97-year debate continues

A 97-year-old debate still continues in Guthrie, Oklahoma. 

"All we ever heard is Oklahoma City stole the seal," said Guthrie resident Ken Bransom.

The state seal may not be located in Guthrie, but much history is still alive there. 

Ask any Oklahoma history teacher and they'll tell you how important it is to keep our history alive forever. The best way to do that is to simply talk about it with others. Every morning inside Miss Carolyn's Territorial House on Division Street, a group is doing just that.

"In the late 70s and early 80s, we began to make an impact and people realized what we had here," said Don Odom, a retired history teacher.

But in the decades before, he said much of this town's beautiful life and architecture was hidden behind aluminum, false fronts, and coats of paint.

"It was typical of the time to get rid of the old and put up new shiny buildings to look like a modern city," said Guthrie resident Jimmy Clymer. "They tore down more historical buildings in this town than you see standing."

The locals will always remember the ones they tore down though. Like the Commercial Bank Building that went up before statehood, but came down long before Oklahoma's Centennial. The Mineral Bath House and the original City Hall also gave way to modern day progress. 

People still come to Main Street to photograph all the original buildings throughout downtown.  Some things do only get better with age like Guthrie's Union Depot that was built in 1903.  Guthrie is home to the first ever brick house in the entire Oklahoma territory and you'll still find it standing & lived in at Cleveland and Ash. On 1st and West Oklahoma Avenue the first bank built in Guthrie still stands there today.

And as for that state seal controversy, a 50,000 vote majority wanted to move the capital to Oklahoma City. 

By Doug Warner