Cottonwood Community Center

The Cottonwood Community Center is a school building built around 1889 in Payne County near Stillwater, Oklahoma, from hand-cut cottonwood logs. The simple rectangular structure with large windows reflects the straightforward schoolhouse design common in rural areas during the late 1800s.

Built about 1889, the Cottonwood schoolhouse served the rural agricultural community west of Stillwater. Of the four remaining one-room schools in the Stillwater area, it is the only one in continuous use from construction to the present. The other one-room school in Payne County on the National Register is Pleasant Valley School.

The name comes from the cottonwood trees cut by hand for the building's timber. The building belongs to the Stillwater school district, but residents of the surrounding rural community west of town carry out maintenance and repairs themselves, and the land is held by a corporation of those residents.

The building sits in a quiet area with open green space and parking available nearby for easy access. The entrance is straightforward and the interior spaces are laid out simply, making it easy for visitors to move around.

The building belongs to the Stillwater School District, but the residents maintain and repair it themselves, and the land is held by a corporation of community residents. The other one-room schoolhouse in Payne County on the National Register is Pleasant Valley School.