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Photograph of Nellie Johnstone No. 1
Photograph by David Marshall, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Nellie Johnstone No. 1

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

From the record

“Nellie Johnstone No. 1 was the first commercially productive oil well in Oklahoma. Completed on April 15, 1897, the well was drilled in the Bartlesville Sand near Bartlesville, opening an era of oil exploration and development in Oklahoma.”

Wikipedia article Nellie Johnstone No. 1, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 12 National Register listings published here for Washington County · listed in 1972 · category: Structure.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. Johnstone Park, Bartlesville, 74003
  • When was it listed? April 1972
  • Category. structure
  • Census division. Bartlesville
  • National Register reference number. 72001077 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

31 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 31 fires within 5 miles of Nellie Johnstone No. 1 between 2000 and 2019, burning about 4,722 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning8
Arson/incendiarism7
Missing data/not specified/undetermined6
Power generation/transmission/distribution4
Natural3
Recreation and ceremony1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Firearms and explosives use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 2012Natural1.1 acresOsage AgencyHOPPER 1
19 September 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,500 acresOklahoma Division of ForestryOSAGE HILLS
23 July 2009Arson/incendiarism13 acresOsage AgencyBLACK JACK
9 April 2019Debris and open burning545 acresOsage AgencyRADAR HILL
3 April 2010Debris and open burning2.0 acresOsage Agency3102
24 April 2006Debris and open burning35 acresCherokee Nation TribeLITTLE ROCK 2
19 April 2006Power generation/transmission/distribution45 acresOsage AgencyHUDSON RD
17 April 2006Debris and open burning43 acresOsage AgencyLITTLE ROCK

Every fire recorded in Washington County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 18 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 18 workings within 5 miles of Nellie Johnstone No. 1: 16 past producers, 1 plant, 1 producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Bartlesville Smelter/RefineryZinc, Cadmium, Sulfur, Sulfuric AcidPlant
Unknown Shale PitClayPast Producer
Unknown Shale PitClayPast Producer
Unknown Shale PitClayPast Producer
B&C Quarry & PlantStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Washington County

Storms near this property

60 of 169 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bartlesville, the town this property stands in, in 169 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 84 hail, 60 thunderstorm wind, 16 flash flood, 7 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2024Tornado (EF2)Bartlesville$15,000,000This is the second segment of a two-segment tornado. The tornado crossed into Washington County near Gap Road, and moved across the southwestern portion of Bartlesville, and then across the central and northeastern side of town. An estimated 1000 homes and businesses were damaged in town, some severely. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, and many power poles were snapped. A squall line merged with the tornadic supercell, and ultimately ended the tornado process northeast of Bartlesville. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 115 to 125 mph.
May 2000HailBartlesville$2,000,000Golfball to softball size hail fell in Bartlesville damaging roofs, windows and cars.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$1,500,000Emergency management personnel measured thunderstorm wind gusts to 80 mph. A hospital, a school, and an apartment complex sustained major damage to their roofs due to the strong wind. Nearly 600 homes were also damaged by the wind, about 100 of which had major damage. Numerous trees and large tree limbs were blown down along with many power poles. Over 10,000 people were without power in Bartlesville at the height of the storm. School was canceled the following day due to the prolonged power outage in the area and due to storm debris covering many roads used by the school buses.
July 2007FloodBartlesville$1,000,000The Caney River near Bartlesville rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 4 am CDT on June 30. The river crested at 21.45 feet at 9:30 am CDT on July 2. The river fell below its flood stage at 5 pm CDT on July 6.||The flood category reached the major level. 2500-3000 residents were displaced across Washington County due to the flood. 85 residents were evacuated in Dewey. The total amount of homes receiving flood damage was roughly 250. Numerous streets were closed during the flood, including nearly every east-west street in Bartlesville. Damages totaled for government infrastructure were roughly $400,000. Total damages estimated at $1 million.
May 2001HailBartlesville$1,000,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$500,000no account filed
May 2003Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$400,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour associated with a line of thundestorms referred to as a bow echo did serious damage to homes and businesses, especially in the Oak Park neighborhood. Light to moderate damage was reported for 129 homes. This included shingles and gutters blown off roofs and broken windows. Severe damage was done to two homes whose roofs were blown off making them uninhabitable. Of the businesses which were damaged two were considered to have light to moderate damage and one was reported to have severe damage. One building that received roof damage was the Lighthouse Outreach Center where a flat tar roof was pealed back by the wind. After the roof was damaged rainfall caused water damage. Total damage to the building was estimated at $100,000. In addition to the damage to buildings, trees and power lines were also knocked down resulting in power outages.
April 2026HailBartlesville$150,000Golf ball size hail damaged homes, businesses, and vehicles.
April 2026HailBartlesville$100,000Hail up to two inches in diameter damaged homes and vehicles.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$75,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour did considerable damage in the Bartlesville area.Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Thousands of people lost power to their homes and businesses with some customers being without power for the better part of three days.. Six homes and two businesses received minor damage while one home sustained major damage.
November 2020HailBartlesville$50,000Golf ball size hail damaged vehicles, businesses, and homes.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$50,000Strong thunderstorm wind gusts damaged a church near the intersection of SW Frank Phillips Boulevard and S Virginia Avenue as well as a hospital near the intersection of E Frank Phillips Boulevard and Highway 75.
July 2010Flash FloodBartlesville$50,000A couple of homes were flooded and two day care centers were evacuated due to high water from heavy rainfall.
June 2008Flash FloodBartlesville$50,000Heavy rain caused several streets in Bartlesville to be closed due to high water. The Pathfinder apartments had to be evacuated due to flood waters and a few homes were also surrounded by water. In addition, several secondary roads around Bartlesville were flooded.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$50,000Isolated severe thunderstorms developed in northeast Oklahoma during the late afternoon of May 27th. Strong thunderstorm winds damaged several roofs and broke windows in downtown Bartlesville, and trees and power lines were also blown down in Bartlesville. Large tree limbs and one small tree were blown down by 60 mile an hour winds in Fairland, and dime-size hail covered the ground 4.5 miles north northwest of Ketchum.
April 2026HailBartlesville$30,000Half dollar size hail damaged homes and vehicles.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$30,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a house, causing significant damage.
July 2023HailBartlesville$25,000Ping pong ball size hail damaged vehicles and homes in Bartlesville.
April 2006HailBartlesville$25,000no account filed
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$20,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees, blew portions of a roof from a building, and blew down power lines.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$20,000Strong thunderstorm wind caused significant damage to park equipment, and damaged gutters and the roofs of homes.
April 2011HailBartlesville$20,000no account filed
April 2025HailBartlesville$15,000Half dollar size hail damaged homes and vehicles.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$15,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees, damaged the roofs of homes, and snapped power poles in Bartlesville. Large tree limbs and downed trees blocked some roads in town.
September 2001LightningBartlesville$15,000A hay barn was destroyed by a lightning sparked fire.
May 2018HailBartlesville$15,000no account filed
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$10,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a car near the Bartlesville High School.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$10,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down billboards.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$10,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged the roof of the Lighthouse Mission. Large tree limbs were blown down and a few sheds were damaged near downtown.
June 2002Flash FloodBartlesville$10,000The thunderstorm which produced damaging winds moments earlier also produced a quick 1.44 inches of rain. This rain caused severe street flooding. A few cars were stranded in the flooded streets.
February 2012Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs and damaged large signs.
March 2009Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several privacy fences and a pair of power poles.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew trees and power lines down resulting in power outages.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down power lines and trees.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000Thunderstorm winds blew out windows in an office building and ripped a piece of tin off the roof of another building.
April 2015HailBartlesville$5,000no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000no account filed
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$5,000no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power lines.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a small tree and a privacy fence at a home on the northwest side of town.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind damaged a gas station in downtown Bartlesville.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$500Thunderstorm winds blew signs down.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$500An isolated severe thunderstorm developed in Washington County of northeast Oklahoma during the early morning of July 17th. Dime-size hail fell just north of Dewey, and strong thunderstorm winds blew out a window at an Arby's Restaurant on the northeast side of Bartlesville.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$100no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindBartlesville$100no account filed
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped numerous large tree limbs.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph.
April 2020Flash FloodBartlesville-Portions of SE Adams Boulevard were flooded and closed in town.
May 2019Flash FloodBartlesville-Johnstone Park in Bartlesville was flooded. Portions of Highway 123 were flooded and closed.
May 2019FloodBartlesville-The Caney River near Bartlesville rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 8:00 am CDT on May 25th. The river crested at 17.83 feet at 4:30 am CDT on the 28th, resulting in moderate flooding. Serious flooding occurred in Johnstone Park. Tuxedo Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive were closed, along with other county roads. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river fell below flood stage at 8:30 am CDT on the 30th.
May 2019Flash FloodBartlesville-Numerous streets in Bartlesville were flooded.
May 2019FloodBartlesville-The Caney River near Bartlesville rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 12:30 am CDT on May 21st. The river crested at 18.21 feet at 5:45 pm CDT on the 21st, and crested again at 16.06 feet at 10:00 am CDT on the 23rd, both resulting in moderate flooding. Serious flooding occurred in Johnstone Park and in residential areas of Bartlesville. Tuxedo Boulevard, Hillcrest Drive, and portions of Adams Road were closed along with other county roads. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river fell below flood stage at 11:30 am CDT on the 24th.
May 2019Flash FloodBartlesville-Roads were flooded and closed east and southeast of Bartlesville.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees across the city.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs on Johnstone Avenue near downtown.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindBartlesville-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees.
July 2017Flash FloodBartlesville-Portions of numerous streets were flooded in Bartlesville.

Every storm recorded in Washington County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
First United Methodist Church0.3 miles2020
Washington County Memorial Hospital0.4 miles2014
Old Washington County Courthouse0.4 miles1981
Bartlesville Downtown Historic District0.4 miles1991
Price Tower0.7 miles1974
Civic Center0.7 miles1989

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 72001077 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Washington CountyAll 12 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.