Permanent Exhibits
On the second floor visitors will find The Museum's main gallery featuring permanent exhibits telling the history of Broken Arrow and its residents. Learn more about some of the exhibits below.
Childers Cabin: Follow the history of the Childers family and home from 1861 to 1948 and enjoy the workmanship of the hand-hewn oak logs that have endured for more than 150 years. Fully furnished, the full-size cabin tells many stories of the lifestyles and ways of doing things before electricity.
Muscogee Tribal Exhibit: Go back in time to 1828 when the first Muscogee settlers were arriving from Thlikachka, Alabama. Stories explain how the Muscogee came to be in Indian Territory, traditional lifestyles and legends of the first permanent settlers of the area. Sound tracks add to the setting created within a cedar post roundhouse. Learn why a "broken arrow" isn't really broken at all! This is the only exhibit of its kind in Oklahoma.
Main Street: Step back in time to the Broken Arrow Main Street of yesterday when you visit this exhibit. Peer into the old bank where you will see the teller window and original typewriter. Visitors can also glance into the window fronts of a barber shop and grocery store filled with artifacts and photos from their heyday.
Broken Arrow Public Schools: The Arkansas Valley Townsite Company deeded a block of land for a public school building in 1904. It opened in November of 1904. During the first year, the student population swelled to 430 and the next year the building size doubled. Broken Arrow High School produced its first graduating class in 1908.
Rooster Days: The celebration of Rooster Days began in 1931 because at the time there was a thriving poultry industry in Broken Arrow. The secretary-manager of the chamber, Leo S. Wortman, came up with the idea of establishing a special day for farmers to bring their excess roosters to market. On the first Rooster Day, about 5,000 pounds of roosters, more than two tons, were sold. The 1932 Rooster Day expanded into a city-wide celebration. It is now Oklahoma's longest running festival.
Jail Cell from Old City Hall: Fill the shoes of a criminal in Broken Arrow during the 1930s by stepping into an original City Hall jail cell. The walls of the cell tell its story and also feature a tribute to Broken Arrow law enforcement.
Katy Railroad Depot: A reproduced depot houses a working scale railroad as well as artifacts from the original MKT depot including a luggage cart, china, pullman blanket, ticket window and salvaged pieces of the old wooden depot.
A Tribute to Veterans: This exhibit honors local Broken Arrow veterans and tells the story of Muscogee Native American, Lt. Col. Ernest Childers a Medal of Honor Recipient for Valor in World War II.
'Broken Aro' Coal Tipple: Coal was strip mined in eastern Broken Arrow until after World War II. In 1934, Broken Arrow shipped out more rail cars filled with coal than any other city in the state. Photos and artifacts show the progression of mining technology.
Cotton Gins & Cotton Jubilee: Cotton was a major crop in parts of Broken Arrow until 1951. This lead to the creation of our Cotton Jubilee Celebration in 1932 that lasted until the early 1950s.
