 Once upon a time, many, many, many…ok MANY years ago, a chubby, dimpled child was brought into the world to a pair of teachers who were living in the garage apartment of a home owned by a wealthy employee of a wealthy oil company. I am sure that if it had not been for oil being discovered in Oklahoma with people becoming wealthy as a result, the birth hospital would never have been built (named after the oil man’s wife) and the teachers wouldn’t have had a place to live, thereby making it impossible to bring a baby into the world. In other words, I wouldn’t be here today. Yep, I was that chubby, dimpled baby. The town was Bartlesville, Oklahoma, former home to Frank and Jane Phillips of Phillips Petroleum Company and it is that company that made Bartlesville into the beautifully landscaped and artistically pleasing town that it is today. It is truly a jewel in the prairie – as Oklahoma as the wind and as modern as any east coast city. And it’s my home town!! The crazy thing is that last week is the first time that I have been back to my home town since I was a little girl. And trust me…that was a little while ago. Mr. Fix-It saw to it that I was going to make that trip and so on Wednesday, he announced that we were going on a day drive. We loaded up our little Ellie dog (long-haired dachshund) and headed out early in the morning. I did not know what to expect from the north central part of our state, but I can tell you that I fell in love. It is absolutely beautiful. So, I have included a few photos of the town of Bartlesville just to show you that we aren’t a bunch of country hicks down here. Next post, I’d like to share photos of the amazing Woolaroc Park just west of Bartlesville, former country ranch of Frank and Jane Phillips that has now been turned into a wildlife preserve and Native American artifacs/American art museum.  When one first comes into Bartlesville, hillarious water towers labeled Hot, Cold and Warm are there to meet.  The Price Tower is hard to miss as its 19 stories hover over the downtown. The Price Tower was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of quite a number of buildings in Oklahoma with his signature. This building is the only skyscraper built that was designed by Wright and is created along the lines of 1920’s Art Deco architecture. It was finished in 1956. Covered in decorated sheets of copper, it is one of the most unusual buildings I’ve ever seen.  The “Spirit of Performance” Sculpture by Tasso Patsiri – it was presented in 1992 to the City by the Phillips Petroleum Company in honor of Phillips Petroleum Company’s 75th Anniversary  In Oklahoma, many of the towns have taken on animal mascots and Bartlesville’s is the buffalo. Artist Jan Martin McGuire’s life-size bison, painted with various scenes, dot the city and stand sentinal in front of businesses and city buildings. These critters are on the grounds of the Community Center.  I thought the architecture of community center was just lovely.  Mr. Fix-It was fascinated by the huge, wooden replica of the first commercial oil well in Oklahoma near Bartlesville in Indian Territory, the Nellie Johnstone #1 well. It produced over 100,000 barrels of oil from 1897 until 1947.  Frank Phillips built a home in 1909 in Bartlesville in order to bring his family from Iowa. Family remains philanthropic toward the community. Donated to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the home has seen wonderful care. Now open to tours, the home offers you the chance to truly step back into the early 1900’s since most of what is in the home is original.  The houses in Bartlesville are just gorgeous.  This was the Junior High near our home back in the ’50’s. Isn’t it pretty and well-kept for its age?!  And this is the home where my parents lived in 1954 in that garage apartment at the back. It’s in awesome shape, isn’t it?! I thorougly enjoyed my day trip to Bartlesville, getting to actually see places of my past. Mr. Fix-It sure knows how to make a day special!!  |
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I was born in Bartlesville and have never lived anywhere else!
You did a great job of showing off “our” home town 😉
Oh! Another Okie! So glad you enjoyed it Del! You have a beautiful city
Hi MB!
Looks like you had a nice day indeed. That’s great. I’ll have to keep it in mind if I ever get over that way. Doing just fine here in Middle Tennessee. Finally had the roof replaced the other day following a hail storm awhile back. Now just waiting for the gutters, windows, screens, and garage door. At least it’s all covered by insurance. And it’s the first homeowner’s insurance claim I’ve ever made since owning a home (starting in 1978).
(:D) God Bless…
Hail in TN? Enough for insurance? You sure you aren’t in Okieland?? 🙂 Yep, you are gonna have to come out here and find out how the plains tribes live.
🙂
I’m so glad you had a great trip (good hubby) and that your old home was looking pretty good too. I had made the mistake of “going home’ (after 30 years) and the new owners had trashed my beloved home. ripped out the front lawn and put in cement to parks all their cars. yep, I cried! but then I remember that I still had the good memories of that home and it was the people and not the place that made those happy times.
Can’t wait to see the park.
Oh. That’s sad!!! I WAS really surprised to see how fine the home looked. I wish I could say I looked that good after all these years!!! 🙂
What a pretty town! Love the painted bison! 🙂
Candy, you should see the painted horses in Shawnee. Will have to get some pictures of those too!
Beautiful city. On another note, I have a question for you about your pastry cloth. How do you care for it? Do you wash it after every use? In the washing machine? Do you use a “sock” on the rolling pin? I always have and so does my mother. Thanks!
Brenda, you can use our cloth multiple times before washing, just shaking off the excess flour and folding it bag into the bag that comes with it. That is then stored in the freezer until next use. When it gets oily or has hard dough particles stuck to it, you just wash it in the machine in warm water and HANG to dry. That is because it is 100% cotton and even though it is preshrunk, you know how cotton is. I do not use a sock on my rolling pin but just keep it floured. I never liked the cloth over my rolling pin, but it can be use if one chooses. Hope that answers your questions!! Thanks for asking
I’m so glad you had the opportunity to reconnect. My husband and I were born and raised there but moved to East TN in 1991. John was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t turn down right out of college. We both went to BWC so we had never lived anywhere else until we moved here. We came back every year usually during the Summer and a few Christmases. So much has changed since our childhood that we both feel as if our hometown is gone. So, we enjoy our memories but we can never go back cuz it’s so different. But…nothing stays the same and we love the mountains.
Well, Kim, believe it or not, I wound up growing up in East Tennessee and then moved back to Oklahoma. You are so right. The mountains are just hard to leave. The Smokies are just gorgeous!!!