Sod House Museum

Sod House Museum seeks to preserve Oklahoma’s only remaining sod house and interprets the early-day lifestyles of a pioneer, from the establishment of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893 to 1920.

At one time, thousands of sod houses dotted the plains of North America. Timber was limited and in high demand, so many settlers turned to sod bricks to construct simple homes. The museum features a two-room “soddy,” as they were called, which was built in 1894 by Marshal McCully.

In 1836, the United States forced the Cherokee to cede all lands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for a reservation and an “outlet” in what is now Oklahoma. In 1890, that lease was nullified by Congress. Despite protests from the Cherokee, who were once again being forced out of their land, the land was opened up to non-Native settlers. When the Cherokee Outlet opened for settlement at noon on September 16, 1893, it led to the largest land run in Oklahoma’s history. McCully was one of the buyers. He built the two-room sod house in August 1894 using blocks of thick buffalo grass.

McCully and his family lived in the sod house until 1909, when they built a larger wooden house nearby. The sod house was preserved and used for storage, and is now the centerpiece of this small museum. Visitors can enjoy the experience of walking through the soddy and exploring exhibits, artifacts, photographs, and a root cellar. The artifacts and exhibits portray the daily activities of the pioneers. Museum grounds include an additional building displaying horse-drawn equipment and period farm implements.