EDMOND - Edmond is one of nearly 110 communities statewide to receive grant money for centennial projects from the Oklahoma Capitol Complex, and Centennial Commemoration Commission.
It is the first state money the Edmond Centennial Commission has received for its projects, Chairwoman Marilyn Kreidler said.
A $10,000 grant was awarded for a statue of Miss Kentucky Daisey to be erected in Festival Market Place. Another $5,000 was given to complete the renovation of the historical schoolhouse, the first public school in Oklahoma Territory.
"I am grateful the Oklahoma Centennial Commission is sharing their funds with us," Kreidler said. "The projects mention the arts and history. I think those are wise choices."
Plans and fund-raising for a statue of Kentucky Daisey began some time ago. The Edmond Parks Foundation raised about $40,000 in private donations, about half of money needed for the project.
In preparation for the state's 100th birthday, the Edmond City Council and the local centennial commission voted to adopt the Kentucky Daisey statue as a centennial project.
Council members have approved 19 planning items for Edmond's centennial celebration. No funding came with the approval. Council members should make a decision on how much city money will be available during the budgeting process in June.
The Edmond Centennial Commission also is accepting donations for its projects.
Nanitta R.H. "Kentucky" Daisey is known for her leap from the front of a train to claim a piece of land in Edmond during the 1889 Land Run. When Daisey planted her stake in Edmond, she fired a shot into the air and shouted, "I salute Kentucky Daisey's claim." Then she hurried back to the train and was pulled aboard the caboose by a fellow journalist, according to information from the state Historical Society.
She was reporting on the land run for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Gazette when she staked her claim. Daisy worked as a reporter and a schoolteacher in Guthrie once she settled.
The first public schoolhouse in Oklahoma Territory is west of Boulevard on Second Street. Built in August 1889, the one-room, wood-framed building opened its doors to 19 students. Miss Ollie McCormick was paid $75 a month to teach them. By 1891, enrollment had climbed to nearly 100.
It served as the main Edmond public school building until 1900. In 1927, the property was purchased by the Sanders family, who operated Sanders Camera Shop there between 1950 and 1975.
In 2001, the Edmond Historical Preservation Trust purchased the property from the Sanders and began the process of restoring the building to its original form.
