McClain County Historical & Genealogical Society & Museum

05/25/2026

05/23/2026

Visitors to the museum today from new Jersey, Edmond and Tulsa

05/23/2026

Recently, the museum has been host to numerous visitors hailing from various parts of the country, with today being another busy day. We welcomed a couple from New Jersey, accompanied by her sister from Edmond and their mother based in Tulsa. Harriett's family maintained a historical presence in Purcell, specifically through her grandfather, Joe Schwartz, who ran businesses on Main Street. They kindly shared family photographs, some of which featured homes from their Purcell era. These photographs are slated for inclusion on our website, Www.Mcclaincountymuseum.org. Fortunately, our holdings included a folder of family details gathered in the 1990s, which enabled me to engage the family with specific narratives and facts supplied by Harriet's mother, Lillian.

05/22/2026

This afternoon, we hosted Lester, a visitor from Idaho, who came to attend the family reunion with his sister, Carol, a local resident. The siblings both have historical ties to the area, having attended school here and in Lexington. Carol is a member of the PHS class of 1975. We were delighted to share McClain history and experiences with them, and everyone learned more about each other.
As a bonus, the Sheehy twins, Aly and Anna, shared some of their own knowledge they’ve learned about our collections.

05/21/2026

Elisabeth and I were delighted to welcome a couple from California to our museum in Purcell in April. As they journeyed to Kansas City, they took time to explore our museum, motivated by her quest to understand her family's local roots. We were overjoyed to assist her in uncovering a significant piece of her family's history - a photograph of her great grandfather, who played an important role as Principal of the Hawthorne (South) School. Seeing her great grandfather's photo in the school room brought immense happiness to her, and we all relished the opportunity to share and learn from each other's experiences.

05/18/2026

Schedule a visit with one of our volunteers or come to our next meeting to be held May 21 at 5:30pm.

05/11/2026

Our next meeting will be held on May 21st at 5:30 at the museum. All are welcome to attend.

04/23/2026

I had the pleasure of visiting with Barbara Rivas today. She invited me to come to her home in Norman and receive a donation of several books that she had written about her family history. She had the biggest home library along with many family photos and memorabilia. It was very impressive. It will take awhile to read all of the books that she donated but will very informative and interesting. I enjoyed my visit so much and plan to go back soon for another one for more books and conversation.

I learned from her today that it’s never too late to get your Bachelor’s degree and even a Master’s degree. I told her she was the second anthropologist I have met this week thanks to the museum!

We have had many new visitors and those who wish to donate items and photos to our museum. We appreciate it all very much!

If you would like to schedule a visit, donate items or donate money to help us keep the museum going, please let us know.

Sherri Sheehy

04/07/2026

Take a look at our new website featuring photos scanned. More will be added so be sure to check back often.

Colorized photograph showing two women standing beside a sign reading “McCurdy Memorial Hospital – Visitors Entrance” outside the hospital building in…