Elizabeth Threatt Luther Library

Luther Library

About Luther Library 

The Metropolitan Library System serves the small community of Luther just off Route 66 in Northeastern Oklahoma County. The Luther Library offers a collection tailored to the needs of the community, along with full access to all library services, public computer use, and Wi-Fi. Early literacy and family library visits are encouraged with family and after school programming.

The Summer Reading program offers incentives for readers of all ages, and weekly Neighborhood Arts performances in June and July bring entertainment and culture to the community each year.

Book drop location: it is the big metal box to the right of the entrance on the front of the building.

 

“I give my time. I give my talent. I do the best I can with what God has given me.”

 

Elizabeth Hilton Threatt was born in Luther on Independence Day, 1911. She was the middle of eight children born to her parents, Samuel Hilton and Elizabeth Hogg Hilton.

 

Samuel came to Oklahoma as a young man and homesteaded a claim just north of present-day Luther. Later he became the first African American attorney in the area. Elizabeth Hogg’s family lived on the farm just north of his and they married in 1904.

 

Education was a priority in Elizabeth’s life. Her schooling began in a log cabin three miles northeast of Luther and she later transferred to the Booker T. Washington School in the town of Luther where she graduated in 1929. The following year her school was destroyed in a fire and was rebuilt in 1931. This Booker T. Washington School would soon play a central role in Elizabeth’s life.  

 

In 1931, Elizabeth earned a Life-time Teaching Certificate from Langston University which permitted her to teach grades 1-8 in Oklahoma schools. She returned to her beloved Booker T. Washington school to begin her teaching career. At Washington Elizabeth taught all subjects but football. “The only reason I didn’t teach it; the superintendent didn’t ask me,” she remembered. There were days when she worked in the kitchen during lunch while watching her class during their recess time. 

 

Elizabeth was part of a dedicated core of exceptional teachers at Booker T. Washington School and its graduates were sought after by African American colleges across the nation. For many students, she was the school. When Washington closed in 1957 during the integration of the public school system, she declared what many graduates of the school believed, “Booker T. Washington will always be home to me.”   

 

In 1937, Elizabeth married Ulysses Grant Threatt. Like the Hiltons and the Hoggs, the Threatt family was prominent in the Luther area. The Threatts quarried stone on their farm east of Luther which was used in the construction of a filling station—the Threatt Filling Station on Route 66. Ulysses and Elizabeth owned and operated the filling station which included a café and a zoo.

 

The zoo was Ulysses’ “drawing card” for the business, enticing people to stop to see his Den of Death — a pit full of rattlesnakes. Ulysses went rattlesnake hunting every April and those captured rattlesnakes later found themselves to be a roadside attraction. Less venomous animals in his zoo included a racoon, a frog, a rat, and a coyote named Johnny that Ulysses taught to ‘sing’.

  

Elizabeth woke at 4:30 every morning to help in the café and then begin teaching classes at 8:30. She recalled, “I have fed many a hitchhiker; I’ve poured many a cup of coffee; fried many a strip of bacon, sunny-sided many an egg”. But first and foremost the Threatts ran a filling station. In 2009, Elizabeth recalled, “I know how to check the oil; I know how to grease a car; I know how to changes tires. Of course, I can’t do it today. I’m not as strong as I used to be, but nothing is wrong with my mind and my heart.” During World War II when Ulysses was overseas and after his passing in 1956, Elizabeth ran the business alone, closing in 1974.   

 

Education remained a priority for Elizabeth and she returned to Langston University for a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. In 1954, she began graduate studies at Central State College (now University of Central Oklahoma) in Edmond and was one of the first five African Americans enrolled at the college. While continuing to teach at Washington and then Luther schools, she attended evening, weekend, and summer classes and earned her master's in 1959.

 

Elizabeth retired in 1976 after teaching in the Luther school system for 44 years. Mrs. Threatt passed away on November 28, 2009 at 98 years of age. She spent all her life in Luther, Oklahoma affecting the lives of all she encountered – especially her 5,000 “children”.

 

 

 

Services

    Technology

    • Public use computers with 60-minute internet access and printing capabilities
    • Mobile and offsite printing
    • Free Wi-Fi
    • Color copy machine with free outbound faxing (to U.S. numbers only) and scanning capability
    • Wi-Fi hotspots (available to check out; holds can be placed in our catalog)

    Collection

    • Self-serve holds shelf and a self-check machine
    • Library staff who can provide assistance locating information, using print and electronic sources, and provide readers' advisory
    • Place and pick up interlibrary loan requests
    • Tours and instruction in the use of library resources (by appointment)
    • Experience Passes for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Banjo Museum, and the Museum of Osteology that are first-come, first-served

Contact Information

310 NE 3rd Street

Luther, OK

73054

Phone: (405) 277-9967

Hours of Operation

Please check the top of this page for notices impacting our hours of operation or services offered.

Monday: 9am - 6pm
Tuesday: 9am - 8pm
Wednesday - Friday: 9am - 6pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sunday: Closed


Curbside Hours

Monday - Friday: 1 - 6pm
Saturday: 1 - 5pm
Sunday: Closed


 

Upcoming Events

This event is in the "Kids" group.

Traveling Tales: Portugal & Spain

All Day 3/11 - 3/22
Luther Library
Library Branch: Luther Library
Room: Online + Curbside (Luther)
Age Group: Kids
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Cultural Experiences, Take-Home Kit
Event Description:
Fables, legends, and myths, oh my! Explore a new country each month through local tales and themed crafts. Don't forget to get your Traveling Tales Passport stamped once you finish your kit! This take home kit is available on a first come-first serve...
This event is in the "Birth-PreK" group.

Storytime

9:30am - 10:15am
Luther Library
Library Branch: Luther Library
Room: In-Library (Luther)
Age Group: Birth-PreK
Program Type: Storytimes
Event Description:
Join us for a storytime at your neighborhood library! Skilled librarians will introduce little ones to the library and show parents and caregivers invaluable information on reading readiness and create excitement about reading. Connect with others wh...
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Stay Active & Independent for Life (SAIL)

10:00am - 11:00am
Library Online
Registration
Library Branch: Library Online
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Health & Wellness
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 493
Event Description:
Seniors stay active and independent! SAIL is designed to increase muscle strength, range of movement and improve activities for daily living. A chair is used for seated exercises and standing support and class can be modified depending on fitness lev...

Disclaimer(s)

This event is an online event offered through video and web conferencing software.  If you register for this program, you will be emailed the link to connect digitally.   Please note, you may need to install an app or computer application to attend this program.  If you have any issues connecting, please reach out to askalibrarian@metrolibrary.org.

This event is in the "Kids" group.
This event is in the "Teens" group.

STEM Club

4:00pm - 5:00pm
Luther Library
Library Branch: Luther Library
Room: In-Library (Luther)
Age Group: Kids, Teens
Program Type: Science & STEAM
Event Description:
Come explore in an interactive setting that will challenge your creativity and reasoning through Science,Technology, Engineering, and Math. Each session will present its' own set of challenges. From coding, robotics, building and ...
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Stay Active & Independent for Life (SAIL)

10:00am - 11:00am
Library Online
Registration
Library Branch: Library Online
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Health & Wellness
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 493
Event Description:
Seniors stay active and independent! SAIL is designed to increase muscle strength, range of movement and improve activities for daily living. A chair is used for seated exercises and standing support and class can be modified depending on fitness lev...

Disclaimer(s)

This event is an online event offered through video and web conferencing software.  If you register for this program, you will be emailed the link to connect digitally.   Please note, you may need to install an app or computer application to attend this program.  If you have any issues connecting, please reach out to askalibrarian@metrolibrary.org.

This event is in the "Kids" group.
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Game Night

4:00pm - 5:00pm
Luther Library
Library Branch: Luther Library
Room: In-Library (Luther)
Age Group: Kids, Teens, Adults
Program Type: Games & Gaming
Event Description:
Take a break! Join us to meet new friends or spend time as a family playing together. Playing tabletop games helps to build skills such as: problem solving, teamwork, spatial reasoning, and communication. Playing games is also a great way to reduce s...