Peters School – Ponca City (Vic)

Address:	Vicinity Ponca City, Oklahoma	County:	Osage
Started:		Completed:	1937
Agencies:	WPA	NRHP:	No

Current Usage:

Description:

A rectangular structure (25′ x 50′), the Peters School is constructed of rusticated and coursed native sandstone. The roof is hipped and is still covered by wood shingles. A full basement lies beneath the building. The recessed, front entryway is reached by steps; below the steps is the entry to the basement. Windows that rise to the eaves are wood sash. The partial windows that open to the basement have been enclosed with concrete blocks, but this alteration does not affect the basic integrity of the structure.

The uniqueness of the Peters School lies primarily in its full basement. No other WPA built rural school in Osage County, or elsewhere in Oklahoma given the state of our present knowledge, contains a basement. Since the adjacent community no longer exists, the building is relatively significant in terms of type, style, materials and workmanship. It is notable too because it provided the basis of modern education in a remote area previously without facilities appropriate to progressive instruction. Of course construction of it provided job opportunities for unskilled laborers who had been reduced to proverty and welfare rolls by the national depression.