HISTORY | Douglassaires1907

OUR HISTORY

Historic black-and-white photograph of a group of men and women standing in front of a brick building with large windows, dressed in mid-20th-century attire, posing for a formal group portrait.

Historic black-and-white photograph of a school marching band posed outdoors in front of a brick building. Students wear uniforms and graduation caps, holding brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments, with large drums placed in front.

Historic black-and-white photograph of a football team in numbered jerseys and leather helmets, posing outdoors in front of a brick school building. A woman in a long gown sits in the center holding a football with the number 41.

Historic black-and-white photograph of a school band and choir posed on a stage. The band members, dressed in uniforms with caps, hold various instruments including brass and percussion. In front, a baton twirler stands center stage, surrounded by children in choir robes. A painted backdrop of trees and a river is visible behind them.

Bartlesville began desegregating its public schools in 1956, gradually drawing students away from Douglass and leading to its closure in 1971. Parts of the building served new purposes for many years, including a thrift store and employment center, before the gymnasium was removed in 2012 and the remaining structures were cleared. Yet bricks and mortar never defined the school’s true legacy. Alumni have gathered since 1976 under the Douglassaires banner, hosting all school reunions every two years where former students, their families, and friends celebrate shared memories and honor enduring lessons of resilience, pride, and community. Though the campus no longer stands, its spirit remains woven into the fabric of Bartlesville’s past and future.

Life on campus thrived well beyond the classroom. The Dragons took the field and court in purple and white, earning respect in football, basketball, and track, while the High Steppers marching band brought pageantry to downtown homecoming parades with the school song, The Eyes of Douglass. Community milestones quickly followed. Bessie Love became the first graduate in 1927, enrollment reached 189 students by 1935, parents organized a PTA in 1938 to formalize their support, and the class of 1949 set a record with 24 graduates, underscoring the community’s deep commitment to education despite the barriers imposed by segregation.

Douglass School opened its doors in 1907, the same year Oklahoma achieved statehood, and soon became an anchor for Bartlesville’s African American community. What began as a small primary school expanded steadily until, by the early 1930s, it offered every grade from first through twelfth. Students explored an unusually broad curriculum that balanced academics with practical preparation: vocational shops taught skilled trades, speech and debate sharpened public voices, journalism cultivated storytellers, student council fostered leadership, and a spirited glee club impressed audiences so deeply that alumni would later adopt its name, the Douglassaires, as a lasting tribute.

Historic black-and-white photograph of Douglass High School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, showing a two-story brick building with large multi-pane windows and an arched front entrance.