Blog Posts

Sapulpa Showcase (April 2023)

4/7/2023

April’s “Artifact of the Month” is the Potter Black Walnut Cracker. Charles E. Porter invented his Black Walnut Cracker in the 1930s. Potter owned the Potter Music Store on 5 N Main St. When Potter died in 1956, Fred Klingensmith obtained the patent; he died in 1985, and Don and Nancy Bateman purchased the patent. They owned a shop at 107 E Hobson Ave. Organic Gardening Magazine has dubbed it: “The granddaddy of all nut crackers.” This nutcracker will not only crack black walnuts, but also pecans and most other nuts.

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Museum Moments (March 2023)

3/24/2023

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What an interesting month! A post from the Outsider’s House Museum in Tulsa stated they had 157 visitors on St. Patrick’s Day during Spring Break. (We did, too! But it was more like 157 for the whole week of Spring Break! Just in case you didn’t know…this is an amazing turnout for your local museum). And we were so blessed! So many amazing families, curious visitors, returning enthusiasts! We are so appreciative of all visitors!
Most families wanted to know about one particular feature in the museum.
Ghosts.
“Is the museum haunted?”
Maybe.
We’ve had two certified ghost investigation teams visit the museum this month. We’ll keep you posted!
After spilling all our secrets of ghosts, the museum workers hunkered down together to come up with what we want to do during the Birthday Bash of the City of Sapulpa. We will be having an Open House. All our buildings (Historical Museum, Fire Museum, Filling Station) will be wide open and ready for visitors! Saturday, April 1st!

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Society Sights (March 2023)

3/17/2023

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March’s “Then and Now Image” shows an interior showing of a cafe that once stood on the corner of N Linden and E Dewey. The cafe was owned and operated by Ira and Julia Hubbartt. The image shows them in the cafe in August 1926. Although the museum does not have an exterior shot of the cafe, it was described as “a small eating place, near the high school. They sold lunches and sundries to the school children. They built a brick building to house their business on the corner. For a while after they opened on the corner, a hillbilly band composed of high school boys played in the front entrance: Marion Shumard, Jamie McIntosh, Dr. Alva Jones’ two boys, and Jack Hermes.”

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Historical Highlight (March 2023)

3/10/2023

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March’s “Historical Advertisements” this month in our history show the businesses, sales, and events happening in our local stores. On March 4, 1971, a few advertisements stood out among the articles: Rule Furniture, Harrison, Morton’s, Masters and Stivers, and Sapulpa Monument Company. At Rule Furniture, one could find on sale a Magnavox solid-state stereo phonograph; “perfect for small rooms, only 36” wide” and in “your choice of three styles” for only $149.50. At Harrison, one could find a “new shipment of stripes-, solids-, and plaids-flairs in a wide choice of colors from $7 to $16.” While at Morton’s, one could buy Jarman Rex-Flex fashionable dress shoes in black or brown tone for only $28,95. Masters and Stivers offered “complete insurance service for fire, theft, liability, and personal belongings.” When one needed “the reverence of a precious memory, choose a lovely monument for an everlasting tribute to a loved one” from Sapulpa Monument Company.

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Sapulpa Showcase (March 2023)

3/3/2023

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March’s “Artifact of the Month” are the Visible Glass Mailboxes.These glass mailboxes were produced by Liberty Glass Co. Liberty Glass Factory made more commercial ware items, like milk bottles, Pepsi bottles, beer bottles, and even glass mailboxes. Why would they make glass mailboxes? Seems a little dangerous when we think about modern society. Or was it just easier so that people can see if they have mail before opening the slot? In a sense, it was an “essential” item, for these were made during war time, like World War I and II. During these times, there was a shortage of rubber, coffee, and metal. So, Liberty Glass said, we’ll make everything out of glass; and they did.
“To conserve vital metals for defense. Vital metals are essential in the production of airplanes, tanks, guns, trucks, and ships for our National Victory Effort…We are proud of the part Liberty Glass Co. is able to play in the conservation of these precious metals, through the manufacture of successful and highly efficient substitutes made of glass. In 1941, Liberty Glass manufactured more than 25,000 Visible Glass Mail Boxes…”

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Museum Moments (February 2023)

2/24/2023

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It is a new year at the museum. There will be a lot of things happening at the museum this year. We will be turning 55 years old this year! Since 1968, the Historical Society has been preserving Sapulpa and Creek County history. This month the museum received many interesting donations. These donations include a painting from a local artist, found items such as military discharge papers, a diploma, and a baptismal announcement. We have had a lot of Research Requests come in, too. There is a form to fill out online through our website (https://www.sapulpahistory.org/research-department.html) that asks if you are reaching out to find family history, building or business history, or just a question in general about the town. If we haven’t reached back out to you about your question, we may be backed up in the Research Department. If you could send us a reminder-email, we will reach back out to you with an estimated time.
We have found very interesting stories through our research this month. One story involved a missing body, and another story involved the rough-and-tough outlaws coming into Sapulpa. At the museum, we also have a lot of wonderful tours, and return visitors. We love sharing the stories of the historic Sapulpa. Our volunteers are keeping busy sharing the tales of our town.

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Society Sights (February 2023)

2/17/2023

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February’s “Then and Now Image” shows a head-on image of Marcus Horn’s car dealerships. It had been moved from 304 E Dewey into this building at 113-115 S Main in 1953. The building was built in 1921, after WC Jucksch obtained a building permit. He built it next to his garage to be used as a showroom and storage. Homer and Marcus Horn opened the Horn Motor Co in 1934. The 113 S Main location was destroyed in a fire in 1957.

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Historical Highlight (February 2023)

2/10/2023

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February’s “Historical Advertisements” this month in our history show the businesses, sales, and events happening in our local stores. On February 14, 1973, a few advertisements stood out among the articles: Safeway, Warehouse Market Pharmacy, Otasco, Saied’s, and Posey. At Safeway, a turkey roast sold for 35 cents per pound, Safeway coffee ran for 83 cents for a one-pound bag, and Del Monte Catsup wanted you to stock up on 4 for $1 of their 14-oz bottles. At Warehouse Market Pharmacy it was “save the warehouse way” with their “protected by our knowledge, accuracy, and integrity.” With Otasco, their “pre-season clod busters” included a 77 cent rake, a powerful longlife HP Tiller for $168.88, and 50 lb bag of cow manure for $1.37. At Saied’s , a “special stock reduction sale” for half price for knit tops at $3-7 (regularly $6-14), Lady Wrangler for $5 (regular $10-12), and all-weather coats, capes for 20-50% off.” Lastly, at Posey, they offer “bear wheel alignment, front end service alignment and balancing.”

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Sapulpa Showcase (February 2023)

2/3/2023

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February’s “Artifact of the Month” is this measuring tool to see how much oil and gasoline is in the Ford Model T tanks. These vehicles had different tank sizes and shapes, at the time. Depending on what size and shape your vehicle had, that is the side of the measuring tool you used to indicate how much oil and gas is in your vehicle. This particular “ruler” has a gauge for Round, Square, and Oval tanks. The Sapulpa Historical Museum had refurbished a gas station on the corner of East Lee and South Water; it was once a Waite Phillips station in the 1920s, and then a Barnsdall station around the 1930s. The measuring tool is on display in the garage of the station.

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Museum Moments (January 2023)

1/27/2023

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It is a new year at the museum. There will be a lot of things happening at the museum this year. We will be turning 55 years old this year! Since 1968, the Historical Society has been preserving Sapulpa and Creek County history. This month the museum received many interesting donations. These donations include a Sapulpa: Crossroads of America throw, Rumble Fish memorabilia, and many others. Possibly one of the largest and heaviest item donations to the museum came in earlier this month; we received the restoration movie theater sign from the Criterion. Thank you to all our donors!

Also, given to the museum, is the new edition of the Oklahoma Route 66 Passport books. The passport books (the red book and the yellow book) list Oklahoma’s Route 66 attractions; and if you visit each attraction, you get a stamp at check-in. When you collect all the stamps, you get a little prize at the end. The previous red books came out in 2020, and they are still valid for a stamp. The new yellow books have more attractions listed in the passport. There is also now an online version, so that if a business listed in the passport is closed when a visitor arrives, the visitor may log on the TravelOK app and be able to check themselves in on the online passport. We have both yellow and red books available for our tourism needs. The museum is located in both books and we’d be happy to stamp your books for you!

Tourism:
Furthest visitor outside of Sapulpa:

In Oklahoma: Weatherford (approx. 160 miles away)
In Country: Puerto Rico (approx. 2,176 miles away)
In the World: Surrey, England (approx. 4,500 miles away)

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