Woods County is your destination for a variety of heritage museums, railroad memorabilia, “one of a kind” natural history collections, unique architecture, concert series, galleries, and theater venues—check out the calendar of events to see what is happening across the county!
There are many top quality cultural and heritage venues located across Woods County. In Alva, be sure to stop in at the Cherokee Strip Museum complex and visit the original “one-room schoolhouse” and the WWII POW Camp collection! The history of the Cherokee Strip comes alive with numerous artifacts of the “Greatest Land Run” ever!
Also in Alva, the NWOSU Natural History Museum is home to the most unique collection of extinct water and prairie fowl in the United States. Many of the preserved species cannot be found anywhere in the world, but are maintained as part of the permanent collection on display. The Alva Airport Terminal houses a collection of aeronautics artifacts and photos which feature local and regional “air-firsts”!
The newest venue in Alva is the Graceful Arts Gallery & Studios. The Graceful Arts Center houses a studio education facility for arts educators of all genres and media to provide arts education to all age groups, as well as a professional gallery space in which staff will plan art shows, special and traveling exhibits, small performances, as well as offer opportunities for lectures and discussions related to the arts and humanities. Graceful Arts Center is located in Alva's Downtown Arts District and serves as one of the anchor venues for the district.
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The restored Harvey House and Santa Fe Depot in Waynoka takes you back to the early 1900s of rail travel. In 1889, Fred Harvey, a young entrepreneur, was granted the exclusive right to establish and operate the railroad owned eating houses west of the Mississippi River on the Santa Fe system. The Harvey House was established in Waynoka in 1910 and began serving passengers on the Santa Fe main rail line from Chicago to Los Angeles. Although the Harvey House closed after WWII, the Waynoka Historical Society acquired and has restored the facility to its original grandeur. Today, the Harvey House is a restaurant and houses the Waynoka Museum of rail memorabilia.
In Freedom, the local museum maintains a collection of artifacts from the early pioneer days of the Cherokee Strip. Cattle companies grazed the vast grasslands of the region from the 1870s to the opening of the strip for settlement in 1893. The museum maintains a large collection of barbed wire (the wire that “tamed” the strip) and is home to the Burnham Archaeological Dig collection. The “Smithsonian” quality collection tells the story of the earliest inhabitants of North America which was first uncovered by a local rancher in the early 1980s. Freedom’s Wild West Main Street is sure to excite the visitor!
Local theater performances occur in downtown Alva and on the NWOSU campus. The annual NWOSU Concert Series brings acclaimed performances to the region each year and the university’s instrumental and vocal groups offer “free performances” throughout the fall and spring. Alva’s emerging Arts District, located on the downtown square, will provide countless opportunities to engage in the arts. The Prairie Style Commercial buildings lining Alva’s downtown depict authentic America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Prairie style homes can be found in Alva, Waynoka, Freedom, and Dacoma. S.A. Layton, the, architect of the Oklahoma State Capitol, also designed the Fine Arts Building (old Science Hall) on the NWOSU campus. John Duncan Forsythe, the architect of the Marland Mansion in Ponca City, designed several structures on the NWOSU campus as well.
WPA structures are found across the county, from the city pool in Alva to the sidewalks and buildings on the NWOSU campus. The Public Works Progress "New Deal" program constructed the original “pump house” for the town of Freedom in 1935 which is located on the east end of Main Street in downtown Freedom.
Across the county, period and vernacular architecture is substantial. From eclectic Victorian homes, Depression Era Deco structures, the Mission inspired Waynoka Depot, to the Collegiate Gothic structures found on the NWOSU campus, historical architecture abounds in Woods County today.
Don't forget to check out the numerous murals around Alva. The Alva Mural Society has sponsored the creation of numerous murals across the community. Brochures are located at each site to describe the stories told in each mural. Take an afternoon and drive the mural “trail” to see the region’s history told in art!