Beckham County Courthouse - Sayre, Oklahoma.
N 35° 17.478 W 099° 38.214
14S E 442088 N 3905533
Beckham County Courthouse - Historic Marker - Explaining the history of the building, & the fact that it appeared in the movie "The Grapes Of Wrath" The marker is displayed to the right of the buildings front entrance. Located in Sayre, Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMR624
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2016
Views: 4
The Historic Marker reads:
BECKHAM COUNTY COURTHOUSE / Sayre, Oklahoma.
Beckham county was created at statehood from portions of territorial Greer & Roger Mills counties. It was named for J.C. Beckham, former governor of Kentucky. Sayer, a town founded in 1891 & named for a railroad promoter, won the title of county seat in an election held June 16,1908, edging Erick by only 11 votes. The county courthousewas completed in 1911 at a cost of $69k. Designed by Solomon A. Layton, an associate of the turn of the century firm Layton, Wemyss, Smith, & Hawk. Historians have dubbed Layton "Father of Oklahoma courthouses"
The cornerstone for the present courthouse was laid in 1911, built by Oklahoma Quarries & Construction Co./
The building was a symmetrical blend of Neo-Classical & second Renaissance revival styles. Outstanding features include colossal Doric columns above the main entryway, classical pilasters, a grooved surface on the ground floor, & distinctive bely courses. The most unique part of the design was the dome, with a colonnade supporting a vaulted roof. On top of that was a smaller dome reproduced to scale. And just for a few seconds, the courthouse has a cameo role in the 1940's movie "The Grapes of Wrath" As the Okies round a corner on their way out of Oklahoma, they drive past the picturesque, domed building."
"The Beckham County Courthouse, constructed in 1911, is famous for its appearance in the classic movie "The Grapes of Wrath." Featuring a blend of neo-classical and Renaissance revival styles, the Beckham County Courthouse is one of the few courthouses in the state topped by a large dome. Still fully operational, the courthouse remains the center of civic and legal activity in the surrounding community. The Beckham County Courthouse is a landmark of the area and stands tall in Sayre's main square overlooking the historic Mother Road. When Route 66 was routed through Sayre in 1928, the courthouse had already been serving the public for nearly 20 years. It was then that the town of Sayre began serving the steady stream of travelers exploring the country in automobiles on the east to west section of Route 66.
The distinctive architecture design of the Beckham County Courthouse landed the courthouse a brief role in "The Grapes of Wrath," which detailed the journey of Dust Bowl immigrants along Route 66. The brick courthouse is three stories and features Doric columns, wide pilasters and a third floor cornice of copper sheeting. Twelve large columns support the larger clock dome, while twelve smaller columns support a smaller dome above. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Beckham County Courthouse was designed by the architectural firm of Layton, Smith and Hawk." Text Source: (
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