HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Frank Phillips's 3,700-acre ranch retreat — named for its Woods, Lakes, and Rocks — opened in 1925 and now houses one of the finest collections of Western art in the country, where the oil magnate's ghost is said to linger among his possessions.
1925 Woolaroc Ranch Rd, Bartlesville, OK 74003
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Admission fees for museum; wildlife preserve driving loop included. See website for current pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Museum building is accessible; wildlife preserve driving loop is unpaved in sections.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1925 · Established 1925 by Frank Phillips, co-founder of Phillips Petroleum · Houses one of the finest collections of Western American art and Colt firearms in the United States · 3,700-acre working wildlife preserve with bison and elk herds · Opened to public after Phillips's death in 1950; operated by Woolaroc Trust
Woolaroc — a contraction of WOods, LAkes, and ROCks — was established in 1925 by Frank Phillips, who with his brother Waite had co-founded Phillips Petroleum Company in Bartlesville in 1917. The ranch sprawls across approximately 3,700 acres of Washington County countryside, roughly 14 miles southwest of Bartlesville, and was designed as a private retreat where Phillips could entertain guests ranging from business partners to U.S. presidents.
Phillips spent decades assembling one of the most significant private collections of Western American art, Colt firearms, and Native American artifacts in the country, all housed in a purpose-built museum adjacent to the original Woolaroc Lodge. The collection is now regarded as one of the finest of its kind, with works by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell among the holdings.
The wildlife preserve was established concurrently with the ranch, and it remains home to bison, elk, longhorn cattle, and other animals today. Phillips died in 1950, and the Woolaroc Trust opened the property to the public shortly thereafter. It has operated as a museum and preserve ever since, drawing visitors from across the country who come for the Western art and the unusual combination of fine-art museum and working wildlife habitat.
Woolaroc is listed on the Oklahoma Tourism website and documented in travel publications as one of the state's most distinctive cultural destinations.
Sources
The paranormal dimension of Woolaroc is documented in Rita Cook's 'Haunted Bartlesville, Oklahoma,' published by History Press as part of its Haunted America series. Cook, who researched Bartlesville's ghost traditions for the book, records the belief that Frank Phillips's spirit remains attached to both his ranch and his downtown mansion — that a man who built an empire from Oklahoma crude and spent thirty years filling 3,700 acres with art, animals, and guests could not easily relinquish the connection at death.
The claim is consistent with a well-established category of haunted-property lore — the wealthy founder who cannot leave his domain — and Woolaroc's physical environment lends it particular resonance. The Woolaroc Lodge has been preserved in a state close to how Phillips used it for entertaining, and visitors moving through rooms where a man hosted governors and oil company executives encounter spaces with an unusual degree of personal specificity.
No dramatic apparition accounts or documented paranormal investigations are associated with Woolaroc in the sources reviewed for this entry; the ghost tradition here is quieter and more archival, centered on the book's documentation of local belief rather than on visitor incident reports. The preserve's isolation — 14 miles from Bartlesville across rolling country — also means most visitors experience it primarily as a cultural and natural destination, with the paranormal dimension available but not dominant.
Notable Entities
Tour the museum's collection of Western American art, Colt firearms, and Native American artifacts, then visit the original Woolaroc Lodge where Frank Phillips entertained business associates and presidents.
Drive through the 3,700-acre preserve to view bison, elk, longhorn cattle, and other animals on the ranch Frank Phillips established in 1925.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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