Frank Phillips was raised the son of a large farm family (he was the third of ten children) near Creston, Iowa.  His formal schooling ended when he was fourteen.  He then apprenticed himself to a barber.  Frank had the makings of success even then.  By the time he was twenty he owned all the barber shops in and around Creston.  He married Jane Gibson, the banker's daughter, in 1897.  Her father took Frank right into the banking business.  During Frank's second trip out of Creston selling bonds, he heard about OIL in Indian Territory.  He found all the rumors of oil riches were true by striking off to visit the boom town of Bartlesville, I.T., in 1903.  Because of this most adventurous, ambitious son, Frank's mother saw two more of her boys land in the oil patch in Oklahoma at the time of statehood, L. E., and Waite.  These three were among the pioneer oil barons and business entrepreneurs during those hectic early days.

Frank's day began early, about 5:30 or 6:00 A.M.  The doors to Jane's quarters were closed to muffle the noise of his breakfast being delivered, the Japanese valet drawing his bath and laying out his clothes. One of the local barbers was there every morning about 6:00 A.M. ready to shave, give him a facial and trim what hair he had left.  Once a week he had a manicure.  Doc Hammond, a local osteopath, came in to give him his daily "rub down" after he emerged from Turkish sauna).  He would then need the shower.  After sweating and a shower, he would be thirsty.   The refrigerator housed his cold drinks.  By the toilet stool, there is a cigar supply cabinet with built in cigar lighter.

Photos by Jerry Poppenhouse

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The wallpaper on the south end of the west wall is covered with clear plastic. The first curator, Norma Hettick, painted the walls to match the original hand-painted wallpaper.	Frank had a buffalo skin from Woolaroc on his bedroom floor and one in his bathroom under the barber chair.	Mr. Phillips was not a hunter. He tried to bring all kinds of wild animals to his ranch, Woolaroc. Some of them could not adapt to Oklahoma temperatures and died. Some of the hides decorate this bedroom.
Note the breakfast tray.	Frank was served breakfast in his room.
	He did a lot of his Phillips business transactions here in this bedroom. It did not bother him to call someone to meet him in his bedroom as he got dressed. His chauffer said he was interviewed for his job in Mr. Phillips' bedroom.	His bath contains a barber chair where he received a shave at the hands of a local barber each morning between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. and give him a shave, massage and hair trim.