County Past
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Kay County, Oklahoma

Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.

—newspaper titles
—digitized titles
65historic places
—earliest paper
1893formed
43,700pop. 2020
27cemeteries
—CW battlefields

At a glance

Summary

The National Register of Historic Places includes 65 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1966; 3 are also National Historic Landmarks. Most listings are in or near Ponca City, Newkirk, Blackwell.

Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.

Newspapers

Library of Congress

Newspaper directory data for Oklahoma is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Kay titles at the Library of Congress.

National Register of Historic Places

NPS NRHP

43 of 65 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.

65 listed properties
PropertyCityTypeListed
101 Rodeo ArenaPonca CityBuilding2017
Alcorn-Pickrel HousePonca CityBuilding2020
Attucks Community CenterPonca CityBuilding2017
Aupperle, Bennie L., Dairy BarnNewkirkBuilding2012
Big V Ranch HousePonca CityBuilding1984
Blackwell ArmoryBlackwellBuilding1988
Blaine Stadium and FieldhousePonca CityStructure1988
Bryson Archeological SiteNewkirkSite1979
Chilocco Indian Agricultural SchoolNewkirkDistrict2006
Cleary, Jack and Helen, HousePonca CityBuilding2020
Cleary, John and Helen, HousePonca CityBuilding2023
Clem and Cliff Filling StationPonca CityBuilding2022
Darr School of Aeronautics Hangar No. 3Ponca CityBuilding2006
Deer Creek Site NHLNewkirkSite1966
Donahoe, Daniel J., HousePonca CityBuilding1982
Downtown Ponca City Historic DistrictPonca CityDistrict2011
Electric Park PavilionBlackwellBuilding1976
First Church of Christ, ScientistPonca CityBuilding2015
First Presbyterian ChurchPonca CityBuilding2019
First Presbyterian Church of TonkawaTonkawaBuilding1994
Gill, Meade and Eudora, HousePonca CityBuilding2023
Hatashita, Henry C., HousePonca CityBuilding2016
Hayes-Kennedy-Rivoli Theater BuildingBlackwellBuilding2015
Huston Elementary SchoolBlackwellBuilding2009
Jenkins, Gov. William W., Homestead SiteNewkirkSite1976
Kaw City DepotKaw CityBuilding1979
Kaw Indian AgencyWashungaBuilding1973
Kay County CourthouseNewkirkBuilding1984
Kimbrough Temple C.M.E. ChurchPonca CityBuilding2020
Lake Ponca Duck Pond Historic DistrictPonca CityDistrict2015
Larkin HotelBlackwellBuilding2013
Mahoney House and GarageTonkawaBuilding1984
Marland Estate, Inc. GatehousePonca CityBuilding2020
Marland, Charlotte, HousePonca CityBuilding2019
Marland, E. W., Mansion NHLPonca CityBuilding1973
Marland-Paris HousePonca CityBuilding1976
McGraw, James J., HousePonca CityBuilding2017
Miller, George and Margaret, HousePonca CityBuilding2021
Newkirk Central Business DistrictNewkirkDistrict1984
Newkirk Water Purification PlantNewkirkBuilding1988
Nez Perce ReservationTonkawaSite1974
Nickles Machine ShopPonca CityBuilding2020
Northside Elementary SchoolBlackwellBuilding2009
One-hundred-and-one Ranch NHLPonca CityDistrict1973
Parkside Elementary SchoolBlackwellBuilding2009
Pioneer Woman StatuePonca CityObject1978
Ponca City Coca-Cola Bottling CompanyPonca CityBuilding2022
Ponca City Milling Company ElevatorPonca CityBuilding2019
Ponca City Municipal Airport HangarPonca CityBuilding2019
Ponca City Power PlantPonca CityBuilding2019
Poncan TheatrePonca CityBuilding1984
Robertson, Dr. William A.T. and Lillian, HousePonca CityBuilding2023
Roosevelt Elementary SchoolPonca CityBuilding2017
Santa Fe DepotPonca CityBuilding2012
Sheets HouseNewkirkBuilding2011
Soldani MansionPonca CityBuilding1982
St. John Baptist Church and RectoryPonca CityBuilding2015
Temple EmanuelPonca CityBuilding2019
Tipton, J.P., FarmsteadNewkirkDistrict1998
Tonkawa ArmoryTonkawaBuilding1988
Tonkawa Lodge No. 157 A.F. & A.M.TonkawaBuilding2007
WBBZ Radio StationPonca CityBuilding2022
Washington Elementary SchoolBlackwellBuilding2009
Wentz CampPonca CityDistrict2010
White Eagle ParkWhite EagleSite2007

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.

County formation

Newberry AHCB

Kay was formed in 1893 (1893-09-16) from unknown / original county.

County K, which became KAY, was created in Oklahoma Territory from part of the Cherokee Outlet, and the Tonkawa Reservation.

Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Population by decade

Census

Kay County population from 1890 to 2020 (Census historical series).

51k37k23k18901920196020002020
189019001920194019501960198020002020
22,53022,53034,90747,08448,89251,04249,85248,08043,700

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.

Cemeteries & historical places

USGS GNIS

27 cemeteries and 1 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.

Cemeteries — 27 of 27 listed
NameLatLon
Banner Cemetery36.84032-97.12932
Blackwell Cemetery36.7756-97.28135
Braman Cemetery36.92793-97.31087
Chilocco Indian Cemetery36.98077-97.0715
Cooper Cemetery36.95778-96.93525
Cowboy Hill Cemetery36.60675-97.13847
Grandview Cemetery36.76819-96.85882
Longwood Cemetery36.72529-96.99515
Mount Olive Cemetery36.79531-97.45978
Newkirk Cemetery36.91114-97.05148
Oak Grove Cemetery36.78326-96.91669
Plainview Cemetery36.9775-97.22778
Ponca City Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery36.68913-97.10523
Ponca Indian Cemetery36.64335-97.11364
Prairie Chapel Cemetery36.79642-97.14006
Prairie View Cemetery36.60037-97.30051
Resthaven Memorial Park36.75417-97.05965
Riverview Cemetery36.63021-97.40788
Round Grove Cemetery36.70956-97.19675
Saint Johns Cemetery36.82526-97.19062
Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery36.68812-97.104
Tonkawa Cemetery36.67301-97.26427
Tonkawa Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery36.69636-97.32392
Triumph Cemetery36.92753-97.39199
Washunga Cemetery36.91137-97.04788
Washunga Cemetery (historical)36.78866-96.83932
Wolf Creek Cemetery36.86773-97.0052
Historical populated places — 1 of 1
NameLatLon
Kaw Agency36.79194-96.85028

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.

Historical markers

HMdb link

Marker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.

Search HMdb for Kay County, Oklahoma

Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.