Drumright, Aaron, House
403 S. Creek Ave., Drumright, OKBuilt in 1920, the two-story Drumright House is the last known surviving residence of Aaron Drumright, co-founder of the town that bears his name, donor of land on which much of it sits, and a strong civic leader in the town's social and commercial life. The brief association of two other men lend additional local significance to the house: son Everett Drumright, was U. S. Ambassador to China 1931-1943, a veteran foreign service officer in cities around the world until 1965; and L. E. Shanks, who purchased the house from Drumright in 1937, continued his strong public service role in the field of banking, real estate and insurance.
Aaron Drumright settled here in 1900 while still in his late teens, He and J. W. Fulkerson were farming adjacent plots in 1912 when the Wheeler No. 1 blew in (a mile to the north) to open the world famed Cushing Oil Field ... and create the need for a new supply town. Drumright and Fulkerson both gave land for the town, known first as Fulkerson and then, in 1913, officially as Drumright. (Broadway, the town's main street, is the old dividing line between the two men's properties.)
Both Drumright and Fulkerson were active in developing the downtown business district and in the building of schools and churches. Drumright was a leading organizer of the Washington School, Drumright's first, and a significant contributor to the Drumright Methodist Church. He was also the first president of the Drumright State Bank.
Drumright bought the Drumright House from Charles Kahl in 1920. He sold it to L. E. Shanks in 1937, but continued to live and work in the community for many years. He died in 1969 at 87. The house itself, though undistinguished, survived the devastating 1957 tornado and remains today much as it was when built sixty years ago.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.