The Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar is housed in the 1928 building that originally was the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council purchased this building with funding assistance from Leonard and Molly Sheerar in the early 1970s, and the Sheerar Cultural and Heritage Center was formed. On the lower level of the two-story building, the Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History opened in 1974. The mission of the Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar is to collect the material culture of our community, preserve these materials, make them available for study, and share them through all effective means.

The museum’s collection of 3,900 photographs, 6,538 objects, and 4,200 archival records addresses the historical context of the geographical region of Central Southern Oklahoma and the chronological period ranging from pre-Territorial through Early Statehood, Industrial, and Modern time periods. Within this timeline, many historical themes are addressed through collections, exhibits, and programming including, but not limited to, settlement patterns (environment/cultural ecology, land openings, and urban development), transportation, industry /business (retailing and mass communication), education, government, and family (traditions/core values and sense of community).

Long-term as well as traveling and changing exhibits such as “Stillwater Collects,” a program featuring local residents’ collections, are displayed. Visitor amenities include free wifi access, a mini-mercantile, and hands-on and take-home activities for families with children. The second floor of the building, the auditorium, is available as a rental for a variety of small community events from weddings to recitals to children’s theater to educational programs.