First School: 1898
The very first Butner (Oklahoma) schoolhouse was built in 1898, nine years before Oklahoma, then Indian Territory, became the 46th State of the Union of The United States of America in 1907. The main street of Butner was the county line between Seminole and Hughes Counties. The school was located nine miles northeast of Wewoka. The first Butner School was actually located just inside Hughes County.

A pie supper auction was held, and $175.00 was raised for the teacher's desk, other equipment, and supplies. The students seats were split logs, and the roof of the school was covered with shingles split from native timber. The school was unofficially referred to by some as "Hickory Knot," possibly because of the type of wood used in its construction and the many visible knots in that wood. The late J.D. Butner, son of Tom Butner, the pioneer for whom the school was officially named, said Butner was probably the first free white school in Oklahoma. The first teacher was Miss Cherry. She was engaged to be married to George Butner, an uncle of the late J. D. Butner and his brother, Roger Butner, a WW-11 Army officer and former Postmaster in Wewoka, County Seat of Seminole County. However, before the marriage could take place, Miss Cherry passed away, and George Butner never married.

Second School: 1902
The second Butner School was built in 1902. It was constructed of native oak plank and stood on the west side of the street, north of Keessee's store, just inside Seminole County. The building was later used as a blacksmith's shop.

Third School: 1909
The third school building, a two-story structure, was one of hewn native stone. it was also located on the west side of the street in Seminole County, just north of the second school building. The third schoolhouse was dedicated in 1909, two years after Oklahoma Statehood. The third school building was torn down by the Workers Progressive Authority (W.P.A.) in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, and moved two miles westward to the location of the new brick schoolhouse. The stones were used in construction of apartments for teacher's housing upstairs and a large school bus garage on the ground floor. Though the old brick school burned down after consolidation, the teacherage and bus garage remain standing and in use by a church organization to this day.

The red brick school, made of red Oklahoma clay bricks from the Wewoka plant, opened for classes in the fall of 1927, a coupled of years prior to the Great Depression and during the early days of the major oil boom in Seminole County and other locations throughout Oklahoma. This school was called Butner High School, Union Grade District#4, Ms Nettie (Borden) Stephens, stepdaughter of the original Butner pioneer, gave the land on which the school was built to the district. The school remained there until consolidation of Butner, Cromwell and Exelsior school districts as the new Butner School District in the fall of 1960.

Cromwell School
Cromwell had lost its high school after the 1957-58 school year due to plummeting enrollments caused by a dwindling population, principally associated with the decline in petroleum prospecting and production. As the oil search and production processes became less labor intensive, and in many years less financially rewarding for entrepreneurs, many small town and villages across Oklahoma lost population. Often, local oil companies and their employees, formerly active within the state, would be found in faraway as places such as Colorado, Alaska, Mexico, Argentina,
Saudi Arabia, Libya, Scotland, Norway Kuwait and other new and more promising natural oil reserves, AS the area again became more "rural" with its return to larger ranches and farms, the population of the oil boom days declined for years, if not decades.

Butner Integration
Butner Schools integrated in 1954 without incident, accepting Black (African American) students for the first time in the life of the school. Indian (Native American) and mixed race students had attended Butner for its entire history. The peaceful integration and acceptance of each other as equals on the part of all students of all races at Butner School, at a time when far less than peaceful interruption was going on elsewhere in America, attests to the character of the local citizens, particularly the parents, teacher, and school administration, of the Butner School District. It also speaks well of every individual student.

Consolidation
On January 22, 1960, registered voters in the Cromwell School District voted 153 "for" and 3 "against" being annexed to the Butner Independent School District, #15. The Butner Board of Education and registered voter in the Butner District voted to move the school to Cromwell. The major mover and shaker in this vote was the late William Paul Martin, then Superintendent of Butner Schools. He had the vision, planning skills, persuasive manner, and work ethic to see the consolidation effort through to a successful conclusion. Paul Martin, who served as superintendent from 1944 to 1961, knew that the districts of Butner, Excelsior, and Cromwell were all losing population and enrollments, and that it was just a matter of a very few year, if not months, before all three districts lost their high schools. The result would have been long bus or privately owned vehicle commutes for students to other schools as far away as Okemah, Wewoka, Seminole, .New Lima or elsewhere.

The initiatives toward consolidation, led by Martin and the old Butner school board, were initially not well received in any of the communities, mostly because of the natural inclination toward local school pride, more hands-on control of the activities associated with schooling one's children, and even a short-sight, xenophobic element. Resistance to change was strong, to say the least, and opinions on keeping the old schools as they were or consolidating varied widely, often even among family members. Mr. martin and his peers of the Cromwell and Excelsior communities, such as Mr. William Z. Duncan Jr., Superintendent of the Excelsior School District t nor5th of Cromwell, were able to convince a their school boards and local citizens that something had to b done to maintain a viable school, including a high school with high academic standards and adequate state funding, in the northeastern part of Seminole County.

A myriad of problems had to be overcome. When would the consolidation actually take place? Which school plant)grounds and buildings) would be the locale for the consolidation? Who would remain on the consolidated school board? Who would not? Would special elections have to be held? What would be the process for Oklahoma State Board of Education and Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) approval and recognition? What would be the re-affirmation of accreditation process with the North Central Association (regional accrediting agency)? How many teachers would be required: Who would have to retire or lose his or her job. What repairs and remodeling would have to take place to make the consolidated school functional and a pleasant place in which one could work and learn? What would be the school mascot? What would be the name of the new school? What would be the new school:s colors: What school bus routes would be modified, added, and who would drive the buses? What physical assets could be move from the old school locations to the new, consolidated school campus? What would be done with the school's assets (old Butner and Excelsior) which could not be moved?

The above concerns were simply the tip of the iceberg. Paul Martin, Bill Duncan, Earl Dixon, Principal at the old Butner School: H. V. Cox and his fellow board member, M. G. Yeisley, G. A. Halk, Bill Perkins, Homer Adams; Elmer Coursey, Butner Custodian: Irene West, School Cafeteria Director, and others put in a lot of hard work, planning, and campaigning to develop an acceptance on the part of the constituent of the three major school districts relative to continued life of quality school after consolidation. A "can-do" attitude permeated every board meeting, every work day, and every official and unofficial meeting of the school administration with parents and teacher, individually and as groups.

Students' opinions were openly sought, including grade school students who strongly expressed their views that when consolidation occurred, they too would move with the high school (co-locate).

The site of Cromwell for the new District #15 Butner School was selected for a number of reasons. Cromwell had generally better and larger buildings than either Excelsior or the old Butner School. Additionally, Cromwell's school plant was approximately equi-distant between the old Butner to the south and the old Excelsior School to the north, All three schools lay near the boundary of Hughes and Seminole Counties to the northeast. Cromwell has been a somewhat famous Oklahoma town since the oil boom days, which included many not-so-positive aspects relative to a peaceful, safe, small-town atmosphere. With the oil boom came money, transient worker, bootleg whiskey, home-brew beer, gambling, prostitution, and crime, both petty misdemeanors and violent felonies. The famous retired U. S. Marshal, Bill Tilghman, was summoned back to active service and assigned to Cromwell to "clean up" the crime problem. He was quite successful in that mission until his untimely murder while making an arrest on Cromwell's Main Street at the height of the oil boom. A movie was released in 1999 which centered around Bill Tilghman's latter years and his role in Cromwell"s law enforcement efforts. The original oil boom in the Cromwell area generally lasted from around 1927-1940, with other peaks in oil search, drilling, and production occurring as late as the 1980's. As a sidenote, Ed Bethel, who for years ran a small candy and soda store out of his home directly across the road from the old, red brick Butner School, was in earlier years the Justice of the Peace in Cromwell During Bill Tilghman's time there as Marshal.

Following consolidation, the name of the school remained Butner, largely due to its connection to the original white settler, Tom Butner and his family, in northeastern Seminole County. The retention of this name was not unanimous, nor without controversy, compromise, and bargaining. However, in the end analysis, for historical reasons and the continuing presence of the descendents of Tom Butner, it was a good idea to retain that name, and so it has remained Butner School from 1898 to present. Thought there were moves afoot, off and on after 1960, to possibly change the name from Butner to Cromwell Schools, these efforts failed. The name of the school officially recognized at the state educational oversight level is "Butner" and this will unlikely ever change.

The school's mascot, the Eagle, remained the same. A representative number of board members from all three districts were included on the original 1960-61 school year board, two from Butner, two from Excelsior, and one from Cromwell. The number of teachers remained near the same for the first year of consolidation, 16 versus the combined total of 18 for the three separate districts the year prior. Loss of jobs or positions with the school or its board were mainly made easier through voluntary retirements of those eligible, voluntary transfers of employees to other school or jobs outside education, and through a small number of personnel no longer seeking to hold elected office (school board), or those who no longer wished to be employed in other jobs with the school. Turbulence, hard feelings, and financial hardship were minimized through sound planning and excellent leadership. Many personnel worked hard physically, without pay, or without additional pay, in duties far outside their job descriptions, to remodel the Cromwee school plant. Setting the example in that effort was Paul Martin, Superintendent, who worked 15-18 hours per day, including weekends, all summer in 1960 to ensure the buildings and grounds were ready for students and teachers when school began in August. Considerable tax-savings accrued from the consolidation, easing the burden on individual tax-payers and the state, as the annual budget in those days was approximately $150,000 per year.

During the above process. on February 23, 1960, Excelsior's registered voters approved the annexation into the new Butner School District, with the vote being 102 "for" and 8"against" the move.

The school's colors were changed from blue and gold to red, white, and blue (the latter being one of Butner's and excelsior's colors). Cromwell School's colors had been maroon and white. The colors remain red, white, and blue as the school enters its third century and 2nd millennium of operation.

Butner school is proud of not only its graduates who have excelled in so many ways, but particularly proud of its many military veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Butner has had graduates who have fought in every major war of the 20th Century. Several Butner students served in the Korean War prior to graduation from high school, as they were members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45 Infantry division (Thunderbird) while still students at the ages of 16, 17, and 18. They were called up for the war in Korea, trained in Louisiana and other places, and sent over to Asia to defend democracy. They later returned and completed their high school education, graduating a couple of years behind their peers, but with equal or greater pride. Many Butner graduates served in WW-11, the Vietnam War, and in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf Region. They served with distinction, amassing great numbers of awards for heroism and exemplary service. Butner School, to this very day, under the leadership of Ms. Marilyn Wesley, Business Faculty, assisted by Mr. Winford Lemons, Butner Alumni President, Class of 1963 and local rancher, continues to recognize Butner's veterans with special ceremonies on or around Veterans (formerly Armistice) Day or on other national holidays. Veterans of Butner, Excelsior, and Cromwell were honored on November 10, 2000 in a particularly moving ceremony. Don Martin, Class of 1959, served as guest speaker, Terry Deer and David Demings, two Butner graduates killed in action in Vietnam, received special recognition, and their families were present to receive honors, with some coming from as far away as Colorado to attend the assembly of students, faculty, veterans, administrator, members of Oklahoma's Army National Guard, Boy Scouts of America, and local citizens. This latest event honoring veterans received front-page coverage in the November 15, 2000 edition of the Wewoka Times newspaper, The Seminole Producer covered the event as well.

Butner School's athletic team, baseball, basketball, and football, over the years have established superb won-loss records, and an outstanding reputation for sportsmanship, The boys and girls basketball teams of the late 1940' 1950's, and early to mid 1960's were especially productive in winning not only many regularly scheduled games, but also conference, district, and regional championships. Several of the football and baseball teams over the years have had enviable records as well, and in 1999, Sports Illustrated published an outstanding article concerning Butner's football programs (currently discontinued).

Other special school activities, such as the 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America) programs have brought positive light on the school and helped develop individual business, farming, ranching, and "life" skills, Butner is also proud of its many National Honor Society students and in its high academic standard for all students.

Butner School is unique in many ways. Perhaps its greatest achievement has been that its citizens of the old district, the new district and the former districts of Butner, Cromwell, and Excelsior were able to come together under enlightened leadership in the 1950's and early 1960's to save the school, ensure quality programs, maintain student, faculty, and staff morale, continue accreditation, ensure state funding, and compete academically, culturally, and athletically with superb quality and achievement. That same spirit has been passed down to at least two more generations and is alive and well today.

The very active Alumni Association under the leadership of Winford Lemons continues to nurture that spirit and to give it meaning and honor. Annual gatherings of graduates, both groups prior to the 1960 consolidation and after, are fun, educational, and filled with feelings of family and community.

The original Butner family, the lineage of superintendents, principals, quality teachers, noted graduates of significant lifelong achievement, and proud citizens who elect the boards, pay the taxes, and support their local public school can take pride in what Butner School was, is and will be.

It is unlikely that the reader of this brief, unofficial history written by amateurs, but proud graduates of Butner High School, will ever meet anyone anywhere who has graduated from Butner High who is not proud of that fact. We are proud of our school, our families, our community, our state and our nation, and we continue to contribute in meaningful ways to the freedoms and democratic processes we all enjoy.


Nothing in America is more important than the character of its thousands of locally operated schools, and Butner is no exception. Its contributions have been great, and we predict they will be even greater in the Third Millennium. The Eagle still soars today, and with it our hearts rejoice in our school and the lives of our fellow graduates, teacher, board members, and administrative officers, God bless Butner Public Schools, and God bless America!