Press Release
April 21, 2025
Contact: Michael Mayes
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-4479
[email protected]
okhistory.org/shpo
Two Oklahoma Properties Added to National Register of Historic Places; Information for Additional Property Updated
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) are pleased to announce the National Register of Historic Places designation for the following properties in Oklahoma. The National Register of Historic Places is our nation’s official list of properties significant in our past.
McIntosh County
Baccus House
124331 S. 3981 Rd., Vernon
Constructed in 1898 as a railroad office, the Baccus House would later become associated with W.M. Baccus and the politics/government of Vernon, one of the remaining 13 All-Black towns of Oklahoma. W.M. Baccus was the local sheriff, county commissioner and probate administrator of McIntosh County throughout his life. W.M. and his family purchased the home in 1920 and remained there through his retirement in 1953. Mr. Baccus was instrumental in securing funding for a new school in Vernon while supplying additional funding for repairing and building schools in the All-Black towns of McIntosh County.
Tulsa County
Robert J. LaFortune Tower
1725 Southwest Blvd., Tulsa
The Robert J. LaFortune Tower, located in Tulsa, is significant for its role in social history as it reflects a change in policy leading to the conventional method of construction. It was built to help alleviate the shortages in housing for low-income senior citizens and opened in 1975. The Robert J. LaFortune Tower was the third and last senior housing project development constructed by and for the Tulsa Housing Authority. It was the first and only housing project not developed under the traditional turnkey method. After increased distrust in the turnkey method, the Tulsa Housing Authority began relying on private developers while hiring the architects and builders themselves.
McIntosh County
Dozier Mercantile Building
124279 S. 3981 Rd., Vernon
Listed in the National Register on June 22, 1984, as The Rock Front (NR #84003152), the National Park Service has accepted updated information that amends the original nomination, that changes the historic name of the property to the Dozier Mercantile Building; credits Sim Bow (S.B.) Dozier as the builder; revises the period of significance to 1915-71, which corresponds to when the building was constructed and the last significant alteration; clarifies the boundary of the nominated property; and updates the Statement of Significance to reflect the historical accuracy of the research. The Dozier Mercantile Building is historically significant for Commerce and Ethnic Heritage/Black.
Listing in the National Register of Historic Places is an honorific designation that provides recognition, limited protection, and, in some cases, financial incentives for these important properties. The SHPO identifies, evaluates, and nominates properties for this special designation.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites, and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs, and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.
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