PAYNE COUNTY

Payne County was opened to settlement in the Oklahoma land run of 1889. The land run took place April 22, 1889; overnight businesses sprang up, schools and churches were built, and farmers began planting crops. In December of 1890, the state's land grant university, Oklahoma A&M, was established in Stillwater. Oklahoma A&M is now Oklahoma State University, which is the county's largest industry.


GHOST HOLLOW
THE STORY: Near the city of Cushing in Payne County, this haunted location that has been dubbed Ghost Hollow. Located about a mile north of the Cimarron River, in the late 1800's Ghost Hollow was an ideal spot for hanging outlaws. According to legend there was an old elm tree and a sycamore there where lawbreakers were often strung up. The elm tree is said to still stand today. According to legend, an innocent man was hanged there in 1887 and the next day, all of the bark mysteriously fell off of the tree. From that night on, at the time of the full moon, the tree is said to glow an eerie, white color. The natural effects of having no bark in the light of the moon. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal.

NORFOLK SCHOOL

THE FACTS: Although the final graduating class at Norfolk High had only 5 graduates, the 11 room brick school closed its doors in 1958. The school grew up in wealth surrounded by a panorama of glistening oil tanks near Cushing. The school was built in 1922 in Payne County. The school has enjoyed a colorful record, heavily fringed in oil boom wealth of the early 1920’s. Oil strikes and an upsurge in rural population in the area created a need for a high school, and in 1922 a small, frame building went up. In 1925 a fire reduced the school to rubble, and caused the school to rebuild with a more up-to-date building. In 1926 they constructed the still standing brick structure with 11 rooms, gymnasium, auditorium, workshops and dressing rooms. The teaching staff was increased to seven, with a full time superintendent. A full fledged athletic program also was inaugurated and special classroom equipment was installed. Norfolk soon became a school to be envied by its city cousins. Then with the passing of the oil play subsided, and the round-bellied oil tanks ringing the school echoed fading dreams and was closed due to financial problems and low enrollment. The building remains abandoned. THE STORY: According to local legend two children were trapped in the basement during the fire in 1925. It is said that the voices of children calling out for help can be heard in the basement today. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal