Marland Grand Home

The Marland's Grand Home is the former home of Ernest Whitworth Marland, tenth Governor of Oklahoma, who came to Ponca City to visit the 101 Ranch. He remained to build a vast oil empire. He was the founder and president of Marland Oil Company, now Conoco/Phillips Inc.

After making a fortune in oil, in 1916, he built the 22-room home located at 1000 East Grand Avenue. It is listed on the Oklahoma Landmarks publication as one of Oklahoma's outstanding architectural accomplishments. The hanging staircase is one of its most beautiful features, and the home boasts one of the first indoor swimming pools in Oklahoma. Inside the home are artifacts including relics, paintings, and other memorabilia dating back to the early 1700's are exhibited.

The City of Ponca City bought the home in April, 1967, to house the Ponca City Indian Museum started in 1936. It had long outgrown its space in the basement of the public library and in 1968, was moved to the Marland’s Grand Home and dedicated. In 1972, the third floor rooms were opened as a DAR Memorial Museum, but since have been moved to the first floor area. The lower level houses 101 Ranch memorabilia. When the City bought the Bryant Baker Studio, it also was moved into the home and provided a step-by-step review of the building of the Pioneer Woman Statue. The Bryant Baker display is now housed in the Artist Studio at the Marland Mansion Estate.

During the heyday of the oil empire, the Marland’s Grand Home provided magnificent gardens which spanned 8 acres. The gardens were designed by Marland's Japanese gardener, Henry C. Hatashita. A 9 hole golf course was included on the Marland property. Reminders of Marland's love of beauty and nature are still seen in the majestic trees, shrubs and beautiful parks of Ponca City.

Indian Museum
A major attraction of the Marland’s Grand Home is the Native American artifacts representing tribes from across the United States including Navajo, Hopi, Quiliute, Klamath, and Tlingit. Exhibits place special emphasis on the five neighboring tribes: the Ponca, Kaw, Otoe-Missouria, Osage, and Tonkawa show the artistic use of beading, finger weaving, and ribbon work and is demonstrated in displays along with arrowheads, knife sheaths, moccasins and clothing among the many artifacts on display. Visitors will also see relics from Fernandina, an early French-Indian Trading Post that dates back to 1719 and is said to be the first white settlement in Oklahoma. Generous gifts from citizens have made it possible to provide an excellent display of archaeological materials.

D.A.R. Memorial Museum
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Memorial Museum was formally opened on February 20, 1972, and contains relics and artifacts that date back to the birth of this country. A 13-star U.S. flag, picked up on a Revolutionary War battlefield, is just one of the remarkable items on display. The museum is patterned after the DAR Museum in Memorial Continental Hall in Washington D.C. Articles featured here are accepted through a museum committee and must meet the historical, education, and patriotic objectives of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Marland Grand Home
1000 E. Grand
Ponca City, OK 74601

Call 580-767-0427 For More Information