Rachel Whitney, Curator,
Sapulpa Historical Museum
The first meeting for the Sapulpa Historical Society was held in the American National Bank in June 1968. This week in Sapulpa history, on July 15, 1958, the first officers for the Historical Society were elected. Virginia Lane was voted as President, with James Hubbard as Vice-President. Jean Brown was voted as Secretary and Mike Pacaud for Treasurer.
The Board Members got busy working on the proper paperwork to have the organization incorporated. Within the same month, the notarization of the document states the Sapulpa Historical Society was incorporated on July 26, 1968.
Within a year of accepting items and pictures, the Sapulpa Historical Society asked to use rooms to show off their acquisitions. In 1969, the first display of the acquisitions and images were held in the Collins Room of the Sapulpa Public Library. The room was small, and the large crowds of people had trouble getting down the aisles.
A few months later, the small display moved to a room in the Sacred Heart School, on the corner of Walnut and McKinley. Here the exhibit was on display and opened to the public two afternoons a week.
In 1970, the Historical Society Board Members wanted a place of their own to call home. With funds coming in, with more donations to add to the inventory of the collection, the Board met with several people and organizations to establish a homebase.
On the corner of Lee and Water, the Willis Building was once occupied with the Lee Hotel. On the first floor of the three-story building were many storefronts for many different businesses over the lifespan of the building, since 1910. Businesses included the Sapulpa Courier, a piano shop, a jewelry store, New Deal Ice Cream, and later a Maytag store and a machine repair shop. The second floor was once the Lee Hotel rooms from 1910 to 1920; then became the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) dorm rooms for young women from 1922 to 1969. The third floor was used for a dance studio and for college classes.
The Sapulpa Historical Society met with the YWCA Board to discuss a possible home. The Historical Society agreed to use the first two vacant rooms on the ground floor. The YWCA offered to repair the outside walls, install plumbing, add air-conditioning, and new electrical wiring. The Historical Society would repair the interior walls, including the ceilings, light fixtures, painting, and the floors.
This week in Sapulpa history, the Grand Opening of the Sapulpa Historical Museum at 100 E Lee Ave on July 14, 1975.
“A full day’s activities are planned for the opening of the Sapulpa Historical Museum in the Y Building. The formal opening is at 1 PM. The local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will host state DAR Officials in the morning and luncheon; the public is invited to attend the afternoon program and to the official opening.
“Afternoon activities begin when the Varsity Review, a Tulsa band, consisting of senior citizens playing homemade musical instruments, will perform. Linda Whitecrow, a Seneca-Cayuga, will offer the prayer in Native American sign language as Mrs. Ben Baker translates it to English.
“Rocky Jones, City Manager, Dale Block, and State Sen. John W. Young will be speaking to the crowd before the doors to the museum are formally opened. Evening entertainment will include the Banjo Band and dance students of Patti Parrish.”
Keynote speakers also included Ralph Jones, President of the Oklahoma Museums Association (OMA), A.M. McIntosh, President of the Sapulpa Historical Society, Beryl Ford, Vice-President of the Tulsa County Historical Society, DAR guests, and YWCA guests. At the time of the Opening, McIntosh was the President, with Jim Hubbard as Vice-President, Billie Gleason as Secretary, Ken Blackburn as Treasurer, and Virginia Lane as Financial Secretary. The Chairman of the Board of Directors included Leo Blake, Cecil Rayburn, Frnakie Horn Vaugh, David Main, and John Egan.
“Crowds gathered around the old wooden cook stove, and looked through pictures for familiar faces of days-gone-by. They admired the delicate beadwork on Native clothing, and enjoyed country-western music played with bongo drums, and a washtub bass.
“Displays tell of life in early day Sapulpa, about the oil boom and the rise of the railroads. There are tributes to those who fought in wars and those who supplied industry to make Sapulpa grow.”
Soon, the rooms upstairs in the Y building were no longer renting out, the YWCA wished to disband. The top floor was closed off, and the facilities were used only by some civic clubs for their afternoon luncheons.The building itself could only be turned to another non-profit, and the Y Board agreed for the Sapulpa Historical Society to inherit the rest of the building.
James Stewart, as President of the Sapulpa Historical Society, and his members and volunteers began rebuilding the YWCA rooms and the third floor.
Over the next 50 years, the Sapulpa Historical Society and Museum have occupied the corner of Lee and Water. The two celebrate their anniversary this month of July; Historical Society will have its 55th and the Museum will have its 48th.
Over these decades, the exhibits have changed, the collection has grown, and volunteers have shaped their community and history. Many current volunteers and Board Members have been participating with the organization for more than 20 years. The organization has also branched out and established the Waite Phillips-Barnsdall Filling Station, Grand Opening on May 8, 2010, and the Sapulpa Fire Museum with a Grand Opening on May 18, 2013.
