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March 2019
Spring Break activities
Parents, give your children the opportunity to experience childhood as Will Rogers would have on his Indian Territory Ranch this March! Spring Break activities will be held March 18–22 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Will Rogers Memorial Museum and Birthplace Ranch. There will be new activities each day focusing on different aspects of Will's life, including sports, horses and riding, aviation, writing, and entertainment. Activities at Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore: Monday, March 18 Wednesday, March 20 Friday,…
Find out more »Weird and Wonderful exhibit closes
The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid opened a new exhibit titled Weird and Wonderful on Tuesday, February 26. The exhibit features treasures and mysteries from the vaults of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. It will be on display through Saturday, March 23. Please call 580-237-1907 for more information.
Find out more »Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Family Festival
The Oklahoma History Center will host the Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Family Festival on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will experience the rich agricultural heritage of America from colonial times to modern day innovations with hands-on activities and freshly cooked food. There will be more than 20 exhibitors and vendors on hand to engage visitors and provide free, hands-on activities. Samples of healthy snacks, Dutch oven cooking, chuck wagon cooking, and wholesome products from a local farmer’s market…
Find out more »Broadway Comes to Altus: Act I
You are invited to enjoy an evening of tunes from some of your favorite Broadway musicals performed by musicians under the direction of Donna Tucker at the Museum of the Western Prairie. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 25, and also at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26. The performances are free, but seating is limited to 100. Reserve your seats now by calling 580-482-1044. This delightful evening of music is hosted by the Western Trail…
Find out more »Tracing Your Roots genealogy class
The Oklahoma Historical Society and Rose State College will offer a seven-week class on the basics of genealogy beginning on March 5. Students will learn how to search for their heritage online, how to obtain free resources that are available for research, and how to access materials at the Oklahoma Historical Society. The class will conclude with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center. Learn with us as we take the mystery out of our history and…
Find out more »Broadway Comes to Altus: Act I
You are invited to enjoy an evening of tunes from some of your favorite Broadway musicals performed by musicians under the direction of Donna Tucker at the Museum of the Western Prairie. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 25, and also at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26. The performances are free, but seating is limited to 100. Reserve your seats now by calling 580-482-1044. This delightful evening of music is hosted by the Western Trail…
Find out more »Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day
The Oklahoma History Center and the Oklahoma Historical Society are proud to announce that they will recognize all Vietnam War veterans in a commemoration event on Friday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This event is in response to the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 28, 2017. The recognition celebration is open to the public at no charge and will include music by the 145th Army…
Find out more »Spring Bake Day
Visit Fort Gibson Historic Site for Spring Bake Day on Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m. The aroma of fresh-baked bread will fill the air on Garrison Hill as OHS staff and volunteers bring the bakehouse to life. Enjoy bread making demonstrations in the original wood-fired oven from 1863. Visitors can even sample the finished product! Purchase a coffee mug in the gift shop and the bakers will be happy to fill it up. Bake Day is a fundraiser and…
Find out more »Tracing Your Roots beginning genealogy class
The Chisholm Trail Museum will offer a series of classes designed to teach individuals genealogy skills and resources from the basics through advanced research. Topics include beginning genealogical research, record keeping, use of census records, accessing newspapers, American Indian genealogical research, accessing Oklahoma Historical Society archival information, identifying tools for success, and more. Tracing Your Roots beginning genealogy class will be held 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. The class will be led by Laura Martin, deputy director…
Find out more »Unsolved History: Forensic Science, Cold Cases, and Art Therapy exhibit opens
The Oklahoma History Center is proud to announce that it will host a premiere exhibition entitled, Unsolved History: Forensic Science, Cold Cases, and Art Therapy. This exhibit is comprised of 11 artistic creations by Oklahoma-based artists and art therapists who work with the families of victims in cold case crimes. Led by Shannon Hazen, Tina Adams, and Kris Newlin, and connected to the Oklahoma Homicide Survivors Support Group, artists were paired with families to participate in the project. Each piece…
Find out more »April 2019
Tracing Your Roots genealogy class
The Oklahoma Historical Society and Rose State College will offer a seven-week class on the basics of genealogy beginning on March 5. Students will learn how to search for their heritage online, how to obtain free resources that are available for research, and how to access materials at the Oklahoma Historical Society. The class will conclude with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center. Learn with us as we take the mystery out of our history and…
Find out more »Hammered Aluminum Ware exhibit opens
The Friends of the Fred Drummond Home are happy to announce a new Hammered Aluminum Ware exhibit during the month of April. Visitors can view beautiful examples of hammered aluminum metalware, such as salad dishes, cookie trays, and pitchers with matching tumblers. From the early 1900s up to the 1950s, when most housewives were expected to entertain, many would use cheaper, lighter hammered aluminum for their card games, birthday celebrations, church events and monthly coffee socials with the neighbors. With…
Find out more »“A Narrative Chronicling the Life of Cynthia Ann Parker: A Living History Program” presented by Jennie Buchanan
On Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m., the Museum of the Western Prairie will present "A Narrative Chronicling the Life of Cynthia Ann Parker: A Living History Program." In 1836 during an Indian raid on Parker’s Fort (near present-day Waco, Texas), nine-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped, and five members of her family were killed. Adopted into the Comanche tribe, she lived with them for twenty-five years until Texas Rangers recaptured her and returned her to the Parker family. This…
Find out more »Barn Quilt workshop *class is full*
Please note: this workshop is full. Join us at the Chisholm Trail Museum for our spring Barn Quilt workshop. Barn quilts are square-shaped boards, which have been painted to resemble a quilt block and placed on a structure. Barn quilts have evolved into a rural development initiative to boost tourism in communities. Through the development and promotion of barn quilt trails, tourists are encouraged to visit and explore all that rural communities have to offer. The creation of barn quilts in…
Find out more »Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association regional meeting
Experience live blacksmithing at the northeast regional meeting of the Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association! The Cherokee Strip Museum will host the group's April meeting, and you are invited to come out and see how it is done! If you are interested in learning this age-old skill, this is a great opportunity to meet the craftsmen. This event will be Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission to the blacksmith shop and demonstration is free. Admission to the…
Find out more »Family Day at the Ranch
The Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch will host Family Day on Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. Jacob Krumwiede, Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch manager, will introduce families to preparing and planting kitchen gardens. In a spot behind the ranch house, Krumwiede will describe the purpose of a kitchen garden, vegetables and herbs that would have been planted by Will Rogers’s mother and how that produce would have been used. Visitors will help prepare the soil and plant seeds they…
Find out more »Tracing Your Roots genealogy class
The Oklahoma Historical Society and Rose State College will offer a seven-week class on the basics of genealogy beginning on March 5. Students will learn how to search for their heritage online, how to obtain free resources that are available for research, and how to access materials at the Oklahoma Historical Society. The class will conclude with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center. Learn with us as we take the mystery out of our history and…
Find out more »“Basket Weaving” Second Saturday Demo
Fort Towson Historic Site will host “Basket Weaving,” its Second Saturday Demo, on April 13. Participants will learn the art of basket weaving in the hands-on class, and will take home a finished basket. The cost of the class is $45 and all supplies are included. For more information about the event, please call John Davis at 580-873-2634 or email jdavis@okhistory.org. Fort Towson Historic Site is located north of US 70 near Fort Towson.
Find out more »Quilting workshop with Martha Ray
Visit the Sod House Museum southeast of Aline for a quilting workshop on Saturday. The workshop will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. with instructor Martha Ray, and the cost is $5 per person. For more information please contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.
Find out more »“Trappers, Traders, and Hunters of the Plains” living history event
On Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher will host a variety of living history interpreters for “Trappers, Traders, and Hunters of the Plains,” a day filled with adventure. Trappers, traders, and hunters lived a rugged life providing pelts, furs and more for businesses in the East. Visitors can explore the lives of early trappers and traders, buffalo hunters and more. Living history demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the day, and activities…
Find out more »Dutch Oven Cooking class
The Oklahoma History Center will hold a Dutch Oven Cooking class on Saturday, April 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. Learn a variety of historic recipes as you create a dish and discover how to use a Dutch oven in your backyard in a hands-on cooking class for teens and adults. The cost is $20 for OHS members and $30 for the general public and includes all necessary materials. Registration is open now and will close on April 3. For more…
Find out more »Tracing Your Roots genealogy class
The Oklahoma Historical Society and Rose State College will offer a seven-week class on the basics of genealogy beginning on March 5. Students will learn how to search for their heritage online, how to obtain free resources that are available for research, and how to access materials at the Oklahoma Historical Society. The class will conclude with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center. Learn with us as we take the mystery out of our history and…
Find out more »Historic Preservation Review Committee meeting
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Review Committee’s (HPRC) meeting schedule for 2019. The governor appoints the members of the HPRC to advise the SHPO about nominations to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and other preservation issues. Current HPRC members include Ron Frantz (architect, Oklahoma City); John Hartley (prehistoric archaeologist, Norman); Shirley Ballard Nero (historian, Clearview); Jana Phillips (architectural historian, Stillwater); and Charles Wallis (historical archaeologist, Norman). The HPRC’s 2019…
Find out more »Mysteries of the Mansion tour
Visit the Henry Overholser Mansion in Oklahoma City for a Mysteries of the Mansion tour on Thursday at 7 p.m. This extended tour allows guests to tour the mansion at night, examine archival materials, and hear some amazing stories. Guests are asked to RSVP in advance and the cost is $20 per person. To make a reservation for this special tour, please call 405-525-5325 or email overholsermansion@preservationok.org. The Overholser Mansion is owned by the OHS and managed by Preservation Oklahoma,…
Find out more »90th annual Easter Egg Hunt
On Saturday, April 20, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will host its 90th annual Easter Egg Hunt. The Egg Hunt is cosponsored by the local Pawnee Lions Club and it will begin promptly at 10 a.m., signaled by Pawnee Bill (portrayed by Kevin Webb) firing his pistol. The egg hunt attracts hundreds of children and their families and is spread out over many acres of the historic site. Thousands of eggs will be hidden, including prize eggs containing money…
Find out more »Presentation on Major General James G. Blunt by Bart Taylor
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is excited to announce a special presentation to be held at the battlefield’s Visitor Center on Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m. Bart Taylor, park interpreter for the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas, will present on the historical significance of Union Major General James G. Blunt to the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi West theater “from Prairie Grove to Honey Springs and everything in between.” Taylor will be dressed in period Civil…
Find out more »Sunrise Service and Easter Fundraiser Breakfast
On Sunday, April 21, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will host its annual nondenominational Sunrise Service and Easter Fundraiser Breakfast. The service begins at approximately 7 a.m. on Blue Hawk Peak, the highest point on the ranch grounds. The service is led by the Pawnee Ministerial Alliance and is a community-wide tradition. Immediately following the service, the Friends of the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association will serve a breakfast to raise money for ranch programs. The breakfast will consist of…
Find out more »Oklahoma History and Preservation Conference
April 24–26, 2019 | Chickasha, Oklahoma Presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office This year, the Oklahoma History Conference and the Statewide Preservation Conference have joined to become the Oklahoma History and Preservation Conference. This combined conference will feature twenty sessions pertaining to Oklahoma’s heritage and historic preservation. The 2019 Oklahoma History and Preservation Conference will be held April 24–26, 2019, at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) in Chickasha, Oklahoma. This…
Find out more »“Great American Songbook” Kilgen Organ performance featuring Donna Parker
The Oklahoma History Center is proud to present the spring performance of the Kilgen Organ with organist Donna Parker. The program will be Monday, April 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and will take place in the Devon Great Hall. Parker will perform the “Great American Songbook,” a program that will entertain listeners with a wide selection of favorites traditionally played on a theatre organ. Ticket are $10 for Oklahoma Historical Society members and $20 for nonmembers, and may be…
Find out more »November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone presentation by author Lou Berney
The Museum of the Western Prairie will host a presentation by Oklahoma author Lou Berny on Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Berney is a two-time Edgar Award-nominated author who teaches in the Red Earth Master of Fine Arts program at Oklahoma City University. Berney’s book November Road is a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America set against the backdrop of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It is a story…
Find out more »May 2019
Oklahoma National History Day contest
National History Day is more than an academic exercise for thousands of Oklahoma junior high and high school students; it is a tradition. On May 1–2, more than 500 students in grades 6 through 12 will present their exhibits, documentaries, performances, websites, and papers at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City for the opportunity to advance to the National History Day contest. Due to the size of the event, there will be gallery closures on these days. Please call…
Find out more »The Section 106 Review Process: A Workshop for Agency Officials and Cultural Resource Management Consultants
The Oklahoma Historical Society State Historic Preservation Office May workshop series will be held May 8–10, 2019, in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Section 106 Review Process: A Workshop for Agency Officials and Cultural Resource Management Consultants workshop will be Wednesday, May 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act provides that Federal agencies must consider the effect of their undertakings…
Find out more »Working with the National Register of Historic Places workshop
The Oklahoma Historical Society State Historic Preservation Office May workshop series will be held May 8–10, 2019, in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Working with the National Register of Historic Places workshop will be held Thursday, May 9, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. The National Register of Historic Places is the foundation of the SHPO's programs, and a basic understanding of the register is essential for those…
Find out more »Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings workshop
The Oklahoma Historical Society State Historic Preservation Office May workshop series will be held May 8–10, 2019, in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings workshop will be Friday, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In this workshop, participants will learn about the federal and state investment tax credits for certified rehabilitation of a certified historic structure. A detailed discussion of the Historic Preservation…
Find out more »The Secretary’s Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings workshop
The Oklahoma Historical Society State Historic Preservation Office May workshop series will be held May 8–10, 2019, in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Secretary's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings workshop will be Friday, May 10, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The workshop features a discussion of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitation. Generally known as The Standards, these common-sense principles are widely used in…
Find out more »Quilting workshop with Martha Ray
Visit the Sod House Museum southeast of Aline for a quilting workshop on Saturday. The workshop will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. with instructor Martha Ray, and the cost is $5 per person. For more information please contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.
Find out more »“Hugo Lake Dam Tour” Second Saturday Demo
On Saturday, May 11, the Second Saturday Demo at Fort Towson Historic Site will take to the road. Participants will meet at 1 p.m. at Fort Towson and then proceed to the Hugo Lake Dam near Sawyer for a tour of the inner workings of this water control structure. Chris Lynch will guide visitors on this unique experience and explain the details of the dam. For more information about the event, please call John Davis at 580-873-2634 or email jdavis@okhistory.org.…
Find out more »Mysteries of the Mansion tour
Visit the Henry Overholser Mansion in Oklahoma City for a Mysteries of the Mansion tour on Thursday at 7 p.m. This extended tour allows guests to tour the mansion at night, examine archival materials, and hear some amazing stories. Guests are asked to RSVP in advance and the cost is $20 per person. To make a reservation for this special tour, please call 405-525-5325 or email overholsermansion@preservationok.org. The Overholser Mansion is owned by the OHS and managed by Preservation Oklahoma,…
Find out more »“The First Indian Home Guard” presentation by author Dr. Jane Johansson
Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is honored to announce a special presentation, “The First Indian Home Guard,” to be held at the battlefield’s Visitor Center on Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. Dr. Jane Johansson, professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Rogers State University and editor of the book Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards, and the Civil War on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier will speak about the regiment’s unique history in relation to…
Find out more »Smoke Over Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs of Preston George exhibit closes
The Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher will host a traveling exhibit, Smoke Over Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs of Preston George, from February 1 through May 31, 2019. This unique exhibit from the Oklahoma History Center features 1930s and 1940s images from the collection of railroad photographs taken by Preston George. George photographed trains in his spare time while working as a civil engineer in Colorado and Oklahoma. Born in 1906 in Indian Territory, George’s interest in trains began at an…
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