Hey friend! Welcome back to another post! Today, we’re going to continue talking about the Marland Family from Ponca City, Oklahoma. This post will discuss the Marland Mansion, also known as the “palace on the prairie.”

First, if you haven’t already, I recommend reading the article about the Marland’s Grand Home! That article gives the history of the Marland Family, the Marland Oil Company, and the Marland’s Grand Home. Plus, there are some pretty cool pictures! Let’s get started!

*All photos in this post were taken on site at the Marland Mansion, the Marland Oil Museum, and the Bryant Baker Gallery & Artist Studio in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

The Marland Mansion

The Marland Mansion was built in Ponca City from 1925-1928 for E.W. Marland and his family. It cost $5.5 million to complete!? John Duncan Forsythe was the Master Architect. This home contains 55 rooms and covers approximately 43,561 square feet. It’s massive and is sometimes referred to as the “palace on the prairie.” I can totally see why!

The inside is ornately decorated with beautiful chandeliers, intricate woodworks, and lavish designs on the ceilings. Several artists and decorators were tasked with making the home elegant. E.W. Marland wanted to live in an actual palace according to the tour book we received at the front desk. I mean, it sure looks like a castle to me!

Inside the Marland Mansion

TRAVEL TIP: The Marland Mansion has scheduled guided tours that take you through the home. The guided tours last about two hours according to the tour book from the front desk.

We opted to walk through the mansion by ourselves with the tour book and it was still amazing! The Marland Mansion has several levels. The following stations are listed in the Marland Mansion Tour Book we received at the front desk:

• Lobby Level (Main Entrance)
• Formal Dining Room (Station 1)
• Breakfast Room (Station 2)
• Service Kitchen (Station 3)

• Gallery Levels
• North Salon – Sun Room (Station 4)
• Loggia – Hallway (Station 5)
• Ballroom – Gallery (Station 6)
• South Salon – Living Room (Station 7)
• Second Floor Landing (Station 8)
• Third Floor Landing (Station 9)
• George Marland’s Quarters (Station 10)
• George Marland’s Bedroom (Station 11)
• Guest Bedroom #1 (Station 12)
• Guest Bedroom #2 – Will Rogers Suite (Station 13)
• Terrace Suite #1 (Station 14)
• Dumbwaiter (Station 15)
• Cedar Closet (Station 16)
• Terrace Suite #2 (Station 17)
• Terrace Suite #3 (Station 18)
• E.W. Marland’s Quarters (Station 19)
• Lydie Marland’s Quarters (Station 20)
• Domed Stairways and Landing (Station 21)
• The Grand Stairway and Hall of Merriment (Station 22)
• Handball Court (Station 23)
• Lounges and Hunt Kitchen (Station 24)
• Poker Room and Tunnel (Station 25) *Ask gift shop attendant to see this area.
• Outer Lounge (Station 26)

• Basement Level (Go down the stairs at the main entrance)

Ornate Ceilings

I also wanted to show you a few of the beautiful ceilings in the Marland Mansion. I didn’t take a picture of all of them, but make sure to look up while touring this historic home. They didn’t miss any of the details!

Outside Grounds

There are other buildings on the Marland Estate property, but you can’t go inside them unless you are on the guided tour. Some of the things to see outside are as follows:

• Bryant Baker Gallery & Artist Studio (*guided tour only)
• Lydie’s Cottage (*guided tour only)
• Stables (not on tour because it is now a private home)
• Lake Whitemarsh
• Gazebo
• Boat House
• Original Swimming Pool
• Gatehouse (not on tour)

TRAVEL TIP: There are over a 1/2 mile of walking trails that are accessible for use outside on the grounds. There are also picnic areas! So, pack a lunch and head to the Marland Mansion for a fun experience.

Bryant Baker Gallery & Artist Studio

The artist studio was originally built for Jo Davidson. Davidson was the sculptor who created the Marland family statues. The Marlands also lived in the artist studio for a time when they could no longer afford to live in the grand mansion.

A wing in the studio houses works from Bryant Baker. He was an English artist who moved to the United States in 1915. He later became a US citizen in 1923. Baker primarily created statues and busts. His most famous work is the bronze statue of the Pioneer Woman commissioned by Marland. It currently sits in front of the Pioneer Woman Museum (also located in Ponca City).

TRAVEL TIP: The Bryant Baker Gallery & Artist Studio are only available to view on the guided tours. So we didn’t get to walk inside this building. Hopefully, I’ll make the tour next time! 🙂

Marland Oil Museum

TRAVEL TIP: The Marland Oil Museum are only available to view on the guided tours. So we didn’t get to walk inside this building. Hopefully, I’ll make the tour next time! 🙂

The building looked super cool on the outside though!

Concluding Thoughts

The Marland Mansion was a beautiful historic home to tour. I hope you’ll go visit Ponca City one day and stop by both of E.W. Marland’s beautiful homes! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my post on the Marland’s Grand Home!

Happy Traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon! 🙂

Visit

901 Monument Rd

Ponca City, OK 74604

Sources

Bryant Baker Gallery and Artist Studio

Marland Mansion & Estate – Tour Book (*Received from the front desk at the mansion after checking in. I can’t find it online to link here…)

Marland Mansion – Website

Marland Oils