Abandoned Oklahoma

08/28/2026

Location: Llewellyn Flats
Full History: https://abandonedok.com/llewellyn-flats/
Short History: It's not often that I come across an abandoned building I didn't already know about. But the Llewellyn Flats building caught me completely by surprise. I was driving through Muskogee last summer, and on the opposite side of the road, I saw an almost pink building with the first tell-tale sign of an abandoned building, boarded up windows.

I turned the car around and safely pulled over to get a closer look and admire the architectural details. The second thing I noticed was the large "LLEWELLYN" at the very top of the building. I especially love it when a building has the name displayed prominently on its facade. It signifies how permanent the community believed these buildings to be.

You see, when a lot of our historic buildings were being built here in Oklahoma throughout the 18o0s and into the early 1900s, most were built entirely or mostly out of wood. This meant that many buildings were lost to fire or weather disasters easily. And then in the 1900s, a sweeping movement was made to build with brick and concrete, which was said to be "fireproof". So it's no surprise that builders back then thought of these buildings as permanently serving as their originally intended purpose; they didn't really have any experience with restoring structures in that nature.

08/28/2026

🏫 Help Us Bring Blackburn's Historic School Back to Life

Every small town has a place that tells its story.

For Blackburn, it's our historic school and gymnasium.

For generations, these buildings were the heart of our community—where children learned, basketball games brought neighbors together, and lifelong memories were made. Today, they still stand as a symbol of Blackburn's history and potential, but they need significant restoration to serve future generations.

The Make Blackburn Beautiful Project has a bold vision: renovate the historic school and gymnasium into a vibrant community gathering place once again.

This is more than preserving old buildings. It's about creating opportunities for our future—a place where community events, youth activities, educational programs, celebrations, and new traditions can thrive.

To make this vision a reality, we're looking for a lead corporate partner or philanthropic donor willing to invest in the future of Blackburn. A transformational gift can help preserve an important piece of Oklahoma history while creating a lasting legacy for generations to come.

Every great community project begins with someone who believes it's possible.

Could that someone be you—or your company?

If you know a business, foundation, or individual who shares our passion for rural communities and historic preservation, we'd love to start a conversation.

Together, we can restore more than a building—we can restore a community landmark.

📩 Interested in becoming a founding partner or major sponsor? Contact the Blackburn Town Council to learn how you can make a lasting impact.

08/14/2026

Location: Shannonhouse Home (DEMOLISHED)
History: While I would love to know the original family that owned this home, we are going with the name of the last family to occupy it. According to the county assessor's office, this home was built sometime around 1911. Unfortunately, all of the Sanborn Maps that I could find for Oklahoma City did not include this portion of town to allow me to double-check that information. Without further information about its earlier occupants and not finding any maps or photos of the area, research on the beginning of its life is at a standstill, for now.

What I could do was work backwards. What I was able to confirm was that Mary Pruitt, a local beloved teacher, moved into this home in the early 1950s. Mary lived here for around a decade and often hosted events surrounding teaching and for her students at the home.

Sadly, she began experiencing quite a few health issues in the early 1960s. A few articles detail a surgery and then an additional surgery, which was not intended for her to be in the hospital for more than a few days. This wasn't what ended up happening, as she reportedly had a "long stay" where her students, friends, and family sent her many cards and flowers wishing her to get better.

I couldn't find any remaining information on what came of this, but the house was put up for sale in 1962. The two-story home sat on 3 1/2 acres at the time and was going for just $30,000. Joseph III and Edna Shannonhouse purchased the home in 1963 from Mary. The family lived here until 1970, when they sold the house to the neighboring Eastside Church of Christ.

Eastside Church of Christ then turned the home into a temporary childcare center. Each room had cubby holes with children's names above them. Toys were scattered across the floor, covered in dirt and grime. But it wasn't long after that the church decided to vacate the building, leaving it abandoned for many years, leaving the house badly deteriorated.

The church still owns the land to this day and obtained a permit to demolish the home in November 2012, carrying out the demolition in the following months. The address of this home was 1601 NE 36th St Oklahoma City, OK 73111, if you know any history of the home, please feel free to comment on this article!

08/14/2026

Kim Evans bought her childhood school in Chandler, Oklahoma about 10 years ago to save it. Now she’s looking for a partner or buyer to restore this WPA building for the community.

Watch the full documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkYymZae1w
See the full history and more photos: https://abandonedok.com/chandler-high-school/

07/31/2026

Location: Chandler High School (VIDEO COMING SOON)
Full History: https://abandonedok.com/chandler-high-school/
Short History: Just off the iconic Route 66 sits a WPA architectural wonder, waiting to be restored. The old Chandler High School doesn't usually have many visitors, but one weekend out of the year, when the CHS Alumni Association throws its annual parade and reunion, you can see students trickling through to marvel at the memories it holds.

The idea for what is now the former Chandler High School started back in the late 1930s. As the district grew, it continued to struggle with adequate space to host the students. With the help of the Tulsa architectural firm, Koberling & Fleming, the Chandler School Board President accepted plans for the new building.

Made possible by the WPA, this was known as government project No. 41-4025. At the time, the cost was estimated to be around $80,000, with $50,213 to be provided by the government and the rest to be covered by local contributions through bonds and materials. The old building was to be demolished carefully so that as many materials as possible could be salvaged, adding another $8,200 to be covered. At the beginning, a crew of around a hundred workers kept the project on track and moving as quickly as possible. Native rock, a staple of WPA buildings, was quarried from the Pospiesel farm.

Revised plans were made to change the design of the building to a partial two-story classroom building and an auditorium to seat almost 1,000 persons. With these revised plans, some miscalculations in the cost of materials were made. Work was halted temporarily in May 1941 as additional pleas for money were made to the public. But just a month later, the district ran out of money to continue work and had to renegotiate with the WPA for additional funds. While these negotiations were made, work was halted, leaving the public uncertain of what was to come.

06/26/2026

It's around this time of year that I realize how much I miss this place. When I drive by where it used to sit on the bend off Highway 11, I still glance over, expecting it to be there. I even still look for the big red barn, but both are gone now.
Full History: https://AbandonedOK.com/candy-creek-ranch/
Short History: It's uncommon to search this area of Osage County and not dig up some Native American connections in its early history. This land, now known as Candy Creek Ranch, is no exception with deep Osage roots to the Collins Family.

In June 1906, the Osage Tribe Allotment Act was passed, allowing for lands and funds to be divided amongst the Osage Natives. Lula Collins and sons John W. and Roy W. Collins settled on an allotment just east of present-day Avant, Oklahoma.
CONTINUE READING - https://AbandonedOK.com

It's uncommon to search this area of Osage County and not dig up some Native American connections in its early history. This land, now known as Candy Creek

06/12/2026

The Muskogee Hotel Has Been Demolished 5/2026
Full History: https://abandonedok.com/muskogee-hotel/
Short History: Hotel Muskogee also known as Muskogee Hotel has been unmissable in every stage of its lifetime. Back during its construction in 1921-22 it was a job site that employed many different Muskogee companies and citizens. A large steel framework building right on the street corner, every passerby could only help but marvel at the soon-to-be state-of-the-art hotel.
Upon its grand opening in April 1923 the half-million dollar, four-story hotel was the spectacle of the town. It was the finest "Made in Muskogee" institution of its time. The town celebrated with an inspection of the hotel, all of the one hundred rooms, punch and a dance with an orchestra. Manager W.K. Donoghue was there taking reservations for the first guests.
Read More - https://abandonedok.com
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05/29/2026

Location: Tallchief Mansion (Tall Chief)
Full History: https://abandonedok.com/tallchief-mansion/
PSA: The Tallchief Mansion WILL be restored. It is currently in joint ownership between the Osage Nation and the Tallchief family while they wait for all heirs to turn of age.
Short History: Known as the Tallchief Mansion, it was built to last with a buff brick exterior and a terra cotta roof. Boasting ten rooms, Alex's wife, Ruth, made this a social center with parties and dinners. During their dinners or social gatherings, talking, laughing, music, cards, refreshments, dancing, and even singing were normal. Miss Nell Little even called them "royal entertainers" in 1921. Sometimes, they even did a little too well at entertaining. The Fairfax Chief ran a story in February 1925 that ten persons were arraigned before the justice of peace for disturbing the peace at the Alex Tallchief home during a "golden jubilee."

But its size wasn't the only thing mesmerizing about this place; its location was too. Sitting on a hill on the west side of town, this home overlooked most and served as some representation of the Tallchief family's influence. The hill it sits upon, still to this day, is largely undeveloped, something that can be credited to the Tallchief family for keeping this land in the family through the last hundred years.

CONTINUE READING at https://abandonedok.com

05/04/2026

04/06/2026

The new documentary about Hopewell Baptist Church (Teepee Church) is now live, please go check it out because we can’t lose another icon!

https://youtu.be/rGRM1Jwx9r0