McClain County Historical & Genealogical Society & Museum

06/16/2026

Today, Sherri and Elisabeth had the pleasure of giving a museum tour to a wonderful family researching their McClain County roots. Their visit centered around learning more about their great-grandfather and the Newbern family, who were part of the history of Byars, Oklahoma.

Many people may not realize that Byars was once a thriving railroad and agricultural community in the early 1900s, with businesses, banking, and commerce centered around its town square. The Newbern family was among those who helped shape the area’s story during that time. Byars grew rapidly after the arrival of the Oklahoma Central Railway and reached its peak population in the early 1920s.

We enjoyed sharing local history, exploring family connections, and learning more about the Newbern lineage in McClain County. The evening ended with great conversation and a Braums ice cream treat! 🤍

Thank you for visiting Purcell and the museum while tracing your family’s history. We are always honored when visitors travel to the Heart of Oklahoma to learn more about the people and places that helped shape our communities.

Do you have family ties to Byars or memories of the community? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

We are at the lake today for Lake Day!
Come see us

05/23/2026

Visitors to the museum today from new Jersey, Edmond and Tulsa

05/23/2026

Recently, the museum has been host to numerous visitors hailing from various parts of the country, with today being another busy day. We welcomed a couple from New Jersey, accompanied by her sister from Edmond and their mother based in Tulsa. Harriett's family maintained a historical presence in Purcell, specifically through her grandfather, Joe Schwartz, who ran businesses on Main Street. They kindly shared family photographs, some of which featured homes from their Purcell era. These photographs are slated for inclusion on our website, Www.Mcclaincountymuseum.org. Fortunately, our holdings included a folder of family details gathered in the 1990s, which enabled me to engage the family with specific narratives and facts supplied by Harriet's mother, Lillian.

05/22/2026

This afternoon, we hosted Lester, a visitor from Idaho, who came to attend the family reunion with his sister, Carol, a local resident. The siblings both have historical ties to the area, having attended school here and in Lexington. Carol is a member of the PHS class of 1975. We were delighted to share McClain history and experiences with them, and everyone learned more about each other.
As a bonus, the Sheehy twins, Aly and Anna, shared some of their own knowledge they’ve learned about our collections.

05/21/2026

Elisabeth and I were delighted to welcome a couple from California to our museum in Purcell in April. As they journeyed to Kansas City, they took time to explore our museum, motivated by her quest to understand her family's local roots. We were overjoyed to assist her in uncovering a significant piece of her family's history - a photograph of her great grandfather, who played an important role as Principal of the Hawthorne (South) School. Seeing her great grandfather's photo in the school room brought immense happiness to her, and we all relished the opportunity to share and learn from each other's experiences.

05/18/2026

Schedule a visit with one of our volunteers or come to our next meeting to be held May 21 at 5:30pm.