MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY

CHANDLER, OK

Credit: K e v i n

The Museum of Pioneer History in Chandler, Oklahoma is a unique museum that honors the heritage of the area. It is housed in the former Chandler High School building and serves as a living tribute to the pioneers who settled the area and helped shape the growth of the city. The museum features numerous exhibits, artifacts, and photographs that tell the story of the pioneers and their impact on the city.

The museum contains four permanent exhibits. The first exhibit is an overview of early Chandler history and the settlement of the city. Visitors can explore the history of the early homesteaders, the growth of the city, and the impact of the pioneers on the region. The second exhibit is a tribute to the contributions of women to the settlement of the area. This exhibit features stories about the women who left their homes in search for a better life and the hardships they endured on the journey. The third exhibit focuses on the role of religion in the area's development and the importance of faith for the pioneers. The fourth exhibit is a detailed look at the development of the area's transportation, industry, and commerce.

The Museum of Pioneer History also includes numerous artifacts from the period, including early tools, photographs, maps, and documents. These artifacts help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the area’s history and how the pioneers shaped the development of the city. The museum also holds special events and educational programs throughout the year, including lectures, workshops, and field trips.

MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY is a Uncategorized or General Museum in CHANDLER OK. US MID #8404000051

The museum is classed as GMU (Uncategorized or General Museums). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Mount Plains (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming).

Route 66 Bowl - Chandler, OK This bowling establishment is located along Route 66. They have a nice sign and if you stop and drive through the parking lot, they have many gas station signs like the Texaco in the background. On the inside, there is more Route 66 and vintage sign theming.
Rock Cafe Sign - Stroud, OK Rock Cafe is an Iconic Route 66 restaurant in Stroud, OK. The Rock used to build it came from the construction of Route 66 and the owner was the inspiration of a Pixar Cars character. Here is its wikipedia article: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Caf%C3%A9" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Caf%C3%A9</a> The Rock Café in Stroud, Oklahoma, a historic restaurant on U.S. Route 66, takes its name from the local sandstone used in its construction. Originally built in 1936 and opened in 1939, the Rock Café reopened on May 29, 2009 after extensive repairs by historic preservationist David Burke due to damage from a 2008 fire. The restaurant's cookbook, written during the rebuilding effort, was published in November 2009. Rock Café proprietor Dawn Welch, a long-time promoter of U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma selected by The Oklahoman as Oklahoma's 2009 Woman of the Year, is the basis for animated character Sally Carrera in the Pixar film Cars. History Roy Rieves started building the Rock Café in 1936 during the Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression and relied on local materials to build the café's distinctive stone exterior, doing much of the construction work himself or hiring students. The original costs included $100 for the land and $5 for local Kellyville sandstone left over from construction on the U.S. Route 66 roadway which had come to Stroud, Oklahoma in 1926. The café opened in August 1939, initially operating under manager Miss Thelma Holloway, and was a busy local Greyhound bus stop during World War II. Its neon signage was installed in the late 1940s. Mamie Mayfield operated the Rock Café twenty-four hours a day in 1959 and retired at age 70 on July 14, 1983. Business from cross-country truckers declined with the construction of Interstate 44 in Oklahoma, a toll road, although Highway 66 remains as a free alternative to the Turner Turnpike. After U.S. Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, highway 66 became Oklahoma State Highway 66. Dawn Welch, the current proprietor, acquired the café from Ed Smalley in 1993. Mamie J. Mayfield's (December 22, 1912 - September 25, 1994) name was kept alive in the form of a souvenir shop, Mamie's General Store. In 1999, an F3 tornado heavily damaged Stroud, destroying the town's 53-store Tanger Outlet mall and wiping out a handful of key local employers including a Sygma food service distribution facility. The Rock Café survived, though its neon sign was damaged, but business was down by half due to the state of the fragile local economy. In 2001, the Rock Café was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying it for matching grants and loans to finance its historic restoration. When the first Pixar crews researching Route 66 stopped at the Rock Café in 2001, restoration and repair of the 1999 tornado damage was not yet complete; the neon flickered briefly but failed to come to life. With a federal grant and a loan of $30,000 in matching funds, the Rock Café was restored with new heating and air conditioning systems, replacement of the original wiring, restoration of neon signage and a return of the building to its original layout. In 2007, travelling artist Bob Waldmire depicted the café in one of his works; Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives also devoted part of an episode to the Rock. On January 21, 2010, Dawn Welch appeared on NBC-TV´s Today show, cooking and promoting her book. The January 2010 edition of "Oklahoma Living" magazine named the Rock Café "Best Oklahoma Diner", featuring its proprietor in a cover photo. Stroud, Oklahoma also slowly began to recover economically through increased activity in the oil and gas sectors and in tourism. While the destroyed outlet shopping mall was not rebuilt, the community successfully marketed its industrial park, and is now a leading small city in oilfield manufacturing and transportation, particularly in the rail and pipeline sectors.
Douglas Grocery - Chandler, OK This former Route 66 gas station and grocery store is located at a 90 degree bend of the highway in Chandler, OK. The roof and canopy have been replaced over the years, but the gas pump is believed to be original. The service bay has been bricked off. I like the old metal signs in the middle. The Fairmont Ice Cream sign in the middle includes the name Douglas Grocery. To the left are &-up, S&H Green Stamps and Pepsi. The smaller signs on the right include Sprite, Norka Cherry-Strawberry, Sinclair and Dixie Gasoline. On the far right is a Route 66 Roadside Attraction sign. This was from the Hampton Hotels Save-a-Landmark program, but probably moved here.
Vintage Phillips 66 on Route 66 - Chandler, OK At the link below, there is a story about new owners who last year bought this vintage cottage-style gas station and have begun preservation efforts. They also have a facebook page as "Westfall Station" <a href="https://www.route66news.com/2021/10/08/new-owners-get-busy-restoring-landmark-phillips-66-cottage-style-station-in-chandler/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.route66news.com/2021/10/08/new-owners-get-busy-restor...</a> The station originally opened in 1930 as Phillips 66 station No. 1423 and operated for about 60 years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Stroud Area Veterans Monument This small park is located along Route 66 in Stroud, OK next door to the iconic Rock Cafe. Uploaded in honor of Veterans Day 2022.
Lincoln Motel neon sign - Chandler, OK Lincoln Motel is a vintage motel along Route 66 in Chandler. This is also in Lincoln County, named for President Lincoln.
Lincoln Motel - Chandler, OK Lincoln Motel is a vintage motel along Route 66 in Chandler. This is also in Lincoln County, named for President Lincoln. Standalone rooms aren't really seen any more, although these are each dual units which would make them small by today's standards.
Drink Coca-Cola mural - Stroud, OK The restored Drink Coca-Cola mural is located along Route 66 in downtown Stroud, OK. According to the white box on the left, this was restored by Palmer Ackerman in April 2020. In the box above it, it once was previously restored by the Stroud Library Society, but a while ago where the date isn't visible.
Mural in Davenport, Oklahoma, on Historic U.S. Route 66
Skyliner Motel - Route 66 - Stroud, OK No Vacancy
Sonic Drive In on Route 66 Service with the speed of Sound The Sonic Drive In along Route 66 in Chandler, OK has an interesting sign. I'm not sure if it's a new sign to look old or a repurposed old sign, but the neon tubing has been removed. I'm guess it's new as this location has been here less than three years - they moved across the street and this was a residential lot.

Contact MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY

MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY
717 MANVEL AVE
CHANDLER
OK
74834

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MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY Information

MID # 8404000051
Name MUSEUM OF PIONEER HISTORY
Alternate Name
Classification Uncategorized or General Museums, , Mount Plains
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME 0
REVENUE 0
LAT/LONG 35.70296, -96.88121
CODES FIPS State Code: 40
FIPS County Code: 081
US Census Tract: 961700
US Census Block: 4046