for the home will include guided tours and museum exhibits featuring much of the original furnishings.