Oklahoma Sites

The oil-on-canvas mural "Range Branding Down by the Big Tank" was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work was completed by Thomas M. Stell, Jr. and installed in the historic post office building in Perry, Oklahoma in 1941. The work has since been relocated to Perry's Cherokee Strip Museum.

The post office contains two sets of three murals each by Randall Davey. The murals were painted in 1941 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. In these murals, Randall Davey portrayed the history of the Cherokee Nation in a highly sympathetic manner. This tribe, one of the “5 Civilized Tribes” had a troubled history including the forced move to Oklahoma on the “Trail of Tears”. Notes on display near the murals explain the historical basis of the works. (Some pictured below). Randall Davey was a major figure in American painting in the 20th century. He was born in New...

Built in 1937 to re-start a floundering city library system, to be staffed by Works Progress Administration librarians. Building continued to serve as the library until the 1960s. Currently in private ownership. Built of rusticated sandstone and unusual in the fact that the main entry in on the second floor. A pair of stone staircases provide front-door access. Adjacent to the building is on overgrown park with BBQ pits and picnic tables. It's unclear whether the park was part of the WPA construction.

The Works Progress Administration built the Poteau School Gymnasium in Poteau OK. Built in 1936-37, primarily to accommodate basketball, but could also be used as an auditorium. Two stories, 100'x78', sandstone.

A 1939 PWA project involved a significant extension of the Perry power plant designed to double the city's electricity output. Pre-work estimates put the cost of the project at $75,000, with $45,000 to be provided by the federal government. Exact location and status unknown.

Pretty Water Dam was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project ca. 1935-6.

This is a one-story building made of cut, coursed and rusticated buff colored native stone, with large fixed-pane windows. At the back, two windows are glass block. The building is rectangular, with a projected front. It stands at the northwest corner of W. Will Rogers Blvd. and J.M. David Blvd. and is addressed 103 J.M. Davis Blvd. A bronze shield on the east side shows "USA 1940 WPA Oklahoma". The main entrance has a single wood door with 9 glass panes. The door is flanked by brick pillars and covered with a flat wood canopy. The building does not appear to...

In 1936 the National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed the Broken Bow High School building. It was later renovated in order to house the new Broken Bow Public Library which moved into the NYA building in 1990. A cornerstone located to the right of the entrance reads: Broken Bow Youth Center Sponsored by National Youth Adm. and Broken Bow Bd. of Edu. Houston A. Wright State Director, NYA Guy B. Massey, Supt. of School, B.B.O. James L. Womack Const. Engineer, NYA Cecil . Martin Supervisor, NYA

"n 1937 a new library was constructed under the Workers Progress Administration.  An addition was added to the library in the 1960’s. Okemah Public Library is still located in this historic rock building. The library is located by scenic Noble Park with the WPA canal and is one block from Okemah’s middle school. Unique to our library are the two original stone fireplaces that lend a quaint charm to the library’s interior."   (https://www.okemah.okpls.org/) Note: the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory form lists the date of construction as 1935.

The historic former public library building at 206 W 6th Street in Stillwater, Oklahoma was built by a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant funds in 1938. A two-story brick, hipped roof building, the library was built in colonial revival style. Most of the interior has changed over the years, but the outer construction is still unaltered. At the time of the visit, the now-privately-owned building was for sale and listed on multiple realtor websites. The cornerstone shows it was built by Federal Emergency Administration of Public Work Project No. Okla. 1095 DS R.W. Shaw Architect Dennehy Const Co. Builders. Agencies: PWA The library website has...

The Works Progress Administration built a library in Yale, OK in 1938. Contributor note: "This building screams 'WPA' so we had to climb the stairs and investigate. Sure enough, there was the iconic bronze shield showing WPA 1938 at the top of the stairs. This is a two-story native stone building which faces West onto South "B" Street. Its main entrance faces west at the end of a walkway that has stone side walls. The windows on the ground level are all boarded. On the north side, a stone walkway leads to a set of stone stairs leading to the back of the second...

"A mix of one and two stories, the Purcell City Hall is rectangular (30' x 121') and is constructed of buff brick laid with a running bond. The roof is flat with parapets capped with cut limestone... A limestone crest and a brick frieze above end and side entries, and doorways with sculpted limestone jambs and lintels framed by a stepped facade lend the building an art deco architectural style... Although the WPA contributed toward the completion of this building, the project was authorized and virtually completed by the FERA, the predecessor of the WPA."   (Oklahoma Historic Preservation Survey)

"Quartz Mountain State Park (since 2002 called Quartz Mountain Nature Park) is one of ten original sites contemplated by the Oklahoma legislature in 1935, when it appropriated twenty-five thousand dollars to create a State Park Commission to work with the National Park Service in securing funds and labor through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a federal government job program. The legislature asked local residents to purchase the land and donate it to the state. Citizens of Greer County purchased 158.3 acres of land adjacent to Lake Altus for $51.58. Additional acreage has been added over the intervening years, bringing the...

"Many school districts believe WPA buildings are still valuable. In Rattan, an old building built by WPA workers was refurbished in 2000 for additional classrooms for the growing school system. The Rattan WPA building is a native stone building. Some of the stone buildings were made of cut stone blocks. Other stones were laid by WPA stonemasons, with varying sizes and colors in the Rattan building are so large one has to wonder how the blocks were hoisted to the positions they are in." --Leaning on a Legacy

The Works Progress Administration built the Red Hill Park Picnic Pavilion in Purcell, Oklahoma. However, the facility is no longer extant. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory, "The Red Hill Park Pavilion is significant because it is the only intact structure remaining of a remarkable recreational facility created by the WPA." Contributor Note: "The picnic pavilion once stood atop this hill overlooking the Sharpe Memorial Park with its rodeo arena and grandstands. The pavilion once had two native sandstone pyramid supports on either side of the picnic area. A wood-shingled gable roof covered the area between the pillars (see B&W photo from Oklahoma Landmarks...

The Works Progress Administration built a culvert on Reno Ave in Harrah, in 1941. Contributor note: "This culvert handles water run-off frm the drainage ditch on the north side of Reno Avenue. The water runs through the culvert north-south under Reno Avenue. The opening in this culvert is approximately 2 ft. high by 6 ft. wide. Unlike most culverts in this area which were built in 1939, this culvert was constructed in 1941."    

"The east end of Choctaw Street abuts with Bluff Avenue. Since the elevation of Choctaw is lower than Bluff, it was necessary to construct a bridge-like divider which begins about 200 ft. north of Choctaw and extends about 100 ft. south of the intersection. This is a sloping concrete divider which splits the lanes on Bluff, allowing access to Choctaw. The construction is similar to the two nearby WPA bridges, and a WPA shield with the date 1941 is visible on one of the support pillars. The pillars are approximately twelve feet apart, with metal pipe railings. The concrete sidewall...

Richards Hall is a PWA building constructed to house the University of Oklahoma's zoology and micro-biology department in 1935-37. Designed by Univ of Oklahoma architectural professor Joseph Smay, it includes numerous bas reliefs of aspects of Zoology.  It was the first building on the south oval of the campus.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted a road gravelling project in Dale, Oklahoma in 1933.

The Works Progress Administration built dams at the Robber's Cave State Park. The dams formed Lake Carlton, adjacent to the camping facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Contributor note: "The CCC built the park between 1933 and 1941 with cabins, hiking trails, campsites, shelters and roads. This was a joint effort of the National Park Service, the CCC, and the WPA who were brought in to construct dams to create three lakes. The WPA built a low water dam across Coon Creek forming a 58 acre reservoir. In addition, they built three additional low water dams across Forche Maline Creek and...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built recreation facilities at the Robber's Cave State Park. "Located four miles north of Wilburton on State Highway 2, Robbers Cave State Park, originally Latimer State Park (name changed in 1936), encompasses more than eight thousand acres and includes three lakes and many tourist amenities... In 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1825 was organized and located at the state game preserve. In 1935, under the supervision of the National Parks Service, the State Parks Division took control of the area. Between 1935 and 1941 CCC Company 1825 built a bathhouse, cabins, trails, group camps, shelters, and roads....

"At the corner of 9th and Louisiana stands an L-shaped school constructed of buff brick in the Spanish Colonial style. A name block under a stepped parapet at the center of the facade reads 'ROBERT E. LEE SCHOOL.' "On the facade, there is a projected center portion with an entrance at each side. The two entrances are under a covered portico with arched openings. These entrance walls rise another half-story above the one-story flat roof of the school. There are faux balconies and sealed arched window openings for decoration. At the center of the facade a small stepped parapet rises above...

The stunning Rock Creek Bridge, located in southeastern Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Carrying 'N 409 Rd.' across Rock Creek, the structure lies approximately 9 miles SSE of Blanco, and just west of the Indian Nation Turnpike. It was constructed during 1937 with federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor. The curving structure is nearly 200 feet long, utilizes native stone in its design, and bears two shield plaques in which are inscribed "WPA 1937". NRHP: "The design of the bridge and the materials used in its construction are characteristic of WPA bridge projects in the...

The Works Progress Administration built the Rocky Public School - Rocky OK Contributor note: "Rocky's Orange Blossom School was first established in 1904 with the consolidation of several small schools in nearby towns. The first wood school was lost to fire; a second wood school was torn down in 1926 when a brick school was built on this location. In 1942-1942, the WPA constructed the existing gymnasium for that school. The school continued until 1967 when it was closed due to lack of attendance. The gymnasium remains and is currently occupied as the Community Center. A bronze plaque near the west entrance...

Roman Nose State Park was created with extensive CCC work from 1935 to 1937. From Wayfinding.com: Henry Caruthers Roman Nose was a chief of the southern Cheyenne. Born in 1856, this 600 acres was his federal allotment. He lived here from 1887 until his death in 1917. This is a canyon with bluffs overlooking ancient mesas. Company 2819 of the Civilian Conservation Corps labored to make this area a beautiful sight. Work began on September 10, 1935 and the park was opened on May 16, 1937. The park is located on rolling hills, with gypsum bluffs. Throughout the park, stonework can be...

Roosevelt, later renamed to Ron Stephens after the second Oklahoma Works Progress Administration (WPA) director, located between 13th and 14th street in Lawton Oklahoma was completed in 1936 by the WPA. Using funds of $72,332 it became the pet project of Ron Stephens who in 1936 was the Assistant WPA Director. Surrounded by high granite walls, with granite and concrete stadium seating for each side of the football field. The press boxes on either side was a second project in 1939. The main entrance is located a 1398 NE Dearborn and 14th street and consists of a high stone arch...

“This is a most unusual example of WPA construction - the use of petrified wood. We noted several buildings in this area of Oklahoma which used petrified wood. Apparently, the local topographical circumstances lead to availability of this type of preserved wood.   “This chapel is still in use and was constructed in 1935. In 1965, a carport facility was attached on the north to serve with cemetery maintenance.   “The chapel is constructed of native stones. The front of the building, however, has been overlaid with chunks of petrified wood. The centered entrance is recessed under a covered portico. The one-over-one windows (some...

Due to the proximity of this bridge to the designated Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) culvert, both of which are on Blakely Avenue, we feel certain that this bridge is also of WPA construction. This bridge crosses Rush Creek twenty feet east of the WPA culvert. As is sometimes the case, these bridges do not have the WPA shield affixed, however, their style and construction is identical to those that do have the shield.

This culvert was constructed by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. It is located on the east side of town, on Blakeley Avenue (east of the tracks). this culvert flows north/south and carries run-off from Rush Creek. The tunnel measures approximately 3 ft. high by 8 ft. wide. On the culvert curbing, the WPA stamp shows 1938.

"This beautiful old native sandstone building, located in downtown Edmond, was erected by the WPA in 1941-1942. It served as a Junior High School until 1957, and then as an elementary school. It is still in use today. The school is named for Russell Dougherty, an Edmond native and the first graduate of Edmond High School killed during World War II."   (https://www.waymarking.com)

This WPA gymnasium is still in use as the Salina Wildcats High School Gymnasium. The 1985 Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory described the structure: "The Salina highschool gymnasium is a rectangular (35' x 100') building constructed of uncut native stone of buff and auburn colors in a masonry of random rubble. The bottom third of the building contains cut, coarsed, and rusticated native stone of buff colors. The roof is gabled with parapets."

This former high school building was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939-1940. The new school put 105 men to work for eight months. This building would serve as a high school until 1988. It was sold to the Old High School Association in 1995 who started restoring it as a Museum and Cultural Center for Sallisaw. The building burned down in June 2004. Arson was suspected. Only the facade of the front entrance remains.

This building was constructed as a community center in 1938 by the National Youth Administration (NYA) (which was a branch of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)).   It is a craftsman-style, one-story, T-shaped building constructed of native stone and wood. The front entrance has a porch and double doors. Above the door are the letters N Y A. There is an NYA cornerstone at the building's southeast corner.  It reads: National Youth Administration Community Building Erected 1938 Huston A. Wright, Dir NYA for Okla. Mason Hart, Mayor James Kelley, Eng. City Com. Hardin Ray, Dir. - Grey Garter C.B. Alexander, Co. Supt. - Lee Perkins Luther Lail, Bldg. Supt. - Lee...

A sanitary sewer construction project was undertaken in Cushing, Oklahoma during the Great Depression with the assistance of a federal Public Work Administration (PWA) grant. Construction occurred between 1938 and 1939. PWA Docket No. OK 1368.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a work project at Sapulpa Reservoir ca. 1935-6. The lake was originally constructed in 1907.

The Works Progress Administration built a rural school, called the Satterwhite School, for the area south of Elmore City. Contributor note: "Satterwhite is an area about four miles south of Elmore City. There is no actual town, and only a few local residents. The Satterwhite School is located on Highway 74 at the intersection of CR 1690. This is a four classroom school currently occupied as a residence. The school is constructed of rusticated and coursed native sandstone and has a hipped roof. Entrances on the front and sides are recessed under arched openings. The main entrance has a single wood door with sidelights...

"The Springer school and gymnasium buildings were constructed by the WPA in 1936-1938. They are sturdy buildings constructed of native sandstone from the local area. "The classroom building once had casement windows, eight panes high, with units of five in the front and three on the sides."

A school in Texhoma, Oklahoma was constructed in 1935 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The facility is still in service, part of a greater high school campus. The P.W.A. supplied a $23,200 loan and $10,628 grant for the project, whose total cost was $37,572. An on-site visit to the location in 2018 reveals that the building has been extensively modified (e.g. the massive red roof addition is not original). A dedication plaque at the southeast entrance has been removed and is likely in storage on site. P.W.A. Docket No. OK 6968

The Works Progress Administration built a school addition and gymnasium in Carnegie, OK. Contributor note: "Facing State Highway 58 (S. Carnegie Street) is a pre-WPA school building now called The Memorial Building, which serves as a community center. On the south side of this school, a classroom extension has been added. A change in the color of the brick differentiates where this addition was added. Windows on the south side of this addition are set in triples. A WPA shield on the southeast corner by the entrance reads 1937-1938. Perpendicular to the original school building on the east side (rear) is a...

This attractive stone school and gym were constructed by the WPA in 1939. The 1985 Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory described the structure while it was still in use: "Designed as a six classroom/gymnasium structure, the Tullahassee school and gymnasium is rectangular (160' x 49') in shape and is constructed of uncut and uncoursed native sandstone. The roof is gabled with one step, and an intersecting gable with valleys extends over the recessed entryway to the classrooms." The structure burned sometime between 2010 and 2013. As of late 2013, parts of the structure were still standing, while others were in ruin. The current status...