GFWC-OKLAHOMA PHILOMOMATHIC CLUB OF ANADARKO
Anadarko’s GFWC Philomathic Club was founded in 1899 by Annette Ross Hume, local pioneer and photographer. Hume was among America’s first female photographers, Over 700 of her glass plate negatives were documented and became the central photographic collections of the University of Oklahoma’s Phillips Collection, now the Western History Collections in 1927.
Two of the Philomathic Club’s major civic projects are the Anadarko Heritage Museum and the Anadarko Library. The museum is located at 311 E Main Street and admission is free to the public. Some of the items displayed at the museum include railroad memorabilia, photographs of early Anadarko settlers, historic Native American relics, Civil War documents, and old military uniforms.
Anadarko, the county seat of Caddo County, lies along the south bank of the Washita River in the south-central portion of the county. It is situated eighteen miles west of Chickasha at the intersection of U.S. Highway 62/State Highway 9 and U.S. Highway 281/State Highway 8. It is served by the Union Pacific Railway, originally the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. The town acquired its name when the post office was established in 1873. Most agree that the designation came from the Nadarko (Nadaco) Indians, a branch of the Caddo, with the “A” added by clerical error.
Destroyed during the Civil War, the Wichita Agency was reestablished in 1871 on the north side of the Washita River to administer the affairs of the Wichita, Caddo, and other tribes. In 1878 this agency was consolidated with Fort Sill’s Kiowa-Comanche Agency. A subsequent move was made into buildings located south of the Washita on the present Anadarko townsite. Also significant during those years was the establishment of schools for American Indian children by the Quaker Indian agents and by Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic missionaries.
Tourist attractions include the annual American Indian Exposition, Indian City USA, and three museums and art galleries highlighting the works of local artists. The Downtown Historic District and the National Guard Armory are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Philomathic Club of Anadarko has 22 members and meets September through May on the third Tuesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Anita Akin, Club President, at (405) 606-1760 or email Anita at neetandgene@sbcglobal.net.