Matthew Pierce

Owner/Innkeeper of The Monastery at Forest Lake in Oklahoma City

Story and photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

When Matthew Pierce purchased The Monastery at Forest Lake, located at 3500 North Coltrane Road in Oklahoma City, he knew the property had sat vacant for a decade.
What he didn’t realize was the amount of time and money it was going to take to bring the historic property, which served as the mansion home of Oil Baron and Oklahoma Governor Robert S. Kerr, back to life.
“Within the first few months of buying the house and as the hidden catastrophes kept emerging, I thought it appropriate to watch the old Tom Hanks movie, “The Money Pit,” and I began to realize what a financial and architectural challenge I had signed up for,” Pierce said. “Within 12 months I had gone through my entire life savings, almost $400,000, trying to get the 100 year old stone castle-like structure back in shape.”
The Monastery at Forest Lake features a 10,000-square-foot stone fortress on 14 acres, a swimming pool, two lakes, a wedding chapel, and starting in October, the 5-star Bed and Breakfast will transition into an Airbnb.
“We’re going to still offer The Cottage as an Airbnb, (which was Governor Kerr’s servant quarters until 1949) as our most historic suite,” Pierce said. “The Cottage also serves as one of our bridal suites for the wedding venue. And, the old bakery building from the monks’ time here, which is still on-site, that’s a big three-room stone building which is going to be restored into another big cottage so that families can come and stay. It will have a waterfront view and a deck that extends right out to Forest Lake.”
Pierce said the mansion was completed in 1926, and it has a plethora of Oklahoma history and characters. (STORY CONTINUED BELOW PHOTO)

“In the summer of 1926, this mansion and the E.W. Marland mansion in Ponca City were both finishing construction,” he said. “This was all oil money. The financiers were Oklahoma oil barons of the 1920s, as well as politicians, law-enforcement, and even an occasional gentleman gangster. They formed a “Hunting Lodge” in name only, cleverly incorporated as “The Anglers Association”, which disguised the real purpose of the massive structure with 150-pound doors and 18-inch walls: an illegal speakeasy bar on 50 acres of walled and gated forest. The Twin Hills Golf and Country Club was built in 1918, so that predates it, there was a small lane that led to the Lodge from there.”
Pierce said that there is a tunnel under the speakeasy that allowed bar patrons to quickly escape to the lake, accessed by a hidden staircase.
Pierce said the membership of the lodge held a high-stakes poker game weekly, featuring high rollers of the state’s petroleum Industry. He said one night, the card game was moved to Oilman Charles Urschel’s home in Heritage Hills, and it became the scene of an infamous kidnapping involving Oklahoma gangster “Machine Gun” Kelly.
“His wife, who gave him the moniker “Machine Gun”, put him up for one last final caper, and then to retire from his life of crime,” Pierce said. “The poker game was here most Thursdays and it unknowingly presented a lucrative target for a big “score “, but on that particular night, they had moved the card game to oilman Charles Urschel’s house on NE 18th. Machine Gun Kelly kidnapped Urschel and another man, ultimately transporting Urschel to Texas in the middle of the night.”
According to Oklahoma Historical Society archives, on July 22, 1933, using his trademark machine gun, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, along with Albert L. Bates, interrupted a bridge game at Charles F. Urschel’s residence in Oklahoma City, abducting Urschel and Walter Jarrett at gunpoint while their wives helplessly watched.
The widower Urschel, oilman Tom Slick’s brother-in-law and a trustee to his estate, had married Slick’s widow, Berenice Slick, and combined their fortunes, creating one of the wealthiest couples in Oklahoma City. A criminal of relative obscurity, Kelly, born George Kelly Barnes in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1895, married Kathryn Thorne in 1930. Kathryn has been credited for creating Kelly’s underworld persona, because she bought him his first Thompson submachine gun and dubbed him “Machine Gun.”
After kidnapping Urschel, the criminals took him to a farmhouse in Paradise, Texas, and held him there for more than a week. The kidnappers released him on July 30 after a representative for the family paid $200,000 in documented bills. Kelly was convicted and sentenced to life in prison and served 21 years at Alcatraz, inmate No.117.
Pierce said the hunting lodge closed in 1933 when Prohibition ended nationally, but Oklahoma elected to continue prohibiting alcohol statewide (until 1959).
“The oil company executives freaked out, despite running an illegal bar for over a decade,” he said. “They’re like, “Nope, we’re done.” They shut the doors”.
Pierce said Kerr decided to buy the lodge sometime after it closed.
“He watched it sit for three years and said, “He said this is stupid. I’ll close the lodge. I’ll buy out my brothers. I’ll own the place. I’ll make it my home,” Pierce said.
Kerr later sold the home to Oklahoma City Children’s Hospital pioneer, Dr. John Colmore.
“Colmore bought it in 1949, and raised seven children here,” Pierce said. “We’ve been honored to have four of his now elderly children come and stay in the resort, in their old rooms from their childhood. “He was here until 1970”.
His widow, Mrs. Colmore, sold the house to 13 Russian Orthodox-leaning monks in 1971 for $38,000.
“They were a rather eccentric sect of Monks from Illinois, led by Bishop Burke and Brother John,” Pierce said. “They were here from 1971 to 1988. They raised ostriches for the OKC Zoo and were known citywide for their amazing baked bread.”
Pierce said Dr. Andrew John bought the property from the monks when Burke moved the church to Nebraska, and he was there until 2004.
“Dr. John modernized the air conditioning, the plumbing, added 4,000 square feet of living space, put in the pool, and put in the whole north wing where the pool table is,” Pierce said. “He did all of that work, but his masterpiece was eventually sold at Sheriffs Auction in 2004. Retired World Cup soccer player from Peru, Chico Villar, and his wife Judy bought the empty mansion and enjoyed it as a weekend lake house, and I bought it from them.”
Pierce said the monks operated a bakery called Brother John’s Bread for over a decade.
“Most of us here locally, we remember that the monks were the Forest Park Volunteer Fire Department,” Pierce said. “One day I was sitting in my office and I saw an older gentleman, in full monk garb with a rope for a belt, step out of a vehicle in the parking lot. Incredibly, it was Brother John stopping by unannounced for a visit.”
Pierce said it was Brother John’s first trip back to the Monastery since 1982.
“We had a grand time visiting, and I finally got to ask Brother John a question I had wondered about since childhood: “How in the world did you guys become the Fire Department? Pierce said. “I told him I had a copy of the NBC television feature which was aired in April 1979, of him and the “Firefighting Monks”. He remembered NBC filming it but he had never seen it.”
Pierce said Brother John told him the story saying the fire department was across the street where the school is now, and one day he accidentally caught the bakery on fire.
“We waited and we waited and we’re running around with little water hoses and we’re trying to put this fire out,” Brother John told Pierce. “We could see the windshields of the fire engines just 50 feet away in the station. Finally, the volunteer firefighters, they arrived, they jumped in the trucks, drove across the street, and put the fire out.”
Pierce said the local fire chief asked Brother John if the monks would consider helping them fight fires because they were literally just steps away from the fire station.
“With Bishop Burke’s approval, we agreed that that would be a righteous community service. And so that’s how we became firefighters,” Brother John told Pierce.
Pierce said The Monastery has also been home to several businesses.
“The Colmore’s raised national award-winning AKC Dobermans until the late 60’s,” he said. “The same structure which became Brother John’s Bakery, was originally built as a kennel for Dr. and Mrs. Colmore’s show dogs.”
Pierce said there were so many unknown money pits discovered during renovations of the property. At one point they were constructing a parking lot for the bed-and-breakfast resort, and Pierce’s contractor could not figure out why the gravel base would seemingly disappear overnight.
“Every time we would pour a semi-tractor load of gravel out here in the parking lot area, within a day, it was gone. It would sink and mud would bubble up,” Pierce said. “Finally, the contractor’s like, “Dude, you’ve got a natural spring out here.”
Pierce said a University of Central Oklahoma professor did some research on the property, and found the cause of the water issue.
“Greg James starts looking at the abstract and some photos from the Oklahoma Historical Archives and says, “You know Matt, this place had a commercial fish hatchery on it in 1928.”
Pierce said there are some exciting projects beginning over the next few months, including several custom lakefront homes slated for construction by his business partner, Mike Menzel, on the east side of Forest Lake.
“It’s exciting to see my original vision take shape, at such an important place of my childhood memory. My grandmother and I would stop at the bakery here and buy bread from the Monks in the early 1970s.” he said.
For more information visit https://themonasteryatforestlake.com or call Mattew at (405) 760-9984.

For a full list of events/details visit: www.okhistory.org/calendar/ohs

History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip January 7, 2023, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.|Recurring Event. Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 South 4th Street Enid, OK 73701. History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip takes place throughout the year on the first and third Saturday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On those days, the historic buildings in the Humphrey Heritage Village at Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) come to life with reenactors. These folks dressed in period clothing will have you convinced you have stepped back in time to 1893! Sit at school desks while lessons are taught at the Turkey Creek one-room schoolhouse, hear a pioneer tale from those tending their shops, and watch as craftsmen and women work their trades. For more information, please call the CSRHC at 580-237-1907
“Architecture of the Capitol” presentation by Trait Thompson January 7, 2023, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105. On Saturday, January 7, from 1 to 2 p.m., learn more about the restoration of the Oklahoma State Capitol and the architectural design behind it from Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Trait Thompson. He will make a presentation, sharing his insights about the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project. Before becoming director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, Thompson was the project manager of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project. Share his specialized knowledge of the history of the Oklahoma State Capitol and how this monumental restoration project was achieved. This discussion will take place in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. Free with admission to the Oklahoma History Center. Call 405-522-0765 for more information.

Quilting workshop with Martha Ray January 14, 2023, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.|Recurring Event. Sod House Museum, 4628 State Highway 8 near Aline, OK 73716. The Quilting workshop with Martha Ray meets on the second Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Sod House Museum at a cost of $5 per person. Martha Ray teaches how to create appliqué designs, traditional block patterns, original designs, crazy quilts, landscape designs, and paper piecing. New members of any skill level are always encouraged to attend! Share in the happy exchange of shared skills, fun, and camaraderie, door prizes, refreshments, discussions, and quilt patterns, along with old-fashioned bed turnings at the next meeting of the Quilting workshop. Proceeds directly fund Sod House Museum renovations. The Sod House Museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the museum is located southeast of Aline on State Highway 8. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information call 580-463-2441 or email sodhouse@okhistory.org.
“Researching Legal Documents” presentation by Dr. Le’Shawn Turner January 14, 2023, 12 p.m.–2 p.m. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Dr. Le’Shawn Turner, the reference librarian for the Oklahoma City University School of Law will guide non-lawyers on the process of researching legal sources effectively. This class will be beneficial to college students, genealogists, and people with specific research interests. OHS Archival Collections Manager Mallory Covington will also share the various legal materials of the Eleanor and John Kirkpatrick Research Center in the Oklahoma History Center where the class will take place. This class is free with registration.

Modern Wall Hangings workshop January 14, 2023, 1 p.m.–4 p.m. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105. On Saturday, learn the art of weaving while creating a modern piece of wall art to take home! The hands-on program for ages 12 and up will teach about various types of fibers, basic techniques, and historic practices of weaving. The cost of the make-and-take modern wall-hanging workshop will be $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers. All materials are included in the class cost. Registration is required and is limited to 15 participants. The workshop will be taking place in Classrooms A and B on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center.
Museum OKademy volunteer training class and lecture January 21, 2023, 9 a.m.–11 a.m. Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 South 4th Street Enid, OK 73701. The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) will host a six-session Museum OKademy course in 2023 to train volunteers and provide lectures on history. The classes will be held at 9 and 10 a.m., beginning on Saturday, January 21, and concluding on Saturday, April 1. The six-part lecture/workshop series, Museum OKademy, will be led by Jake Krumwiede (Executive Director), Neal Matherne (Director of Education), and CSRHC staff. These classes are aimed at both prospective volunteers and other adult learners who wish to broaden their knowledge base about the history of our area and the materials from which we learn. Reserve by emailing neal.matherne@history.ok.gov for more information. Attendance is limited so please contact us as soon as possible. Classes are free with regular museum admission. CSRHC members always visit free.
Museum After Dark: Village Sounds featuring singer/songwriter duo Desi and Cody January 27, 2023, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 South 4th Street Enid, OK 73701. The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is hosting the Tulsa-based musical duo, Desi and Cody on Friday, January 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. for Village Sounds, a part of the center’s “Museum After Dark” programming. Desi & Cody, a Tulsa-based singer-songwriter duo, focus their music on life and experiences in Oklahoma. The group’s performance at the Heritage Center will be a two-hour acoustic set. “Museum After Dark: Village Sounds” events are intimate listening experiences held at the Village Church on the grounds of the Humphrey Heritage Village at CSRHC. This series explores the Oklahoma story from the perspective of musicians and songwriters from our state who are authentic interpreters of the past. The concert is included with the cost of admission to the CSRHC. Members of the CSRHC or the Oklahoma Historical Society always visit the center for free. This event is made possible through the financial support of CSRHC’s community partner, Park Avenue Thrift. For more information about this series, please call 580-237-1907.
Introduction to Botanical Embroidery January 28, 2023, 1 p.m.–4 p.m. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105. On Saturday, January 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. join Oklahoma embroidery artist Lacey Plana as she leads this introductory class full of botanical inspiration. She will teach guests to stitch a vibrant Oklahoma-inspired bouquet of Oklahoma roses, firewheels, and yarrows. This is a great class to learn or brush up on embroidery basics such as how to create a variety of stitches and how to transfer your favorite designs onto fabric. Many stitches will be demonstrated, including the back stitch, French knots, woven wheel stitch, seed stitch, and single/detached chain stitch. The cost is $45 for Oklahoma Historical Society members and $55 for non-members. The class will take place in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. Each person taking part in the class will receive a pattern of the design, a stitch guide, and take home their botanical embroidery creations. All materials are included in the class cost. Ages 12+. Registration is limited to 15.
“On a Great Battlefield: The History of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1863–2022” presentation by Dr. Jennifer Murray January 28, 2023, 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m. Honey Springs Battlefield, 423159 E 1030 Road Checotah, OK 74426. On Saturday, January 28, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Dr. Jennifer Murray author and teaching associate professor at Oklahoma State University (OSU) will present a history of the Gettysburg National Military Park at the Honey Springs Visitor Center. Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is a military historian, with a specialization in the American Civil War at OSU. Murray’s most recent publication On a Great Battlefield: The Making, Management, and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933–2013 (2014, University of Tennessee Press). Dr. Murray’s program explores the landscape of the infamous battlefield and the first preservation and commemorative efforts of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association and the US War Department. Her main focus is the history of the Gettysburg battlefield in the 20th century, during the administrative era of the National Park Service (1933–present). In her words: “The history of the Gettysburg battlefield underscores the complicated relationship between race and reunion, public and private interests, between preservation theories and utilitarian uses, between the National Park Service and the American people, and between fact and fiction.” Murray is also the author of The Civil War Begins (2012). For more information regarding the presentation and Honey Springs Battlefield, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org or adam.lynn@history.ok.gov or call 918-617-7125.
Antique Doll exhibit opens February 1, 2023. Fred and Addie Drummond Home, 305 North Price Avenue Hominy, OK 74035. The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will host an exhibit of antique dolls throughout the month of February. Beginning on Wednesday, February 1, and ending on Sunday, February 26, this exhibit is sure to delight doll collectors and doll lovers alike. The exhibit will feature a wide array of German-made dolls, including dolls by Armand Marseille, Kestner, and Koppelsdorf. There also will be a large group of china and porcelain dolls. During your visit, you are encouraged to tour the rest of the beautiful, historic Drummond Home. The three-story, Victorian-style house was built in 1905 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The antique doll exhibit is included with the regular admission fee. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors ages 62 and older, $4 for students, and free for children five and under. As always, OHS members receive free admission. Regular hours of operation are Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 918-885-2374. The Fred and Addie Drummond Home is located at 305 North Price Avenue in Hominy.
Christmas Open House December 10, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sod House Museum, 4628 State Highway 8 near Aline, OK 73716. The Sod House Museum’s Christmas Open House will be held on Saturday, December 10, from 1–3 p.m. Enjoy the holidays in Oklahoma’s only remaining sod house that will be decorated for the season in the style of a traditional 1890s Pioneer Christmas.
Photos with Santa at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum December 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.|Recurring Event. Will Rogers Memorial Museum, 1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard Claremore, OK 74017. The Heritage Gallery at Will Rogers Memorial Museum will be the perfect backdrop for Photos with Santa on Saturday, December 3, and Saturday, December 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your family and your camera to take beautiful family pictures with Santa. Admission is free to take photos. For more information, please visit willrogers.com or call 918-341-0719.
Christmas Open House Hunter’s Home, 19479 East Murrell Home Road Park Hill, OK 74451. On Sunday, December 11, from 1 to 4 p.m., Hunter’s Home will host its annual Christmas Open House. Visitors will see the home and general store decorated for the holiday season and will enjoy cider and snacks while sitting around a roaring fire. For more information, please call 918-456-2751.
Holiday Candlelight Tours December 15, 4 p.m.–8 p.m.|Recurring Event . Hunter’s Home, 19479 East Murrell Home Road Park Hill, OK 74451. Oklahoma’s only remaining pre-Civil War plantation home will host five nights of candlelight tours in December. The tours of Hunter’s Home will take place from Tuesday, December 13, through Saturday, December 17, from 4–8 p.m. each day. The 177-year-old home will be decorated in a Victorian holiday style. Period Christmas decorations and candlelight will adorn the home’s lavish parlor, sitting room, and dining room. Costumed reenactors will share the history of the home. For more information please call 918-456-2751.
December Bake Day and Gingerbread Decorations Fort Gibson Historic Site, 907 North Garrison Avenue Fort Gibson, OK 74434. Visit Fort Gibson Historic Site for a special holiday-themed bake day on Saturday, December 17, at 10 a.m. Fresh bread and batches of giant gingerbread men will be baked in the historic Fort Gibson ovens just in time for the holidays! Fresh batches of each will be ready at noon and again at 3 p.m. Gingerbread men will be ready for decorations throughout the day starting at 11 a.m.
History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip December 17, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.|Recurring Event. Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 South 4th Street Enid, OK 73701. Step back in time and experience life in the Cherokee Outlet during History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid. On the first and third Saturday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the historic buildings in the Humphrey Heritage Village come alive with reenactors who are tending their shops, working their trades, or socializing at the Village Church.
“Shut the Door! Barns in Oklahoma: The Significance of Barns in the Oklahoma Cultural Landscape” webinar December 27, 6 p.m. The State Historic Preservation Office is hosting a webinar series entitled “Shut the Door! Barns in Oklahoma,” featuring presenters who specialize in barn history, construction, and restoration. On Tuesday, December 27, the topic will be “The Significance of Barns in the Oklahoma Cultural Landscape.” This December webinar will be the last of the 2022 series. These presentations will be held on the last Tuesday of every other month, beginning at 6 p.m.
Movie Night featuring Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) December 30, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Will Rogers Memorial Museum, 1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard Claremore, OK 74017. Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a Movie Night featuring the film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) in its theater on Friday, December 30, at 7 p.m. “Horsing Around with Will” will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., during which families can enjoy activities and crafts relating to the movie’s theme. Guests can enjoy free admission, popcorn, and drinks while watching the film. Seating is limited, so early arrival is suggested.
Observing with NASA Smithsonian exhibit kiosk closes December 31. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Observing With NASA, an authentic data experience with astronomical imaging will be on display at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) until December 31, 2022. This exhibit kiosk from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory engages visitors in the art and science of NASA imagery. Observing With NASA offers an introduction to the tools, data, and skills that NASA space scientists and data visualization experts use to create the images of deep space objects that we all know and love.

A discovery at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation could lead to a new treatment for a heart valve condition impacting more than 6 million Americans.
In mitral valve prolapse, the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t open and close completely, leading to inadequate blood flow. The disorder results from a birth defect or natural wear and tear over time. It can cause fatigue, stroke and, in severe cases, heart failure.
OMRF scientist Sathish Srinivasan, Ph.D., studies the lymphatic system, which transports tissue fluid throughout the body with the assistance of lymphatic valves. He wondered whether lessons learned from the lymphatic valves could also be applied to the heart valves.
“Lymphatic and heart valves are different, but we wondered, do the same molecules play roles in their function?” Srinivasan said. “It turned out to be a good guess.”
Srinivasan’s study, published in the journal Circulation Research, found that two proteins essential for lymphatic valve function – PROX1 and FOXC2 – are also key for good heart valve function.
In people who don’t have one or both of the proteins, Srinivasan said, valves continue to enlarge out of check. Preventing this overgrowth may be an effective new approach to treat dysfunctional valves.
“We tested a treatment that can imitate the job of the two proteins in research models, and the valves showed major improvement in function,” Srinivasan said.
This discovery is just the beginning, said Yen Chun Ho, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Srinivasan’s lab.
“We have observed that other molecules known to operate in the lymphatic system are also present in the heart valves, so we know this is a promising direction for future work,” Ho said.
The research was supported by grant R01HL163095-01A1 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and funding from the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research, a program of TSET.