State Capital Publishing Museum

The museum is located in the historic State Capital Publishing Company building constructed in 1902. This building was the fourth home of the State Capital Company which was organized in 1889 just prior to the first Oklahoma Land Run. Located in downtown Guthrie, the structure was one of the first in Oklahoma to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside the museum is a large collection of original furnishings and printing equipment. Museum exhibits include the history of the State Capital Company, printing technology and other aspects of life from the territorial and early statehood era.

The founder of the State Capital Company, Frank Hilton Greer, hopped a freight train and came to Guthrie, Indian Territory in April of 1889 with little formal education, some printing experience and $29 in his pocket. From these modest beginnings, Frank Greer built a business that included one of the largest printing operations in the southwest and the three most widely circulated newspapers in Oklahoma.

As the State Capital newspaper grew in influence, so did Greer. In 1890, he became one of the founders of the Oklahoma Press Association. In 1892, he was elected to the Oklahoma Territorial House of Representatives. In 1895, during the administration of Territorial Governor W.C. Renfrow, Greer was designated the official printer of the territory and the Capital its official newspaper. Business was good, and Greer purchased the first linotype machine in Oklahoma. This labor saving devise that automatically set type revolutionized the printing industry.

On Easter Sunday, 1902, fire destroyed the building and all equipment. Without missing a single issue Greer reorganized. At the time of the fire Greer was already making plans for an even larger printing operation. He hired well known Guthrie Architect Joseph Foucart to design the new building. On August 7, 1902, the cornerstone to the new State Capital Company building was laid. By October 14 the building was completed. Video in the basement exhibit provide visitors an opportunity to see the printing equipment at work.