Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs 2025.06

Materials created and donated by the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs, Inc., the oldest garden club in the state of Oklahoma. 

On September 17, 1921, The Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs, Inc. was officially created by fifteen charter members who all shared a vision to create the nation’s first “Garden Flower Club” in Oklahoma. The group was modeled after the first Garden Flower Club in the nation, founded in 1891 in Athens, Georgia. Mrs. J.E. Hoopes assumed the role of the group’s first president, and with other inaugural officers, gained support from the Oklahoma City Parks Board. The group's early efforts included the establishment of two wildflower sanctuaries in Lincoln Park and Will Rogers Park (formerly known as Northwest Park).

Over time, the Garden Flower Club grew so large that smaller “units” had to be formed to accommodate the growing membership. Each new unit represented a different flower of choice, such as the Blue Flower Unit (May 1924), Iris, Red Rose, Wild Flower, Gladiolus, and Narcissus Units (1925). In 1926, the Wisteria (first South Oklahoma City Unit) and Shasta Daisy Units were formed. By 1937-1938, the Garden Flower Clubs was comprised of thirty-eight member clubs with the cities of Bethany, Britton, Harrah, and Jones included in the civic organization. 

Will Rogers Park played a significant role in the founding and legacy of The Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs, Inc. In 1938, the Oklahoma City Municipal Rose Garden was established. The park planted 11,000 roses on 4 acres, making it the fourth largest rose garden in the nation at the time. The rose garden at Will Rogers Park is now known as the Charles E. Sparks Color Garden, named after a former founding member of the Oklahoma Rose Society and Oklahoma City Parks Superintendent. The Oklahoma Rose Society was one of the many branches of the Garden Flower Clubs and still exists today. In 1938, the Garden Exhibition Building in Will Rogers Park was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project and was created specifically for The Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs. The building was equipped with a community library and served as a center for civic beautification, nature conservation, and gardening activities and ideas to take root and flourish. 

The Garden Flower Club was a groundbreaker in the Oklahoma City area for promoting environmental stewardship, conserving natural resources, educating the public about the importance of natural pollinators and native plants and trees, and continually working to make the city and surrounding areas a beautiful and sustainable place for everyone. The group’s civic duties have included hosting a weekly radio program on KOCY every Thursday morning, organizing the Flower Exhibit at the State Fair, and showcasing the fruits of the group’s labor at the annual Spring Flower Show held each May. The group’s oath, also officially known as the “Conservation Pledge,” states: “I give my pledge as an American to save and to faithfully defend from waste the natural resources of my country- its soil and minerals, its forests, water and wildlife.” 

Learn more about the current organization and its mission to preserve the legacy of The Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.: OklahomaGardenClub.org

This collection includes scrapbooks, council member directories, and a digitized silent film video. Scrapbooks include clippings, correspondence, ephemera, flyers, meeting minutes, photographs, and programs.

The digitized video of Charles E. Sparks, founding member of the Oklahoma Rose Society and former Oklahoma City Parks Superintendent, can be found on Special Collection and Research's YouTube page. The video was donated by The City of Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation and The Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.