History of the Museum
Welcome to the Putnam City Schools Museum. It has been a dream of many alumni for years - a place to showcase the history and memorabilia of Putnam City Schools. Click on the button above to read about the Centennial Book.
The gathering of memorabilia began in 1984 when school board members approved the establishment of the Preservation Committee to start collecting memorabilia to preserve the district's history.
The district has provided a building, the former Waggoner’s store, located at N.W. 40th and Grove Ave for a museum. Operated as a showcase for all the schools in the Putnam City School District, the museum board of directors is seeking artifacts and memorabilia not only from alumni, but also staff and the schools themselves. We are also seeking help operating the museum.
Volunteers for the museum have gathered shelving units and furniture and have arranged displays from cases of materials that had previously been stored in the Arnett Building.
Alumni, former students, teachers and staff from all the schools, who wish to join the museum committee, donate items, or help in any way please contact: Mike Rogers, email mjrogers59@hotmail.com or David Stinchcomb, email jas-cat@sbcglobal.net (405) 921-4245. The mailing address for the museum is Putnam City Schools Museum, P.O. Box 561, Bethany, OK 73008. The email address for the museum is on the Contact Us page.
In the spring of 1914, pioneer families in the Council Grove Township gathered to find ways to provide their children with the best education possible. They combined four one-room schools - Central School, Ozmun School, Goff School and County Line School - into a consolidated district. Their insight and wisdom led to the creation of the Putnam City School District.
Today, the Putnam City Schools are still offering the best education possible, with a thorough curriculum and teachers and administrators who share a passion for learning with the students who will soon be leading our country.
Because the first Putnam City school year, 1914, began that fall without a school building already constructed, initial classes were held in a nearby building I.M. Putnam had constructed in 1909. (See details on the the third tab at left, entitled “Early History.”) In March 1915, students moved into their new two-story brick building at N.W. 40th and Grove Avenue with 160 students and six teachers. Many students walked to school or rode horses that could be stabled close to the school building. Others rode the Interurban and still others were transported in horse-drawn “vans” provided by the district.
The first graduation ceremony was held in the spring of 1919. Etta Green Charlie McKinney and Verde Stinchcomb were the three students to receive the first Putnam City diplomas.
Through the years, the school district progressed and adapted to the subtle changes in society. Despite setbacks, such as two major fires to school buildings, progress was inevitable in the district. By 1957 changing demographics prompted a building campaign away from the original campus as two new elementary schools were built.
Continuing growth resulted in a new high school, Putnam City High School, at N.W. 50th and Ann Arbor Elementary, which opened in 1958. When graduation classes exploded to nearly 1000 students, construction began on Putnam City West High School, which opened in 1968, and then another, Putnam City North High School, in 1978.
Today the Putnam City School District includes eighteen elementary schools, five middle schools and three high schools. In addition, the district operates the Academy, an alternative school for students requiring a special learning environment.
Now, well into its second century of service, the district looks forward to the future, but our past will not be forgotten!