Press Release
May 27, 2026
Contact: Michael Williams
Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-282-1889
[email protected]
okhistory.org/territorialmuseum
History of Territorial Medicine to be Highlighted in Lecture at Oklahoma Territorial Museum in Guthrie
GUTHRIE, Okla. — Join the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library on Wednesday, June 10, from 7 to 8 p.m. for a lecture on the history of Territorial medicine with Ben Folger, a Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma. Folger will be presenting his research on medical frontiers in Oklahoma, their relation to the history of tribal medicine and the professionalism of medicine. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Folger is a first-year Ph.D. student at OU studying the history of medicine in the American West. He graduated from OU in 2022, earning his master’s degree with his thesis entitled, “‘A great mass of incompetent men’: Contested medical frontiers in Oklahoma, 1880-1940,” which examined trends in the professionalization of medicine in Oklahoma. Ben looks to continue exploring the relationship between Colonial-era violence and histories of medicine in the American West in his doctoral work.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum is located at 406 E. Oklahoma Ave. in Guthrie. For more information, please call 405-282-1889.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.
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Editor’s Note: Photos of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library are available upon request.
