Marland Mansion

The Marland Mansion in Ponca City is one of Oklahoma's grandest historic homes, built by oilman and later governor E.W. Marland during the height of his fortune. Completed in the late 1920s, the enormous Mediterranean-influenced estate was designed as both a family residence and a statement of wealth. The mansion contains dozens of rooms, elaborate stonework, carved wood, decorative ceilings, imported materials and artworks. Yet the house also tells a story of rapid reversal. Marland lost control of the oil company he created, and his financial position declined sharply in the years after the mansion was completed. The family history is equally unusual. After the death of his first wife, Marland later married Lydie, the young woman he and his wife had previously adopted. Their relationship and Lydie's later life have become one of the most discussed parts of the estate's history. Touring the mansion reveals far more than luxury. It is a physical record of Oklahoma's oil boom, corporate power, political ambition and the instability of fortunes built during a volatile era.