Drummond Home in Hominy

Oklahoma Roses a tourist’s companion romance

/ Roseanne McKee / Leave a comment


The book, “Oklahoma Roses, a tourist’s companion romance”, a 350-page, Christian romance novel set in the present day, which takes place in Hominy and the surrounding area, is available for purchase at Cha’ Tullis Gallery on Main St. and The Frederick Drummond Home on Price Ave. in Hominy for $15.24 (tax included).

The book contains scenes in historic downtown Pawhuska at the Constantine Theater and Bad Brad’s Barbecue.

In Hominy scenes take place at The Drummond Home, the Mexican Restaurant in the Train Depot, the Cha’ Tullis Gallery, the Marland Station, Hominy City Council and Vintage Treasures. There are also many other scenes that take place throughout Osage and Washington Counties at spots locals love and tourists will enjoy.

The book is sold in Pawhuska at: Sister’s Attic, Krazy Kow, The Funky Pearl, and Hair Razors. The Osage County Historical Society Museum has signed copies for sale.

The book is sold in Bartlesville at Moxie on 2nd, Price Tower Gift Shop, and in Dewey at The Vintage Loft.

The book is also available for purchase on Kindle at Amazon’s website or by mail to Roseanne McKee, PO Box 1273, Pawhuska, OK 74056 for $18.57 with tax and shipping included.

Here is a sneak peak (chapter one):

Noelle Sanders, a willowy blonde with straight, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes, walked quickly to her car as the Oklahoma wind rustled autumn leaves at her feet. She drew her red scarf closer with one hand and searched in her coat pocket for her keys with the other.

It was a Wednesday and Noelle headed west to the convenience store for a late afternoon cappuccino to warm her up – a midweek treat.

She was just placing the lid on the takeout cup when she heard a voice behind her.

“Noelle, how are you?”

She whirled around and saw his handsome smile. She recognized him from her high school days. It was Taylor Nolan. All six feet of him in a business suit that couldn’t hide the muscles from hours at the gym. Noelle drew a breath of expensive cologne as he moved closer.

“Doing well. What brings you back to town? I heard you’d moved to Houston.”

“I did, but I just took a new position at Drent Oil and they wanted me to be here. It’s closer to family, so I’m good with that.”

“Well, congratulations,” Noelle said with a smile.

“We should get together. What’s your number?” Taylor asked as he readied his cell phone for the number as if it were a foregone conclusion that she’d agree.

Internally, she paused, but he didn’t notice.

She gave him her number.

“I’ll call you soon,” he said and touched her elbow.

Noelle made her way to the checkout as Taylor disappeared into another part of the store.

What had she just done? She was already interested in Grayson, the handsome, dark haired cowboy with green eyes, whom she had met recently. True, they had not yet gone out on their first date, but it was scheduled for Saturday.

She drove home on automatic pilot.

As Noelle turned onto her street, her mind shifted. What did she have in the fridge? She made a mental checklist: romaine, tomatoes, feta, olives. Greek salad with her homemade vinaigrette sounded perfect after a long day of serving customers at the credit union.

She  laid down her purse, keys and cappuccino on the foyer table, slid off her coat and scarf, hung them on one of the rows of wooden pegs along the foyer wall and headed to the living room where she lit the fireplace. She loved the high stone fireplace exterior and rough-cut wood mantel. This fireplace was something she loved about the house she had inherited from her grandmother.

She knew it was early in the season to be using the fireplace, but she hadn’t adjusted to the sudden temperature change that was typical of Oklahoma weather on the open plains.

After warming up, she returned to the foyer for her cappuccino, which she finished as she thought about the events of the day. Her contemplation was interrupted by a text from her Aunt Julie asking if they were still on for lunch on Saturday. She texted back that they were, and that noon would be fine.

She turned her attention to making the Greek salad. The salad was soon ready, and she sat at the wooden kitchen table, said grace and began pouring her delicious, home-made red wine vinaigrette on the salad. Still her favorite, the secret ingredient was a spoonful of spicy horseradish mustard.

After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Noelle studied the kitchen calendar, which held all of her appointments. Her date with Grayson was handwritten on the calendar for Saturday night at 7 p.m. They were to meet at a local downtown restaurant, Frank & Lola’s.

Should she tell him about Taylor? If Taylor didn’t call, she wouldn’t need to… but what if he did call. Noelle had never dated two men at once. How would that work, she wondered?

Just a friendly date — what’s wrong with dating both of them? She didn’t have an easy answer.

The house was warmer, so Noelle turned off the fireplace and headed to the bedroom where she changed into workout clothes, got out her exercise mat and started the VCR. After her strength and stretching work-out, she always felt revived.

Time for some herbal tea and a few chapters of the novel she was reading. Old fashioned, she preferred reading from an actual book rather than an electronic device.

After a couple of hours, she took a shower, got into her cornflower cotton pajamas and drifted easily to sleep in her antique cherry sleigh bed under the patchwork quilt made by her late grandmother Ruth.

The next morning on her way to work, Noelle found herself thinking of Grayson Whelan, the handsome cowboy who she had met recently at the annual Cow thieves and Outlaws Reunion dinner at the estate of the deceased oil tycoon, Frank Phillips, who was largely responsible for putting Bartlesville on the map. The estate, just outside of the city, named Woolaroc, had become a museum and wildlife preserve. Each fall since 1927, Woolaroc had hosted a party on the shores of Clyde Lake for cowboys, socialites, thieves, bankers, and lawmen.

Noelle was a loan officer at the local credit union and so she was lucky enough to be offered one of the coveted tickets to the event. Grayson introduced himself during the cocktail hour and they soon struck up a conversation.

What she learned was that he was the owner of Whelan Ranch near the city of Hominy in Osage County. Grayson had been educated at Delaware Valley University in Pennsylvania and had earned a B.A. in History.

“You didn’t study ranch management or agriculture?” Noelle asked.

“No, my dad taught me that and I’d always wanted to study world history,” Grayson explained. “I figured I’d settle here, but I wanted a bigger world view, you know? I try to save up and go somewhere I haven’t been about every other year.”

“Where have you been?”

“Well, my family is part Irish, so I started with Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. We’re also Native American and that’s why I decided to go to Pennsylvania to college. That’s where my mom’s tribe, which is Lenape or Delaware, is from. The Delaware lived in the region that is now the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania and in the state of Delaware before they were forced out and settled in Oklahoma.”

“That is really interesting. It’s meaningful to know your ancestry, isn’t it?”

“Definitely. Have you traveled?”

“No, my family used their extra money to send me to college, and didn’t travel until they moved to Vail, Colorado, because of my mom’s allergies.”

“Where would you go if you could?” he asked.

Noelle thought for a moment and said, “I think the Scandinavian countries would be interesting to visit, Norway, Sweden.” She paused, “I’m of Norwegian descent, so it would be fun to see where my ancestors came from. Like you did.”

“That makes sense. Travelling to those places definitely added a new dimension to my life,” Grayson replied looking across the evening landscape as if he were picturing Ireland.

A band started and Grayson asked, “Would you like to dance?”

“As long as you understand that I’m not that good at two-stepping, sure,” Noelle said, feeling bold.

Grayson took her hand and led her to the outdoor dance floor. Soon they were laughing and two-stepping to the fiddle of a local country band.

“You’re better than you think,” Grayson whispered to her.

Noelle smiled to herself remembering the moment.

It had been a good first meeting and she had said, yes, without hesitation when he had asked if they could go out sometime.

With Grayson in the picture, it really didn’t make sense to go out with Taylor. But, in her many discussions with Aunt Julie, she had always been advised to play the field before making a decision. So, she reasoned that it only made sense to get to know both men better before limiting herself to just one of them.

December is a great time to visit regional historic homes

/ Roseanne McKee / Leave a comment

DrummondHomeChristmas-2018
By: Roseanne McKee

Republished with permission of the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise

December is a wonderful time to see area historic homes, and we have three impressive ones having special open houses and tour times for the Christmas season.

The Frank Phillips Home at 1107 Cherokee Ave. in Bartlesville will offer special evening tours of the home at the reduced admission rate of $5 on Dec. 11 and 13 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“There are seven decorated trees in the house — living room, library, sun room, Frank’s bedroom, the girls’ room and the two guest bedrooms,” said Rhonda Starr, a staff docent.

“We have some of their ornaments, but they’re not on the trees because they’re too fragile.

“In the dining room Jane Phillips’ original centerpiece will be on the table. It’s a sleigh with reindeer and Santa and packages and ribbons that go to the place settings. At the end of the meal guests could pull the ribbon and open a package,” she explained.

Another special event hosted by Frank and Jane Phillips was a Christmas party for the community held at the Community Center, Starr said.

“At the end of the party Jane would give the children a bag with fruit and nuts and Frank would give them a silver dollar,” she said.

“On the third floor we have a play size log home and stable with animals that belonged to the girls,” Starr added. For information call 918 336-2491.

The Drummond Home at 305 N. Price Ave. in Hominy will hold its annual Scottish Christmas Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Dec. 8 with live music by guitarist Jim Garling and violinist Susanne Woolley, the great granddaughter of Fred Drummond and granddaughter of Gentner Drummond.

Santa Claus will be present to greet the children and hear their wish lists.
Diane Fallis of Bartlesville will be there to tell stories and tours will be offered.

Authentic Scottish shortbread, cookies and punch will be served.

For the open house two special photos of Fred and Addie Drummond will be on display in the parlor, said Drummond Home Manager Beverly Whitcomb. In the photos Addie is about 20 and Fred, who was six years older, was about 26, Whitcomb said.
DrummondsPortraits
Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors (62+), children under six are admitted free. Veterans and active duty military are admitted free with an I.D. Children 6-17 are admitted for $4. There is a special rate for families of up to six, $18. Call 918-885-2374 for more information.

The Glass Mansion at 324 W. Delaware in Nowata is open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday and from 1 – 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. The home is decorated for Christmas with Hallmark Keepsake ornaments donated from the extensive collection of the late Jan Edwards. There are seven trees, said Carroll Craun president of the Nowata County Historical Society. The living room tree has ornaments from the Maxine cartoon collection. Matriarch Eva Glass’s bedroom tree has ornaments of homes. The tree in daughter Earnest Frances’s room has a movie theme. The foyer and upstairs hallway trees feature miniature ornaments.

“We have a little holiday shop in the sun room with Christmas wreaths, table centerpieces, handwork, baked goods and gift items by historical society members,” Craun said.

The Glass Mansion does not have regular hours of operation, so this is a special opportunity to see this stately, well-appointed home.
Cookies and cider will be served in the dining room. Call 918-273-1191 for information.

Drummond Home holds Style Show

/ Roseanne McKee / Leave a comment


By Roseanne McKee

Republished with permission of the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise

HOMINY — Martha Ray is a woman with a passion to preserve and share a window into the fashion past.

Ray, who is retired from the Oklahoma Historical Society, brought a group of volunteers from Pawnee who modeled clothing from the American Civil War era through the 1950s at the Drummond Home’s style show fundraiser Saturday, held at the Osage Interlocal Co-op.

Ray shared a story about Britain’s legendary Queen Victoria.

“In the 1840s and 50s it was not typical to wear drawers. … At a fox hunt Queen Victoria stood on a rail to get a better view, and one of her friends fell over the fence and her hoop skirt went up. She had on plaid flannel drawers and everyone saw them. People thought, if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. From that point on, it was the norm to wear drawers.

“In the 1850s a lady would have had eight layers on,” she said. “There was a chemise, or a slip that fell to below the knee, then a corset measuring eighteen inches with a four-inch gap in the back, so the actual waist size would have been about 22 inches. Then there was an under petticoat; there were eight to ten layers before the hoop ever went on — a hoop, and two layers over the hoop. Sitting on a horse hair sofa — that hurts — so the layers helped.”

Although the actual dress would not have been washed much, the many layers of undergarments were washed after each use.

“In the Civil War period, there was hem tape sewn around the bottom of dresses which would be replaced if it got dirty,” Ray explained.

“A typical woman in the 1880s had four outfits — three she wore every day and one for formal occasions — church, parties, to marry and to be buried,” she said.

“In the U.S. practicality dictated fashion, but we had everything available in Paris. It just took six months to arrive,” Ray said. “Seamstresses were worth their weight in gold because they made the dresses without patterns for any size lady.”
Dress lengths and styles varied widely throughout the years highlighted in the style show. There was pigeon breast fashion in the 1910s, flapper dresses in the 1920s, ballgowns, bustles, hoop skirts, A-line designs, sequins, beads, gloves, hats with seasonal embellishments, picture hats that framed the face, the walking suit, dresses with trains that had skirt lifters built into them and split skirts worn with riding habit accessories, to name a few.

In the 1880s girls were sent away to finishing school and wore shorter skirts. When they wore dresses to the ankle, that signaled to society that they were of marriageable age, Ray said.

Ray provided a window into the Victorian era’s polite society by sharing about the custom of visiting neighbors each week.

“Everybody had a day they received visitors,” she said, and each household had a designated day and window of time to receive visitors. Others took note of that time and did not receive visitors at that time — “usually 2-4 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. only one day per week.

“Even if you were middle class, you’d have a butler that day to receive guests. He’d bring calling cards on a tray from those who wished to visit and ask if you wanted to receive them, ” Ray explained.
If the lady of the house agreed to receive the guest, they would stay for only a short time — about 15 minutes. It would have been considered rude to stay longer.

“Then the next week, you’d return the visit. It was rude not to do so,” she said.

The dress style dictated glove length, Ray said. Short sleeves were worn with longer gloves and short gloves were paired with long sleeves.

The dresses Ray presented were meticulously reproduced.

“When we do a reproduction dress, we try to find fabric that’s as close to the original as possible. For reenactments, we find fabrics of the same fabric content,” Ray said. “If it is a style show, fabric is more about the appearance of the original matching. We try to use glass beads rather than plastic.”

Speaking of one garden dress in the show Ray said, “we’ve reproduced it down to the number of buttons.”

With each outfit, the models carried a handbag, which was called a reticule. Inside would have been three important items — a hanky, powder and smelling salts,” Ray said.

“People had a problem with bathing, so if people around her smelled bad, she would smell the salts to revive her,” Ray said. While deodorant was readily available over the counter starting in the 1930s, it didn’t become popular until later, she said.

“You can tell if a reenactment event is authentic by the way they smell,” Ray said.

The style show guest tables had a fairy theme.

“Fairies were quite popular in the Victorian era and in literature,” Martha Ray, who narrated the style show, said.

The style show concluded with door prizes and refreshments.

To learn about upcoming events at the Drummond Home, visit their Facebook page, Frederick Drummond Home of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

The next event will be their annual Scottish Christmas Open House, Saturday Dec. 8 from 1-4 p.m., with live music, storytelling, homemade Scottish shortbread, cookies and punch at the Drummond Home at 305 N. Price Ave. in Hominy, Okla. Call for information at 918-885-2374.

Drummond Home Requests Aluminum Ware Pieces for April Exhibit

/ Roseanne McKee / Leave a comment
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Hammered Aluminum Covered Serving Dish

By: Roseanne McKee

The Fred Drummond Home is having a hammered aluminum ware exhibit during the month of April, and needs aluminum serving ware to complete the exhibit.

If you have pieces you are willing to lend, please call the Drummond Home Manager, Beverly Whitcomb, Wed. through Sun. at 918-885-2374. If you don’t get an answer, please leave your name and number.

All exhibit pieces lent to the Drummond Home are logged in to ensure accurate recordkeeping. Pieces borrowed for the April exhibit may be picked up from the Drummond Home in early May.

Hammered, or stamped, aluminum ware was popular in the 1930’s through the 1950’s as an inexpensive alternative to silver.

These aluminum wares were given as wedding gifts with patterns depicting chrysanthemums, tulips, bamboo, fruit, leaves and game birds. The detail is amazing and many collectors recognize this craftsmanship while appreciating the affordable prices.

The Fred Drummond Home, located at 305 N. Price Ave. in Hominy, is open Wed. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun. 12 – 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 62+, $4 for students 6 – 18, $5 for groups of 10+, $18 for families of up to 6, free for children 5 and under, veterans, active duty military and OHS members.

Visit their Facebook page: Friends of the Fred Drummond Home of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

For other upcoming events in Hominy, visit the Hominy Tourism Facebook page and their website: https://hominytourism.wordpress.com.