Purcell

Anchored by its landmark antique shops, the downtown business district in Purcell is a source of pride for local residents and a destination of many tour buses. From a renovated pre-statehood hotel and a remodeled historic theatre which house a pair of the many impressive antique shops to a downtown park which includes a genuine Santa Fe caboose and numerous retail shops, everything from greeting cards to electronic equipment can be found.

Located in the very Heart of Oklahoma and nestled in the bluffs overlooking the South Canadian River, the birthplace of Oklahoma, Purcell, has a unique and rich history which blends many cultures, industries and people into a city which can boast of a charming past while eyeing a progressive future.

Named after local railroad director, E.B. Purcell, the city was the site of a convention in September of 1893 at which delegates from across the state prepared the petitions to Congress asking for statehood. Fourteen years after this historic meeting, Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state of the Union.

Purcell’s history dates back to 1887 when Purcell became an important commercial center as the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway from the south met the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad from the north and the junction was completed. The two established a switching yard at Purcell, the the Chickasaw Nation.