Oklahoma School For The Deaf - History

History

The first school in Oklahoma to give instruction to deaf children was at Fort Gibson. This school, started by a Mrs. Lowery, provided for the education of blind Indian children of the Five Civilized Tribes. Later, deaf children were admitted. In 1898, Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth Long started a school for deaf children in Guthrie, Oklahoma. After statehood, in 1907, the School for the Deaf was established in Sulphur, Oklahoma. In 19??, classes were held in rented buildings and hotels in the Sulphur business district.

Construction of new school buildings began in 1910. In 1911, the buildings under construction (about a quarter of a mile east and 100 yards south of the present location) fell in. With allegations of fraud, the buildings were condemned. (The original cornerstone was found, purchased, and donated to the school by Thomas Thompson, Betty Stephens, and Larry Hawkins.) New buildings were begun at the present location in 1912 and the first classes were held in the fall of 1913.

Edna Patch was the first graduate of a deaf school in Oklahoma, class of 1907. She became the first deaf employee of the Oklahoma School for the Deaf.

OSD has grown from the original three buildings (Ralph H. White Education Center, Stewart Hall, and Read Hall) to a campus that includes the gym, auditorium, student union complex, superintendent’s residence, Long Hall, Blattner Hall, Vocational Building, Griffing Hall, and the Physical Plant facilities.

In 1961, a major renovation was begun on all OSD buildings. Renovations were completed in 1980. In 1999-2000, a new renovation project was begun. By 2002, Long Hall, White Hall, Stewart Hall, and Blattner Hall were completed. Major repairs have been made to the gymnasium during this period.