An oil well drilled in 1897 offers a tangible connection to the history of Washington County: the Nellie Johnstone Number One in Bartlesville was Oklahoma’s first commercial oil well. From this historic landmark, exploration continues through architecture, local history and culture. A museum in the former Hotel Maire building, a striking skyscraper and a place dedicated to silent-film history each offer a different perspective.
Oil History and Local History
The Bartlesville Area History Museum is located on the top floor of Bartlesville City Hall. During the oil boom, this building was home to the Hotel Maire. Photographs, artifacts, videos and exhibits convey the heritage of Bartlesville and the history of the region. In this way, the building’s former use connects with collections devoted to the past of the city and its surrounding area. Oil history is therefore not limited to a single historic landmark: the city’s own history also becomes tangible through a specific place and a range of interpretive materials.
Architecture from Skyscraper to Mansion
Architecture offers another perspective. The Price Tower in Washington County is the only fully realized skyscraper by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is also designated a National Historic Landmark. The Frank Phillips Home is a 26-room mansion. Seen side by side, the two buildings represent very different types: a skyscraper and a mansion whose room count gives a specific indication of its size. If you are interested in architectural history, Washington County offers a way to explore different architectural forms rather than simply ticking buildings off a sightseeing list.
Film History and Music
The Tom Mix Museum & Western Theater offers a different cultural focus. It houses a large collection of personal belongings and film props from the silent film “King of the Cowboys.” It also has a 30-seat movie theater where Tom Mix films are shown. Personal objects, film props and screenings explore the subject from different angles. The OKM Music Festival, held every summer in Bartlesville, adds a recurring annual musical highlight. The capacities of the two venues differ considerably: the event hall at the Bartlesville Community Center seats 1,700 people, while the Tom Mix Museum’s theater seats 30.
Parks, Trails and Getting Around
The open spaces in Bartlesville can also be understood in terms of specific figures: the park system includes 18 parks and open spaces covering more than 860 developed acres in total. The paved Pathfinder Parkway is 12 miles long and intended for walking, jogging and cycling. For much of its length, it follows the Caney River and Turkey Creek. Signs along the birdwatching trails point out birds that can be seen and heard along the way. The parkway thus combines a range of activities with opportunities to observe nature, with dedicated signs along the route to help you do so.
The Highway 60 Scenic Byway offers a different scale: it begins in Bartlesville and extends for 70.2 miles. Comparing the two routes reveals their different scales and uses. For the Pathfinder Parkway, the length, paved trail and activities are described; for the byway, the starting point and total length are the specific reference points. This lets you distinguish between a route for getting active in Bartlesville and a longer scenic byway route that begins there, without treating them as the same kind of experience.
Dewey is another reference point for finding your way between locations. The city in Washington County is on U.S. Highway 75, seven miles northeast of downtown Bartlesville. This information helps place Dewey in relation to Bartlesville. Together, the places and experiences described here show different sides of the county: oil and local history, architecture, museum culture, parks and trails.
Discover more destinations: Bartlesville, Dewey, Creek County, Custer, Texas, Muskogee, Murray County, Oklahoma.
Go to the main travel overview: Oklahoma.
