GUTHRIE, Okla. (KFOR) – On November 16, 1907, the proclamation was signed making Oklahoma the 46th state to join the Union.

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the proclamation, marking Nov. 16, 1907, Statehood Day as well as the inauguration of OK’s first governor, Charles N. Haskell.

  • Eagle quill pen and blotter used by Roosevelt to sign proclamation.
    Eagle quill pen and blotter used by Roosevelt to sign proclamation. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Newspaper front page on November 16, 1907.
    Newspaper front page on November 16, 1907. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Gov. Haskell and his wife on inauguration day.
    Gov. Haskell and his wife on inauguration day. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Inauguration crowd.
    Inauguration crowd. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Inauguration crowd.
    Inauguration crowd. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

Statehood Day and the inauguration took place in Guthrie at the Carnegie Library, still open to the public today as part of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, OHS says.

Officials say the museum opened its doors on Nov. 16, 1973, telling the stories of the people insistent on laying the foundation for the state of Oklahoma. It’s a part of the Carnegie Library, constructed in 1902 and originally built with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The library was in the background for all of the statehood ceremonies on Nov. 16.

  • Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library.
    Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Carnegie Library, 1968.
    Carnegie Library, 1968. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Carnegie Library, date unknown.
    Carnegie Library, date unknown. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Interior of Carnegie Library.
    Interior of Carnegie Library. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Oklahoma Territorial Governor Frank Frantz inauguration in 1906.
    Oklahoma Territorial Governor Frank Frantz inauguration in 1906. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library.
    Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

In 1972, city leaders in Guthrie wanted to get rid of the Carnegie Library, but Frank Pfeiffer thought it would be a good idea to save the library with the addition of a museum. Thanks to him, the museum was created on an adjacent lot and eventually, the buildings combined.