Lovell, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 36° 03.374 W 097° 38.171
14S E 622833 N 3991046
A town with a rich pioneer history
Waymark Code: WM9MBZ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 09/03/2010
Views: 15
The town of Lovell is located in Logan County, approximately 3 miles west of State Highway 74, north of Crescent. Spur 74D will take you west from the highway to this town that was once a thriving community.
You'll cross the railroad tracks, long since abandoned. As you turn down the streets of Lovell, you'll first spot an old, abandoned wooden Christian Church in whose yard stands a large granite monument documenting the history of the town, and honoring all the pioneering families who settled it.
As you travel south on Main Street you will see numerous houses in disrepair and abandoned. There are possibly 20 homes still occupied in this town, although there is no commercial business.
Lovell was originally called Perth and a post office was established here in May of 1889. In 1902 the nearby town of Standard merged with Perth when the Santa Fe Railroad came through. The name was changed to Lovell in February 1906 after James Lovell who platted sites for the town.
In 1907, the year of Statehood, the town of Lovell contained several stores, two cotton gins, two grain elevators, lumber yards, a bank, a hotel, feedstore and a blacksmith shop. It had a population of over 200 people. The discovery of oil in the area in the early 1920's further developed the town.
But, in January 1928 a devastating fire destroyed eleven businesses downtown on the east side of Main, and with the coming Depression, they were not rebuilt. A small portion of sidewalk still remains, but no sign of any commercial buildings. The school closed in 1955 and the post office closed its doors in 1957.
Today, the area is home to a couple dozen families but the town of Lovell is a distant memory. Additional information and photos can be found in the book, "Ghost Towns of Oklahoma" by John W. Morris (pgs. 124-125)
Reason for Abandonment: Economic
Date Abandoned: 01/01/1957
Related Web Page: [Web Link]
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