Rabbit Creek School Added to National Register in Oklahoma
Rabbit Creek School in Cotton County Added to National Register of Historic Places
A small two-room schoolhouse in southern Oklahoma that once provided both jobs and education during the Great Depression has earned national recognition.
Rabbit Creek School in Cotton County has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Office. The historic school sits south of Randlett at the intersection of N2540 and E2010 roads and served generations of rural students before closing in 1956.
Built during the Works Progress Administration era, Rabbit Creek School employed local workers at a time when jobs were desperately needed across rural Oklahoma.
Rabbit Creek School National Register Designation Recognizes WPA History
The Rabbit Creek School National Register designation recognizes the building as an important example of Depression-era public works and rural education in Oklahoma.
Funding for the school was appropriated in 1935, and construction was completed by 1937. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the project employed 26 local workers through the New Deal Federal Relief Program, bringing wages and work opportunities to Cotton County during one of the nation's most difficult economic periods.
The school opened its doors to approximately 29 students in 1937.
Husband-and-wife teachers James and Vera Killingsworth instructed the school's first class, while Ella Green worked as the school cook. Rabbit Creek continued educating children from the surrounding rural area for nearly two decades before closing in 1956.
The school's connection to the WPA had already attracted preservation interest. Earlier surveys by the State Historic Preservation Office identified Rabbit Creek School as one of several Cotton County WPA resources warranting further study for National Register consideration.
More information about the designation is available through the Oklahoma Historical Society Rabbit Creek School announcement.
Cotton County School Reflects Changes in Rural Oklahoma Education
Rabbit Creek School also represents a period when small schools were scattered throughout Oklahoma's rural communities.
For decades, local schoolhouses allowed children living far from Oklahoma's larger towns and cities to receive an education close to home.
That system began changing dramatically during the 20th century as Oklahoma consolidated smaller districts and transportation made it possible for students to travel farther to larger schools.
Rabbit Creek remained open until 1956, nearly 20 years after its first class entered the building.
The property eventually survived long enough to become part of Oklahoma's historic preservation process. In July, the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Review Committee formally considered Rabbit Creek School as a proposed National Register nomination along with historic properties in Poteau and Tulsa.
The National Park Service later officially listed Rabbit Creek School on August 31, 2026, under reference number SG100013355. The federal listing identifies the property at the intersections of N2540 and E2010 roads near Randlett.
The federal record can be viewed through the National Park Service National Register weekly list.
National Register Recognition Offers Protection and Preservation Benefits
Being added to the National Register does not automatically turn Rabbit Creek School into a museum or prohibit changes to privately owned property.
The Oklahoma Historical Society describes the listing as an honorific designation that provides recognition, limited protection and, in some cases, access to financial incentives that can support preservation efforts.
The State Historic Preservation Office, which operates within the Oklahoma Historical Society, identifies, evaluates and nominates Oklahoma properties for consideration.
Rabbit Creek School's nomination followed that process before receiving federal approval.
The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service and serves as the nation's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects considered significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.
Oklahoma has hundreds of properties representing everything from schools and courthouses to homes, commercial buildings and archaeological sites included in the program.
Information about how Oklahoma properties are evaluated and nominated is available through the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office.
For Cotton County, the designation preserves the story of more than just a small school building. Rabbit Creek School represents an Oklahoma community that used a federal Depression-era program to create local jobs, build a school and educate rural children for nearly 20 years.
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