The Stillwater Museum of History at the Sheerar is a local history museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Their goal is to preserve Stillwater and Payne County history from Oklahoma Territory days to the present.
*All photos were taken at the Stillwater Museum of History at the Sheerar in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Stillwater History Museum is located on the bottom floor of the Sheerar Cultural and Heritage Center. The building originally housed the First Church of Christ Scientist and was built in 1928.
The museum opened in 1974 – originally operated by the Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council. The facility was named for Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Sheerar who made a sizable donation to the museum. Beginning in 1989, the Stillwater History Museum was owned and operated by the Stillwater Museum Association. In 2017, the museum officially changed its name to the Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar.
Travel Tip: There is a beautiful auditorium on the upper floor of the Sheerar which seats 200 people. Church services are still regularly held in the auditorium. You can also rent the space for weddings and events if you’re interested!
This museum has several exhibit spaces – some are permanent, while some are traveling! Some of the exhibits include: Stillwater Collects, Main Street Memories, the Victorian Parlor, and the Gerald and Harriet Thuesen Gallery. Two of the previous traveling exhibits were the “Daughters of the American Revolution” exhibit and “Early Oklahoma: Black Hope/Black Dreams.” These were both really cool exhibits!
There is something new every time I visit this museum – so make sure to check it out whenever you are in Stillwater or driving through town!
My Favorite Pieces
My favorite piece in the Stillwater History Museum would have to be the old Pistol Pete mascot head. It’s so different than Oklahoma State University’s current Pistol Pete look, but there’s just something cool and unique about it. The Pistol Pete head is a part of the permanent collection – so you should always be able to see this one!
I also like the exhibit piece about how turnips saved Stillwater! The sign for this one caught my attention and I loved reading the story! Because you wouldn’t think that something as simple as a turnip could save a town…
I have a personal connection to this museum. I was a volunteer my senior year of undergrad in college. I helped with weekend children’s programming and designed flyers for events. I learned a lot while volunteering for the museum that year. I totally recommend volunteering at your local history museum if you have the time and resource to do so! 🙂
I love stopping in to visit this museum when I am in Stillwater! I love seeing the new exhibits and learning new things! I hope you’ll make a trip and go check out this awesome local museum! The workers and volunteers are always so kind when I stop in and visit.
Bonus! If you can’t make a trip to Stillwater, they do have a virtual tour option on their website! (sheerarmuseum.org)
Travel Tip: Make sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out! They recently added magnets to their shop and they’re super cool. I try to get a magnet at every museum I visit and was thrilled that they had some new ones on my last visit! I also picked up a really cool Native American history map, prairie bonnet, and some historical document replicas for some of my upcoming YouTube videos. You never know what you’ll find in the gift shops at local museums!
If you’re interested in watching my history videos – my YouTube Channel is linked HERE!
Happy traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon! 🙂
702 S. Duncan
Stillwater, OK 74074
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