Drumright’s post office opened in 1912, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #52 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1931 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Drumright post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1913.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Drumright’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Drumright is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #52 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Drumright’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Drumright’s 46.6 sits above most of its state (87% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1913 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Drumright’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town sprang up nearly overnight in 1912, after wildcatter Thomas Baker Slick struck oil on the farm of Frank Wheeler, causing a rush of speculators, oilfield workers, and merchants into the area. A post office was established in the community on December 28, 1912. Local landowners James W. Fulkerson and Aaron Drumright platted a townsite, which was initially called Fulkerson, The town was renamed for Aaron Drumright, a farmer and later local businessman whose farm was part of the townsite.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Drumright post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1913.
How does Drumright rank for history?
Drumright is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #52 of 131 in Oklahoma. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Drumright?
9 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Washington School (listed 1981, the first), 1 historic district, the Drumright Gasoline Plant No. 2, with 4 contributing buildings, and 2 sites. 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Drumright?
14% of Drumright’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1971.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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