Purcell, Oklahoma

Purcell is a city in and the county seat of McClain County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,651, a 13% increase from 2010.

Founded in 1887, Purcell was a railroad town named after Edward B. Purcell, an official with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ("AT&SF").

Purcell is often called the "Quarterhorse Capital of the World", and its official motto is "Heart of Oklahoma." The city has registered trademarks on both titles.

History

Purcell was at the north end of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, owned by the AT&SF. Today, Amtrak serves the town with the Heartland Flyer at the station near the old AT&SF depot. It is east of the center of McClain County and is bordered to the east by the Canadian River, which forms the border with Cleveland County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.40%, are water.<br />2020

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Purcell had a population of 6,651. The median age was 38.3 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.9 males.

There were 2,486 households in Purcell, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

| White || 69.3%

| Black or African American || 1.1%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 7.8%

| Asian || 0.7%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.1%

| Some other race || 7.4%

| Two or more races || 13.6%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 16.6%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 5,571 people, 2,120 households, and 1,500 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,789 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.60% White, 2.21% African American, 6.53% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 4.51% from other races, and 4.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.09% of the population. Several small businesses and banks are located in Purcell, including a Walmart Supercenter. Purcell has historically served as an agribusiness area and a center for Oklahoma's equestrian industry. Purcell is the site of the first planned double-wide trailer park with underground utilities, paved roads, greenbelts and other amenities, according to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The largest area employer is Oklahoma Department of Corrections at 2 nearby prison facilities Joseph Harp Correctional Center and Lexington Assessment and Reception Center, with other area employers including Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Purcell Public Schools, and The City of Purcell (which operates electric, water and sewer service).

Arts and culture

Historic landmarks

thumb|Love Hotel, Purcell

thumb|right|James C. Nance Memorial Bridge, viewed from Purcell train station

Purcell's downtown business district and its many historic buildings underwent major improvements and revitalization at a cost of over $1 million in the 1990s via the "U.S. Main Street" program. The improvements included new sidewalks, Victorian lamp posts, storefront restorations, and landscape islands in the downtown area.

Purcell has four sites that are NRHP-listed:

Hotel Love, a three-story Victorian brick building that currently houses an antique store, a bed and breakfast inn, and retail offices/storefronts.
McClain County Courthouse, a turn-of-the-century three-story brick building. It underwent a $2 million restoration in 1995.
US 77 James C. Nance Memorial Bridge, at Canadian River, connecting Purcell to Lexington.
United States Post Office Purcell, located at 228 W Main Street.

Historic site of Federal Courthouse for Indian Territory

The site of the now demolished U.S. Federal Courthouse for Indian Territory, at the east end of Main Street, is landmark site of the former court of jurisdiction for Indian Territory. Prior to demolition, it was renovated into a car dealer showroom, later used as a fitness center and finally a retail floral shop before it became structurally unsound and demolished. The territorial courthouse was established under the Nonintercourse Act.

Beginning with the Dawes Act of 1887, Congress passed several laws designed to divide and allocate land between members of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribes in the Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma). As part of this scheme, subsequent legislation authorized a “Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes,” commonly known as the Dawes Commission, to determine the citizenship of Native Americans claiming membership in these tribes. Unsuccessful applicants were entitled to appeal to the United States District Court for Indian Territory which was located on the east end of Main Street in Purcell OK.

Parks and recreation

Facilities include:

Brent Bruehl Memorial Golf Course
Purcell Multipurpose Center, featuring an indoor gym
Purcell City Lake
Sharp Memorial Park, featuring a playground and splashpad
McCurdy Park
Santa Fe Plaza, featuring a Santa Fe Caboose

Government

Purcell has a Council-Manager Charter form of government. The city council consists of five elected members who serve three-year terms, with one or two members facing election annually. The mayor and a vice mayor are selected by the council members to preside over its meetings. The city's council members also serve as trustees for the Purcell Public Works Authority (PPWA) which manages city services such as water, wastewater, electric, and solid waste collection, in addition to the Purcell Municipal Hospital and the city golf course. The city council/PPWA members appoint the City Manager.

Purcell High School
Purcell Jr High School
Purcell Intermediate School
Purcell Elementary School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Purcell's Amtrak train station features daily rail service via the Heartland Flyer.

Purcell Municipal-Steven E. Shephard Field has a paved runway, and was renamed in 2005 to honor a Purcell High School alumnus who became a U.S. pilot and died in the Iraq War.

Highways include:

Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 77
State Highway 39
State Highway 74.
State Highway 77C in downtown Purcell.

The James C. Nance Memorial Bridge, originally built circa 1938, connects Purcell with Lexington across the Canadian River via U.S. Route 77.

Health care

Purcell Municipal Hospital (PMH) a 50-bed acute care facility and emergency room, owned by the City of Purcell. The hospital ended surgery services in 2018. A new PMH hospital facility began construction in 2020.

Notable people

Earl Bartlett, professional football player
Lisa Johnson Billy, member of Oklahoma House of Representatives
Eric Buterbaugh, American florist and perfumer
Wallace Fox, film director
Lester Lane, gold medal winner in the 1960 Olympics
Tom Lester, actor and former school teacher in Purcell, best known for TV role as farmhand Eb Dawson on Green Acres
F. C. Love, president of the Kerr-McGee oil company
Bill McClard, professional football player
James C. Nance, newspaper publisher and politician
Parker Millsap, alt-country and blues musician
William T. Pheiffer, Representative from New York in 77th Congress, and ambassador to the Dominican Republic
Joe Simpson, professional baseball player
Bert Seabourn, American artist and painter
Kevin Ray Underwood, murderer
Charles W. Wantland, coach
Neil B. Ward, meteorologist and storm chaser
David W. Whitlock, 15th president of Oklahoma Baptist University

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