A Rich and Storied History
A tale built of more than bricks and stone
On the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Darlington Chapel has a rich history. The chapel was erected in 1913 by the Eastern Star for the Masonic Lodge's home for widows and orphans. The cornerstone reads September 12, 1913, but it was opened on September 16 of that year, due to inclement weather. In total, the cost of construction for the facility was $10,000.
In 1922 the home was moved and the Chapel was used by the state of Oklahoma through the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission. This included time as a sign shop, reflected by the original sign shop marquee above the front doors.
Starting in 1931, the Department of WIldlife Conservation began using the facility for a variety of wildlife-related projects. A hatchery building, known as "The H Building" raised game birds, such as Bobwhite Quail. The facility was open to the public to visit, where you could observe the first mass production of these birds through artificial insemination. Other projects included a colony of prairie dogs maintained on the property, and a large deer tagging station.
The next era for Darlington came in 1999, when the facility and surrounding land was transferred to Redlands Community college. Much of this now operates as the Royce Ranch, where students are taught applied research to increase student engagement in Agriculture Education. Students work in areas such as artificial insemination, dairy goat milk production, viticulture, (cultivating grapes, like those surrpounding the Chapel) enology, (wine production) and plasticulture.
The final piece in the long story of this magnificient structure came in 2012, when a full remodel was performed, to bring out the historic details of the building while providing a modern and welcoming environment for future generations to come together and celebrate life's most precious memory making events.
