Burbank School and Communtiy Development Association

I have been trying to restore Burbank, Oklahoma's rich history to  improve  the  morale,  mental,  social,  and  economic  welfare  of  the  patrons  in  this community  by  providing  and  restoring  a  piece  of  the  towns  history  to  be  show  cased  for future  generations.  I have been assisting in renovating the old elementary school believed to have been built in 1920.  Through my research of the town's history, I have found that it was built before 1920.   The exact date is still not known.  This building once completed will be used as a community center for our town and the other towns around us.  It will be utilized as a meeting center for weddings, funeral, dinners, and reunions with the dream of becoming a museum for our history.Through reaching out to past students and residents of Burbank, I have learned a lot about our small town.  It is said through oral history that Burbank was the first town to be offered the state capital before Guthrie.  But the citizens turned it down and as well as the building of an oil refinery.  Burbank was once a booming oil field and cattle driving community.Through newspapers contacts across Oklahoma, the Burbank website, and lots of research I have sent out more than 400 letters inviting people who had some affiliation to Burbank to come to the old school house and see what has been accomplished so far.  Many people came and have made some donations to help with the renovations of the building.  They are excited about the progress of the project and the thought of having Burbank's history restored.   I was also able to gather more information, photographs, and tangible items to start the process of a museum. This will be an on-going worthwhile process and more people are getting involved. We began with just a small handful people with a dream and now we have 18 people working together towards a common goal.  Through more contacts and finding more Burbank students, faculty, and friends there is no doubt that this project will be a great success for the town of Burbank and its citizens as well as past acquaintances.