The Ghosts of Oklahoma

Gilcrease Museum is located on Gilcrease Museum Road in Tulsa. The museum has 23 acres of thermal gardens which are accessible to visitors. This sandstone mansion was built in 1913 by a Tulsa lawyer named Flower Nelson who had bought the 80 acre land parcel in 1909. In 1943 the mansion became a home for orphaned Indian children from nearby reservations. At this time a 2nd floor was added with 4 bedrooms for the Indian girls and another building was built for the boys. In 1949 Thomas Gilcrease moved back into the house.

At which time he also moved his entire art collection which was quite extensive back to Tulsa and eventually built a museum on his property opening it up for the people of Tulsa. He also created 23 acres of gardens of the type seen in the American West and was an avid bird lover.

Thomas Gilcrease was born in 1890 and raised as a member of the Creek Nation. Around 1900 he was given 160 acres of Indian land destined to become part of Oklahoma's major oil fields. Thomas established the Gilcrease Oil Company. Thomas fell in love with the sandstone mansion and it became known as the Gilcrease House. He and his first wife Belle Harlow raised their two boys, Thomas, Jr. and Barton in the mansion. After his divorce he married again. With Norma Smallwood he had a daughter named Des Cygne.

Thomas had a passion for the art and history of the American West and started his collection in 1922. Eventually he deeded his collection to the city of Tulsa. Then in 1958 the Gilcrease Foundation also gave the city the museum buildings and grounds. When Thomas Gilcrease died in 1962 he bequeathed the final group of art work he had collected to the museum and the house and his gardens became part of the museum and grounds.

The apparition of Thomas Gilcrease likes to return nightly and visit his museum and art collection. He also enjoys walking about the house. His presence has been felt, heard and seen by the living. Over the years Thomas has also appeared in solid form in front of the employees and curators. Footsteps have been heard by employees all around the house and doors have opened and closed by themselves. Occasionally a big band can be heard coming from one of the upstairs rooms. His apparition has also made its presence known in the gardens.

There are also the entities of about 7 Indian children who once made their home here. These entities also love to play in the gardens. Keeping everyone company is an unknown male entity.

An all night paranormal investigation was carried out in the Gilcrease mansion. In both the upstairs rooms - the North Bedroom 10 and the South Bedroom 13 odd readings and feelings were picked up and visual anomalies were filmed. In the North Bedroom 10 an EVP of a whisper calling out Mr. Gilcrease's name was recorded and someone tugged on a researcher's hair just outside the room. At the entrance to the living room downstairs and echo mist was caught on camera.

At a second paranormal investigation a great EVP - "Help!" was picked up upstairs in the North Bedroom. The South Bedroom was very active. Unseen children entities were asked to help a researcher find something from long ago. Then 15 minutes later an old earpiece was found on the floor of the downstairs South Bedroom and in the upstairs bedroom a broken wooden wheel from an old toy was found.

There was great activity in the Piano Room downstairs and pictures taken of the room produced a glowing photo. When trying to get a response from entities here a loud bang could be heard coming from an upstairs bedroom.

While a Sit-down was going on in the Foyer an argument could be heard between two male voices coming from the kitchen/butler pantry area. The voices were muffled but the anger coming from them was felt by the team. A researcher went to investigate and as she went through the butler's pantry she felt an angry presence right behind her. Feeling that they had worn out their welcome the team left. They put some toys in the closet for the children entities to play with and are always respectful of the wishes of the entities when an investigation is going on.

In Avard at the Vina Rae's Grill & Graze which is located inside an old high school gymnasium there are occurrences such as orbs being visible in pictures, footsteps, voices and knocking on walls. These are everyday happenings. On Memorial Day in 2002 a headless woman appeared. It's thought that this was the entity of a woman who was murdered and burned about 50 years ago. On some days there is a smell of burning hair and other odors. People have also felt someone touching them.

There was a 19th century Victorian mansion called Labady Mansion in Bartlesville. It sat atop a huge hill overlooking the country side for miles. In the early 20th century this was the scene of 4 deaths. All that remains of the house now are the rock walls and foundation. If one manages to get through the lush vegetation to the top of the hill they may find that their flashlight doesn't work, hear unseen people shouting their name, smell odd smells, and see strange animals running through the dark a few meters in front of them. And as one leaves the remainder of the fireplace supposedly starts to burn on its own.

At the Bessie Gym in Bessie late at night footsteps that sound like a four-legged animal can be heard. Cold spots are felt everywhere. Eventually one can see the apparition of a man dressed in a long black trench coat with a large black top hat and a long brownish black beard. It was found that the old gym used to me a morgue back in the days of horse-drawn carriages. At that time the building had a basement and a large pulling elevator which was large enough for the horses. This was all filled in later and the gym built on top. The apparition was that of the old morgue caretaker.

The Historical McBride House in Fort Gibson which is a Bed & Breakfast houses 4 ghosts. They can be heard talking and have been seen and felt. Guests have felt them tap them on the shoulder, stroke the back of their hair, grab them about the waist and pull on their clothing. The entities have been heard going up and down the staircases at all hours. There is a bedroom door which will not stay closed at night, a party has been heard going on in one of the downstairs rooms, things have been taken from a guest or the owners, guests have heard whispering in their ears when in bed and then someone sits on the bed and shakes them. One of the entities is believed to be Dr. McBride, who built the house, there is a Victorian lady dressed in white, this entity also appears at the Old Army Hospital across the street and there are two children a boy and a girl.

The Stone Lion Inn in Guthrie is housed in a 1907 Greek Revival Victorian mansion which has 3 stories and a basement. On the 3rd floor there used to be a ballroom and a play area. The mansion was built by F.E. Houghton, a wealthy man who had 12 children. It has 3 fireplaces for cold winters. In the 1920s the mansion becam a boarding house and later a funeral home. Then in 1986 the Luker family turned it into a charming inn with luxurious suites and fine food.

During the time the Houghton family lived in the mansion when the parents retired for the night between 10PM and 12AM their children would sneak up to the third floor to play with their toys which were kept in a toy box built into the storage closet. It is known that one of the 12 children an 8 year old girl named Augusta died when a maid gave her the wrong medication trying to combat the child's whooping cough. It is also thought that some entities remained behind during the years when the mansion was a boarding house and a funeral home.

It is thought that one of the entities haunting the inn is little Augusta Houghton. A child's footsteps can be heard pattering up and down the stairways. One of the Luker boys also kept his toys in the same toy box in the 3rd floor storage closet. Each night around 10 PM a child's footsteps could be heard on the back staircase going up to the 3rd floor play area and afterwards the Luker boy's toys would be found strewn all about the playroom floor. This continued even after Mrs. Luker placed a lock on the closet door. Little Augusta also likes to pat sleeping guests' faces, tug on their feet and has been known to take a nap on one of the beds.

The apparition of a man has been seen in the basement area and maids have seen a male entity in a top hat, an old-fashioned black suit hanging out behind the heating system. Even though there is a no-smoking policy at the inn an entity still enjoys his cigar and the living can smell and see its smoke in the air. A guest left the light on the ceiling fan on because she couldn't turn it off and then felt a heavy presence climb up on the end of her bed and turn the light off.

The Oklahoma Ghost Patrol has found evidence of entities in the mansion and guests still have encounters with them.