McCurtain County Historical Society

Home
United States
Idabel, OK
McCurtain County Historical Society

The McCurtain County Historical Society is a group of volunteers that work to preserve, collect and share the great history of McCurtain County, Oklahoma.

09/02/2026

This great photo was taken in the Dierks Lumber Company mill complex at Broken Bow on April 26, 1946.

Photo courtesy of the OPUBCO Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

09/01/2026

Pictured is the Broken Bow Lake Marina, as it appeared in 1971.

Photo courtesy of the OPUBCO Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Divsion.

08/31/2026

Pictured is the Broken Bow Reservoir spillway, as it was seen in 1971, a short time after its construction was completed. The dam project was born on July 3, 1958 when the Flood Control Act of 1958 was passed in the United States Congress with the Broken Bow Reservoir project as part of the legislation.

The Neel L. Teer Company of North Carolina began construction on the project three years later. The project took years and $39,600,000.00 to complete. According to the all knowing Google AI overview, that is equal to $326,497,600.00 in today's money.

08/30/2026

Pictured is the Philadelphia Mission, northeast of Goodwater in the winter of 1901.

Philadelphia Mission consisted of a day school and church on the grounds we know today as Philadelphia Cemetery, northeast of Goodwater on the Catte Crossing Road.

The mission was established primarily for Choctaw families, but white families of the area also attended school and church here. Some of those white families include the Farley and Whiteman families of Goodwater. One of the teachers at this mission was Ozella Byram who later married Dr. William McBrayer and lived to be 100 years of age.

This building was sometimes referred to as the, "Martin Box" school. It sat just to the west of the cemetery grounds in an area that is now overgrown.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/29/2026

Pictured are the students and staff of the Pleasant Hill School, south of Haworth in 1909.

The crudely built schoolhouse behind them was replaced a short time later by a two-story wood frame structure.

Those in the photograph are identified as follows: "Top row left to right: Burch Wheeler, Barney Wheeler, Lizzie Kirby, Addie Powers, Minnie Wheeler, John McFarland Stela True, and teacher Beulah Crain. Second row: Ina McFarland, Odessa Hutchison, Gulle Turk, Nolen Thompson, Oma Coffman, Clark Wheeler, Quinton Thompson, and Nina McFarland. Third row: Zack McFarland, Glenn McFarland, Robert Harris, Sadie Harris, Lucy Thompson, Curtis Sullivan, Kate Hutchison, Nattie Harris, and Mamie Harris."

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/28/2026

Pictured are Mandie Eavins. Bertha Whiteman, and Myrse Earl and Ruby Earl in front of the Goodwater Masonic Lodge building, located in Goodwater.

Though the Goodwater Masonic Lodge moved from the Goodwater community in the 1930s after consolidating with the Haworth Masonic Lodge, it is still in operation today and is the oldest Masonic Lodge in McCurtain County.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/27/2026

Pictured is the student body of the Ida School in 1915. Ida's name was later changed to Battiest, in honor of the late Nashoba County, Choctaw Nation Judge, Byington Battiest of North Bethel.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/26/2026

Yesterday we shared a photo of the 1940 Idabel City Hall. Today we thought we would show it from a different angle and timeline. This great photo shows the building in the background in 1973, just a year before it was torn down. Also in the photo is the Idabel Cabelcom general office on South Central Street.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/25/2026

Pictured is the Idabel City Hall and Municipal Building on South Central Street in Idabel. The building was constructed in 1940 and housed the city offices, including the Fire and Police Departments. One the left, you can see a windo with bars on it. This was part of the Idabel city jail.

This building was torn down and replaced in 1974.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

08/24/2026

This great photo was taken in Rufe between the years of 1901 and 1912. The B. & O. Mercantile Company was established in 1901 by William Wilson and was the first business located in Rufe. After the death of William Wilson, his widow sold the store to William P. Burwell and Samuel R. O'Bannon.

Photo courtesy of the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

Address

302 SE Adams Street
Idabel, OK
74745

Telephone

+15802123639

Website

http://www.orgsites.com/ok/mchs/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when McCurtain County Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Idabel?