Harn Homestead Opens New Lincoln Boulevard Entrance in District 1!

Contact: Linda Simpson
Phone: (405) 713-1501

Oklahoma City (August 29, 2007) - District One Commissioner Linda Simpson and Superintendent Craig Wallace recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Harn Homestead Museum. The event was held to celebrate a new entry way and parking lot located off of Lincoln Boulevard at 1721 N. Lincoln Boulevard. Recognized as an official Oklahoma Centennial Project, the project includes a new entry drive, an 80 space parking lot, landscaping, and a spacious turn-around and drop-off area for school and charter buses.

The project has been a partnership between Oklahoma County District One, the Harn Homestead Museum, and the Oklahoma Department of Central Services.

The work was completed by District One crews with material and equipment costs being reimbursed through the fundraising efforts of the Harn Homestead Board of Directors.

“I want to congratulate and thank Bond Payne, Homestead Entryway Committee Chairman, for his years of tireless leadership and dedication as we worked through a number of complicated legal and logistical issues,” Simpson said.

The event was attended by several community leaders. Among those attending (pictured above from left to right) were former District One Commissioner and current Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth, Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber C.E.O. and President Roy Williams, District One County Commissioner Linda Simpson, and District One Superintendent Craig Wallace.

Harn Homestead Museum , a 9.4 acre site, resides on the remnants of William Harn’s 1889 Land Run homestead site. The facility provides unique and interactive educational programs about the territorial years of Oklahoma. Exhibits include the original 1904 Victorian Queen Anne style home, as well as two other historic homes, a dairy barn, one-room schoolhouse, and an exhibit barn.

William Harn also donated 40 acres of land to the State of Oklahoma for the construction of the State Capitol, which was constructed on 10 acres of that land along with 10 acres of land donated by an adjacent property owner.