Press Release
January 2, 2024
Contact: Kristina Wyckoff
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-521-6381
kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/shpo
State Historic Preservation Office Webinar to Focus on Saving Old Canadian County Jail
OKLAHOMA CITY — The effort to preserve the old Canadian County jail will be highlighted in a Lunch and Learn webinar hosted by the State Historic Preservation Office on Wednesday, January 10, starting at noon. The featured speaker is Amy Neathery with Preservation El Reno.
The jail was finished in 1907, a few months before Oklahoma became the 46th state. It cost $18,000 to build. The jail served the county for 78 years.
The presentation will focus on the jail’s rich history, including several design features that made it unique when it opened in 1907 and are still unique today. Neathery will talk about the steps taken to reverse a decision by the Canadian County Commissioners to destroy the building. Neathery will also discuss what led to the current state of disrepair. The presentation will finish with a summary of the vision for the building and the goal to have it restored by the Route 66 Centennial in 2026.
Architect Solomon Andrew Layton designed the building. Layton also designed the Oklahoma State Capitol, courthouses, schools, office towers, prisons and more. According to the National Register of Historic Places registration form, the jail and nearby stable are the oldest county government buildings still standing in Canadian County. Both sites have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.
Neathery is a lawyer in Oklahoma who has always loved old buildings. The jail will be her first major renovation project.
Registration for the webinar is required. For more information, contact Kristina Wyckoff, Section 106 coordinator and historic archaeologist, at 405-521-6381 or kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
###
