Museum of The Great Plains - History

History

The Museum of the Great Plains evolved out of the Comanche County Historical Society (CCHS), which was formed in 1952. After a few years of exhibiting its growing collections in a building on Fort Sill, the CCHS began the planning and construction of a new permanent facility. With support from the local McMahon Foundation, the new facility opened its doors to the public in 1961 as, the Museum of the Great Plains; an 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) building located in Elmer Thomas Park and managed under the City of Lawton. Over the years the Museum prospered and in 1972 became the first museum in Oklahoma to receive accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. In 1997, again with the generous support from the local McMahon Foundation, the Museum was able to expand to 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of gallery space, a foyer and a museum gift shop. The original building space was converted into much needed collections and archival storage, a library and research area, offices and a classroom.

The Institute of the Great Plains (which also originated from the Comanche County Historical Society), and the City of Lawton jointly operated the Museum until January 1998 when the Museum was reorganized and established as a public trust under the laws of Oklahoma. The Institute remained in the building as a tenant and has continued its research, education, and publishing functions to aid the museum in its programs. The Museum of the Great Plains Trust Authority has become the governing board of the Museum and received 501(3)-c status as an independent non-profit entity in 1999.