Entry No. 40 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: medical oddities

Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum & Apothecary Garden

Housed in an 1890 building in Guthrie's historic district, this free museum showcases the territory's original frontier pharmacy with artifacts like antique leech jars, asthma cigarettes, hysteria-cure ads, and elixir bottles — followed by a physic garden of medicinal herbs used by settlers and Native Americans. It's genuinely strange and legitimately fascinating.

The move: Spend an hour wandering the grim-and-quirky apothecary displays together — linger over the patent-medicine cure-all ads and compare notes on which "treatments" are most horrifying — then stroll the adjacent herb garden and try to identify the plants before reading the labels, finishing the afternoon with a walk through Guthrie's larger historic district.

📍 Before you go The museum sits in the corner Gaffney Building on Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie's historic downtown, about a half-hour drive north of Oklahoma City and an easy day trip. Park along the surrounding red-brick blocks and walk in. The physic garden is the highlight from spring through fall when the herbs are leafed out, so warm-weather afternoons are best; it goes sparse in winter. Entry runs on a small suggested donation, so carry a couple of dollars. Guthrie claims the nation's largest historic district, so leave time to wander Oklahoma and Harrison Avenues afterward, where antique malls, bookshops, cafes, and Southern-food spots sit within a few walkable blocks.

• 📍 Guthrie
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 214 W. Oklahoma Ave (Gaffney Building), Guthrie, OK 73044

Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · travelok.com · Yelp

last checked: 2026-06-07