Andrew Blackwell had settled in the area in 1882,[6] having married the former Rosa Vaught who was of Cherokee descent, he was eligible to found the city.

[6] Blackwell's first school opened in September 1893 in a small, frame building with fifty-two students in attendance.

Blackwell's expulsion of its African-American residents around 1893[11] is described in the 1967 book From Slavery to Freedom by John Hope Franklin.

[15] Soil from the land was repurposed throughout the city, leading to widespread contamination of air and water, including the Chikaskia River.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has been overseeing remediation of contamination at the industrial park, groundwater, and soil throughout parts of the city since 1992.

Then about 400 yd (0.23 mi) wide (Grazulis 1991), It claimed the lives of 20 people in Blackwell and injured over 200 before crossing into and dissipating over Cowley County, Kansas.

Along with destroying nearly 200 homes,[22] the tornado demolished two of the town's main employers, the Acme Foundry and the Hazel Atlas Glass plant.

[22] To commemorate the 1955 tornado, the Top of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum housed in the 1912 Electric Park Pavilion in Blackwell put on a special exhibition "F5 in 1955" which included a ‘tornado room’ which displayed artifacts, information, and photographs of the event.

Over a year in the making, the exhibit occupied an entire room and was made possible with financial support from the city of Blackwell.

“Working with the wonderful people at the Top of Oklahoma Museum and the Udall Historical Society was the best part of the creation of the “F5 in 1955” exhibit," said Dianne Braden, tornado survivor.

On May 25, 1955, a deadly F5 tornado, part of the 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak, struck Blackwell at approximately 9:30 pm and cut a swath of destruction through the northeastern portion of the city, roughly centered in the neighborhoods surrounding Riverside Park.

The Top of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum is located in the Electric Park Pavilion and displays artifacts from the land run, antiques, and local history.

The Blackwell Public Library offers a variety of community resources as well as events, classes, and workshops.

[37] Historically, Blackwell also held the Tulips of Bloom Festival which celebrated springtime in Oklahoma.

Blackwell is home to eight locations on the National Register of Historic Places[38] including the brick WPA Armory, the Rivoli Theatre, and the Larkin Hotel where aviator Amelia Earheart stayed just six months prior to her disappearance.

[45] The Blackwell City Council currently consists of five electors holding three-year terms (or until their successors are elected and qualified.)

As recently as 2017 Huston, Northside, Parkside, and Washington Elementary Schools were used for Pre-K through 5th grade classes.

Historically, Oklahoma Baptist College served the city's higher education needs between 1901 and 1913.

Blackwell has a full-service city government, that includes, electricity, water, sewage, recreation, police and fire services.

[46] Blackwell is home to the Blackwell-Tonkawa Municipal Airport (ICAO: KBKN, FAA LID: BKN, formerly 4O3) with neighboring Tonkawa, Oklahoma.