Frank Phillips Home

Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum, lived his adult life in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He and his wife were originally from Iowa but had found their way to Oklahoma and like so many others struck oil.

The home is beautiful but it is unique in the fact that 95% of the home is original. The home was built around 1909 and enlarged in 1930. It is approximately 9000+ square feet. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips lived in the home until they died.

When Mr. Phillips was having the home built his lawyers advised him to put the house in his wife's name to protect his assets. Due to the fact that the house was legally hers Mrs. Phillips made the decisions when it came to the interior. The living room and dining room have the original gold fabric wall paper. Some of the wall coverings have been restored to the original coverings or color. The home also had an elevator installed at one point and it still works.

The Phillips' had one biological child, a son, and 2 foster daughters. The daughters were never legally adopted but were always treated as their own daughters. The 2 girls never knew that they were not legally adopted until Mr. Phillips death.

Mrs. Phillips died in 1948 and she stated in her will that Mr. Phillips would be able to live in the home until his death. Upon his death the home would go to her oldest granddaughter. When the granddaughter moved in she was grown and married and brought her own furnishings. She had the original furnishings stored in the carriage house.

After many years of living in the house the granddaughter gave the house to a historical society and told them that the furnishings from the house were in the carriage house. The historical society has also turned the carriage house into a museum . They ask only a $3 donation to tour the house and museum-it is well worth the $3.

Liz