Artifact of the Month:

The image shows a spiral staircase that has been put on display at the Sapulpa Fire Museum. The spiral staircase is from the Sapulpa High School (1918-1969) building, from the auditorium. There was a pair of spiral staircases on either side of the stage. The museum has one and was set up in the Fire Museum as a display piece for the mezzanine to the fire fighters quarters.

The research department has been busy with many, many research requests! People have been asking about their home history, a business or building history, and family history. We at the museum have even discovered new information about our little town that we did not know existed! It has been pretty fascinating researching the history of Sapulpa.

We have been opened to the public this month! All our museums, including the newly remodeled Fire Museum, are opened to the public for tours, Thursday-Saturday, 10 AM - 3 PM.

We have recently started our Instagram page. We are posting everyday, one picture at a time, of our image inventory. Come check us out!

Then and Now Images of Sapulpa:

(Then) 1920, The Fair Store, at 13-15 N Main St, was "Sapulpa's greatest and largest" department store.

(Now) 2020, Whimsical Willow Boutique & Spa and Matheson Law offices

Did You Know...

​The Sapulpa school board approved of school time change, as well as, adding classes to teach Native American languages.

The Middle School would change from a start at 8 AM to a start at 7:50; while ending at 2:32 PM. The Jr High and High School would end at 2:40 PM, while Elementary would end at 3:30.

In addition to these changes, Native American language courses would begin. The courses to be taught were the Creek and Cherokee languages; this proposal had been on the agenda for two years, and would be approved later that year. (Sapulpa Herald, July 9, 1996)

Artifact of the Month:

​Sapulpa High School class reunion plates from Frankoma Pottery. The classes of 1947, 1948, and 1949 joined together for their reunion on September 4th-5th, 1987. These small plates was painted white with image of the high school in blue; dates on the front, and the brand name on the back.

We have been opened to the public this month! All our museums, including the newly remodeled Fire Museum, are opened to the public for tours, Thursday-Saturday, 10 AM - 3 PM.

We have recently started our Instagram page. We are posting everyday, one picture at a time, of our image inventory. Come check us out!

Then and Now:

405 E Dewey

• (Then) Club Cafe, 1946
• (Now) Auto Shop (2020)

Charles H. Storey opened the Club Cafe at 405 E Dewey. The cafe would be opened from 11 AM until 3 AM; the dining room would be open from 11 AM to 2 PM for lunches. The supper club, which included the dining room and dance floor, would be open from 7 AM to 12 PM Thursdays-Saturdays.

Did You Know...

The Schramm Glass Plant was being swamped by orders for glass jars. They were contracting with the Premium Glass Plant to help them out. The Premium Plant was installing the machinery to make the jars. The fruit crop, especially peaches and berries, was enormous and the plants were planning on running well into summer to meet the demand. (Sapulpa Herald, June 12, 1915)

Artifact(s) of the Month

This month's artifacts of the month once belonged to Elizabeth Sapulpa (daughter-in-law of Chief Sapulpa; and who built the Rock Creek Church). In her restaurant, Indian Cafe at 103 S Main, the majestic stove where she cooked, and the dishes she used in the establishment can be seen in the images above.

*It took the museum a while to find information on these items. We knew where the artifacts came from, however, we do not beyond this; we didn't know when or where the restaurant was located, how many years the Indian Cafe ran, nor when it first established. The newspaper did not mention the restaurant, Elizabeth Sapulpa's obituary did not mention her business(es), nor did the City Directories list the Cafe as a "restaurant". In the 1916 City Directory, however, listed under Elizabeth Sapulpa it says she owns the Indian Cafe at 103 S Main. This was the first and only information we had found regarding the restaurant.

Although we were closed to the public this month, our volunteers kept working hard. Our volunteers have been working the photo room, clearing out the Sapulpa Fire Museum (had been flooded due to the 2019 tornado), and has been preparing for our Phase One Reopening.

We will be opened to the public for tours starting June. Thursdays through Saturdays, we will be open 10 AM to 3 PM. We will allow groups, however, no groups larger than six at a time. We also ask our visitors to wear face masks. We will start providing hand sanitizers at the entrances.

Wondering what we're doing the rest of the week? Well, on Tuesdays, we will be thoroughly cleaning the buildings (Tuesdays, not open to public). In addition, on Wednesdays our volunteers will be working on their many projects and finishing up their "to-do" lists (Wednesdays, not open to public).