Healdton Oil Field Bunk House

The Healdton/Hewitt Oil Field Bunkhouse is both historically and architecturally significant because: (1) it has continuously served the Hales Oil Company, one of the oldest independent operators in south central Oklahoma, for more than 60 years and (2) it is the best remaining oil field bunkhouse still intact in the Healdton/ Hewitt Field of Oklahoma.

The Healdton/Hewitt Field was opened in 1913 and continued to be one of the major fields in Oklahoma through the 1920s. It became one of the largest single pools discovered in the state and helped Oklahoma become the leading crude oil producer during the World War I era and post-war period when automobiles, became popular. Hales Oil Company, an independent producer, capitalized on the fact that Healdton/Hewitt was a "poor man's field", a phrase applied to petroleum fields where lease sizes were smaller, drilling costs were less expensive because oil was found at shallow depths and in thick sand-bearing formations, shorter periods of time were required to drill a well, and crude oil was of high quality. These factors made it possible for small, independent operators like Hales Oil to compete with larger companies.

The Hales Oil Bunkhouse was completed in 1923 to provide housing for workers on their lease site and served the company in that capacity until the mid-1930s when it was converted to office space for company personnel. Still owned by the Hales Oil interests, it has played a major role in the company's operations for more than 60 years.

The bunkhouse was constructed during the boom era when housing for oil field workers was at a premium. Nearby communities and companies were not prepared for the large influx of "boomchasers" who followed petroleum discoveries from field to field in the Mid-Continent region. Many workers pitched tents, camped on the ground, or secured lodging in local farm houses and barns. In the boomtowns, churches, schools, and businesses were converted into temporary hotels and boarding houses.

The nominated property was typical of the sleeping facilities erected on oil lease sites by petroleum companies. Commonly referred to as "flop houses" because workers could flop down for a short period of rest, the Hales bunkhouse was constructed to accommodate as many workers as possible. Normal pattern for bunkhouse use was workers sleeping in eight-hour shifts. A worker often climbed in bed still warm from the previous occupant and, when linen supplies were exhausted, a single blanket was all the bedding available.

The Hales bunkhouse was constructed with green milled lumber with board-andbatten siding, a common form of wall finish in oil field buildings. Hastily erected by local carpenters which used lumber shipped into the oil field by rail, the 1" x 12" boards were spliced with 1" x 4" boards to cover the cracks between the wider boards when they began to cure. Flooring for the Hales bunkhouse was double thickness of 2" x 12" boards and beaverboard was used to insulate walls of the interior.

Although the two front windows were replaced in the mid-1960s, the bunkhouse has retained its architectural integrity for over 60 years with the attached porch, board-and-batten siding, and roof vent remaining intact.