Also by Rita Cook
Published by The History Press:
A Brief History of Fort Worth
Haunted Fort Worth
Haunted Dallas
Published by Channel Lakes Publishing:
Tourist Town Guides: Fredericksburg, Texas
Published by Atlantic Publishing:
An Easy Guide to Understanding Roberts Rules of Order
Published by Publish America:
A Survival Guide for Independent Producers
Angels Destiny (Fiction)
Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2012 by Rita Cook
All rights reserved
First published 2012
e-book edition 2012
Manufactured in the United States
ISBN 978.1.61423.707.5
Library of Congress CIP data applied for.
print ISBN 978.1.60949.506.0
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
FOREWORD
Authors Note: I met Bartlesville ghost hunter extraordinaire Scott Hickcock while in Bartlesville earlier this year on my fact-finding ghost mission. Scott, who had been in the military, really impressed me with his sixth sense, and we became fast friends. It is because of his belief in the other side and his assistance that I chose him to write this books foreword.
A child who is barely five years old sits in the hallway, his back to the wall. He is playing with a toy airplane, his small hands gripping the fuselage. He pushes it back and forth. Darkness surrounds him; the only light that shines is from the kitchen doorway directly to his front.
The boy pretends he is flying. He is fascinated with airplanes. Then, as if from nowhere, a dark figure of a man appears to his left. Smiling, the boy asks, Would you like to play with me? The answer to the question comes in the form of silence.
What is your name? the boy asks. Again, there is no answer.
Perplexed, the boy frowns, gets up and walks through the kitchen into the living room where his grandmother sits watching television. She is watching Johnny Carson do his stand-up routine, and the boy enjoys the pleasure his grandmother gets from the show.
Grandma, who is that man back there that has come to play with me? the boy asks her. Fear shoots across the old womans face. What man, Scott? she asks.
How strange, the boy thinks, that such a simple question would cause such fear. She takes him by the arm and puts him protectively behind her as she strides toward where the boy has been playing. She enters the kitchen and reaches into the drawer to her left where she keeps her pans. Grabbing the biggest one she can find, she turns the hallway light on and begins to search the four rooms in the back of the house, only to find that no one is there.
That is the first of many memories I have of the gift I have been given.
Many more similar instances have happened to me throughout my youth. I did not have any fear of ghosts though. I just didnt really understand why I was seeing and hearing the things that I did. I asked my family questions about this many times. They would either ignore me or chalk it up to a childs overactive imagination, but I knew better.
Growing up, there were very few people I could talk to about this. I learned that you could talk to God and that was acceptable. But if you saw or communicated with spirits or ghosts, you were taken to be a liar or just plain crazy. I find it a shame these days that we teach our children this. I have made sure not to make the same mistake with mine.
Why we should unlearn what is given to us at birth is beyond me. I have found that eyes that have not been taught to see or fear have the ability to see what our ancestors knew to be fact. Learned knowledge does not have to be the bane of our spirit. That is why children, animals and even our simple cameras have the ability to see what most adult minds refuse to fathom.
So please go through the pages of this book with an open mind. You may be surprised at what you see and even learn about yourself. I know I tried to ignore my gift on many occasions, but the longer I denied it, the more profound the events became when they happened.
Finally, at the age of thirty-two, I decided to become proactive, and so I called a local ghost team in to either prove my words or my insanity; whichever one it was, I was going to embrace it.
I knew I wasnt crazy.
The ghost hunters came with their cameras and tools of the trade, and I still feel that I made the right decision for me. What they captured on film is nothing short of amazing. Now, no longer filled with self-doubt, I have become more focused and do not so much control my talent as flow with its natural current. It brings me peace and has only guided my life in positive ways.
Scott Hickcock
A NOTE FROM THE BARTLESVILLE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
Over the years, our community has welcomed travel writers from all over the world. These writers have helped share our stories of oil barons and Native Americans and have also written about our distinctive architecture. We are a place built on energy, agriculture and the pioneer spirit. We are Green Country.
At the heart of Oklahomas Green Country is Bartlesville, an unexpected gem nestled next to the beautiful Osage Hills. Built on the history of the American West, Bartlesville is one of the states most cosmopolitan cities. The town features numerous attractions, such as Price Tower, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; the Woolaroc Wildlife Preserve and History Museum; and Discovery 1 Park, home of the Nellie Johnstone No. 1 and the site of Oklahomas first commercial oil well. Other attractions, such as the Frank Phillips Home, Phillips Petroleum Company Museum and Bartlesville Area History Museum, continue to tell the story of how it all began.
Bartlesvilles rich history has given the community an interesting array of characters, some of whom are said to still be hanging around. For this reason, the Bartlesville Convention and Visitors Bureau was pleased to host Rita Cook during her research for this book. Longtime residents of Bartlesville have always known there were plenty of spooky stories, but no one had ever taken the time to put them all together. After all, what fun are ghosts without a good ghost story?
A stone monument in downtown Bartlesville.
Some of our stories are tied to historic events while some are just legend and folklore, but all of them are a part of Bartlesvilles colorful past. The Convention and Visitors Bureau looks forward to sharing this book with visitors and locals alike. The growing popularity of haunted exploration and historic tourism go hand in hand. We hope everyone will enjoy learning more about the eerie tales and historic highlights of our corner of Oklahoma.
