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April 2024
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meetings are scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. However, Executive Committee meetings are not usually held on the months in which the full board meets. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at okhistory.org/BOARD. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105.
Find out more »Historic Preservation Review Committee meeting
The regular quarterly meeting of the Historic Preservation Review Committee (HPRC) will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The HPRC will meet in the Leroy H. Fischer Boardroom, Oklahoma History Center (third floor), located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK. The public is invited to attend. (NOTE: If you are a person with a disability and require accommodation, please contact Lynda Ozan at 405-522-4484 or lynda.ozan@history.ok.gov by noon on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.) Additionally,…
Find out more »From the Stacks: Readings from the Carnegie Library
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library in Guthrie will offer the evening educational program, From the Stacks: Readings from the Carnegie Library, examining various book titles. The series will take place at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of January, February, March, and April inside the Carnegie Library. OTM curator/registrar Michael Williams will lead the discussion, exploring the historical context in which the authors lived and wrote the works. Save the dates below, which list the books and authors chosen for the…
Find out more »Thursday Night Learning Lecture: Will Rogers and His America with author Gary Clayton Anderson
On Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m., author Gary Clayton Anderson will make a presentation about his book Will Rogers and His America (2023). Anderson is a George Lynn Cross Research professor at the University of Oklahoma. He will discuss the title, its new afterword, and the differences he found between the cowboy-trick-roping Will Rogers and the widely-read journalist. He points out Will’s influence during the social, political, and economic transformations of the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression. The first…
Find out more »Fort Gibson Education Day **full**
**The Fort Gibson Education Day event is completely full due to high demand.** On Friday, April 19, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., the Fort Gibson Historic Site will host its annual Education Day. The site will be closed to the general public/nonschool groups on that day. Living Historians will set up various stations across the grounds depicting multiple aspects of life in the 1800s. The stations one can expect will feature the lives of 1830s and mid-19th-century soldiers, the…
Find out more »Movie Night featuring Will Rogers in A Connecticut Yankee (1931)
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a FREE Movie Night featuring the film A Connecticut Yankee (1931) in its theater on Friday, April 19. Admission to the movie is free, and guests can also enjoy free popcorn and drinks while watching the film, thanks to the Bank of Commerce’s sponsorship. Because seating is limited, the doors will open at 6 p.m. Please call 918-341-0719 for more information.
Find out more »200th Anniversary Commemoration
The Fort Gibson Historic Site will commemorate the bicentennial of its site on April 20. Fort Gibson was established in 1824 in Indian Territory. It was the first U.S. military post in what would become the state of Oklahoma and was further west than any other post in the United States at that time. The town of Fort Gibson will mark the anniversary with a community parade that starts at 10 a.m. and ends at the historic site. Opening ceremonies…
Find out more »Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues exhibit closes
The exhibit Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues, which tells the complex history of Negro Leagues baseball, will remain on display at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) through Sunday, April 21.
The interactive exhibit explores the history of Black baseball, through chronological chapters. From the beginning, the leagues had their roots in racism, the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” that effectively shut Black ballplayers out of big league competition for the first half of the 20th century.
Find out more »Something to Grow About: Earth Day Native Plant and Seed Swap
Gardeners and eco-enthusiasts will delight in the celebration of Earth Day at the Pawnee Bill Ranch on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A native plant swap, a seed buffet, and loads of gardening tips, tricks, and activities will be a part of the “Something to Grow About” event. Join in sharing plants and seeds. Participants are encouraged to bring labeled seeds and plants for the swap. Agricultural experts will be available to teach about planting techniques,…
Find out more »History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip
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 four historic territorial buildings in the Humphrey Heritage Village come to life with reenactors dressed in period clothing from the late 1800s. Attendees can sit at school desks in the Turkey Creek one-room schoolhouse while lessons are…
Find out more »“Glass and a Glass!” – Pendants, Magnets, and Keychains
This spring, artist Audrey Schmitz and Pioneer Woman Museum are offering two “Glass and a Glass!” sessions—the popular interactive glass fusing class for adults. The classes will take place on Saturday, April 20. Each participant can select either the 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. session and will create two custom items—either pendants, magnets, or keychains—included in the $25 registration fee. During the class, participants will also learn about the art of fused glass and try their hand at “inclusions” while…
Find out more »Pinhole Camera Workshop with Jim Meeks
On Saturday, April 20, from 1 to 4 p.m., photographer and artist Jim Meeks will provide an introduction and historical overview of pinhole cameras. In the class, students will have the opportunity to make their own pinhole cameras. Meeks will also lead the group in creating a camera obscura using the classroom space to explore the concept of creating pinhole images. Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day is Sunday, April 28! Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers. In the…
Find out more »“Glass and a Glass!” – Pendants, Magnets, and Keychains
This spring, artist Audrey Schmitz and Pioneer Woman Museum are offering two “Glass and a Glass!” sessions—the popular interactive glass fusing class for adults. The classes will take place on Saturday, April 20. Each participant can select either the 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. session and will create two custom items—either pendants, magnets, or keychains—included in the $25 registration fee. During the class, participants will also learn about the art of fused glass and try their hand at “inclusions” while…
Find out more »“Poultry of Antiquity: Using Historical Techniques to Raise Poultry Breeds” program
On Saturday, April 27, from 1 to 3 p.m., Hunter’s Home will host a workshop to teach historical techniques about raising chicken breeds, some dating back centuries, that lived in Indian Territory in the 1840s and 1850s. This workshop will cover the background history of several chicken breeds that are readily available, where to find them, and how to raise them using historical techniques. Did you know today you can raise chickens whose ancestors lived during the reign of Julius…
Find out more »“Dirt Tells the Story of Our History” talk with Christina Rich-Splawn
On Saturday, April 27, at The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Christina Rich-Splawn will give a talk about her passion for archaeology and history. She will have a show-and-tell with some artifacts and discuss some archaeological digs she has attended. There will also be a discussion about the importance of maintaining, interpreting, and honoring our prehistoric and historic sites. Follow the Pioneer Woman Museum on Facebook. The talk with Christina Rich-Splawn is free to the public, and light refreshments will…
Find out more »May 2024
Oklahoma National History Day State Contest
Oklahoma National History Day is more than an academic exercise for thousands of Oklahoma junior high and high school students; it is a tradition. On Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, the 2024 OkNHD State Contest will be held in person at the Oklahoma History Center. The junior division contest will be on Wednesday, May 1, and the senior division contest will be on Thursday, May 2. Awards will be given each day at 2:30 p.m. Following the awards…
Find out more »Oklahoma National History Day State Contest
Oklahoma National History Day is more than an academic exercise for thousands of Oklahoma junior high and high school students; it is a tradition. On Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, the 2024 OkNHD State Contest will be held in person at the Oklahoma History Center. The junior division contest will be on Wednesday, May 1, and the senior division contest will be on Thursday, May 2. Awards will be given each day at 2:30 p.m. Following the awards…
Find out more »Boots, Beer, & BBQ Gala Dinner
Come to the Chisholm Trail Museum on May 2, from 6 to 8 p.m., for a unique spin on the museum's annual gala event, Boots, Beer, and BBQ. The evening will feature live music by the Red Dirt Rangers, BBQ and sides prepared by a working chuck wagon, drinks, dancing, and more on the lawn at Horizon Hill. This annual event helps support the museum and its mission. This event is for adults ages 21 and older. Each participant will…
Find out more »“Hunter Trapper” Living History program begins
Come to the Fort Gibson Historic Site on Fridays and Saturdays in the month of May to learn more about the life of a Hunter/Trapper in the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Long before Fort Gibson was established, hunters and trappers in Indian Territory hunted and trapped fur-bearing animals for the purpose of trading for goods. Once Fort Gibson was established, hunters and trappers were pivotal to a successful economy, which had a larger part in the development of America. Fort…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meeting
The Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meetings occur on the 4th Wednesday of the first month of each quarter at 1:30 p.m. with the exception of the May meeting which will take place on Friday, May 3, also at 1:30 p.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at okhistory.org/BOARD. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105.
Find out more »“Perspectives in History” The Oklahoma History Symposium
Join us on Saturday, May 4, for “Perspectives in History.” Presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), the Oklahoma History Symposium is held each spring at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This one-day symposium offers scholars, historians, authors, and museum professionals a forum to share their work with history enthusiasts. The Oklahoma History Symposium is free and open to the public! Click here to register and for the full details about the event.
Find out more »Spring on the Farm
Learn about 19th-century agriculture at Hunter’s Home on Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. as staff prepare for the upcoming growing season. Adults and children can observe the gardens, fields and animals while learning how farms were prepared for the changing seasons. Sheep shearing and other demonstrations will be happening at the event. There will also be a story time and craft for kids. Staff will talk about the importance of bees and gardens. “Spring on the Farm” is…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Membership Meeting
A meeting of the membership of the Oklahoma Historical Society will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 10 a.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at okhistory.org/BOARD. This meeting will be held in person at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
Find out more »Blacksmithing Demonstration
On Saturday, May 4, the Cherokee Strip Museum will be holding a Blacksmithing Demonstration in the blacksmith shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can enjoy watching the craftsmen work and will have an opportunity for safe hands-on experiences. Families are welcome to attend and watch the demonstrations inside the Blacksmith Shop on the grounds of the Cherokee Strip Museum. For more information about all of the activities planned, please call 580-336-2405. Free admission for all, but donations are…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors Organizational Meeting
An organizational meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10:15 a.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at okhistory.org/BOARD. This meeting will be held in person at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
Find out more »History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip
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 four historic territorial buildings in the Humphrey Heritage Village come to life with reenactors dressed in period clothing from the late 1800s. Attendees can sit at school desks in the Turkey Creek one-room schoolhouse while lessons are…
Find out more »From Our Hands exhibit opening
A new exhibition, opening May 6, entitled From Our Hands, will be on display at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center through July 6. The exhibit will include various works of art created by Oklahoma Native American artists. The work on display will include Burgess Roye (Ponca) (1944 - 2015), Paladine Roye (Ponca) (1946 - 2001), Penny Coates (Potawatomi), and Amber DuBoise-Shepherd (Prairie Band Potawatomi/Sac and Fox) as part of the annual Spring Art exhibit series. The exhibition will be…
Find out more »Virtual Field Trip with Dr. Theodore Gonzalves
On Monday, May 6, the Oklahoma History Center Museum’s Learning and Engagement department will host a virtual field trip in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. The session for elementary students is from 10 to 11 a.m., and the high school session is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dr. Theodore Gonzalves, curator of Asian Pacific American History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will discuss artifacts and objects featured in his book Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101…
Find out more »Virtual Field Trip with Dr. Theodore Gonzalves
On Monday, May 6, the Oklahoma History Center Museum’s Learning and Engagement department will host a virtual field trip in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. The session for elementary students is from 10 to 11 a.m., and the high school session is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dr. Theodore Gonzalves, curator of Asian Pacific American History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will discuss artifacts and objects featured in his book Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101…
Find out more »Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
On Wednesday, May 8, at 10 a.m. (Central Time), the State Historic Preservation Office will present a free webinar to provide training on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires federal agencies to consider projects' effects on important historical resources before funding, constructing, or permitting them. This training is intended (1) to provide a broad introduction to Section 106 and (2) to provide you with the information and…
Find out more »Oklahoma Restaurant Roundtable
On Wednesday, May 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center, in collaboration with the Bigger Than Food Foundation, will host a roundtable discussion on the history and evolution of the food industry and restaurants. This roundtable will feature historians and current restaurant owners from the Oklahoma City metro. The discussion will take place in the Chesapeake Event Center from 6- 8 p.m., followed by a networking hour from 8-9 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. This is…
Find out more »Drafting and Executing Section 106 Agreement Documents with the OKSHPO
On Thursday, May 9, at 10 a.m. (Central Time), the State Historic Preservation Office will host a free webinar on drafting and executing Section 106 agreement documents with the Oklahoma SHPO office. This workshop, led by Kristina Wyckoff, will expand upon the Section 106 agreement documents provided in the Section 106 workshop. This will include a review of Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) and Programmatic Agreements (PA); the purpose each type of document serves in the Section 106 process; a review…
Find out more »Quilting Workshop
The Quilting Workshop meets on the second Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Sod House Museum for $5 per person. Learn 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, camaraderie, refreshments, discussions, quilt patterns, and old-fashioned bed turnings at the next quilting workshop. Proceeds directly fund Sod…
Find out more »Civil War-Era Music Program
Honey Springs Battlefield will host a Civil War-Era music program on Saturday, May 11, at 1 p.m. The Loco Focos and Shadow Ridge bands will play songs of the Civil War period as closely as possible to their original form while using period instruments. Guests are also encouraged to explore the east and west gallery exhibit halls, which feature a 3D theater, 14 audio players with recordings from first-hand written accounts of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Honey…
Find out more »OU/OAS Archaeological Field School at Spiro Mounds begins
From May 13 to June 12, the University of Oklahoma students and faculty and the Oklahoma Archeological Survey staff will perform a month of excavations at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center. Visitors are welcome to observe the research and ask questions while the group works. Under the direction of Dr. Scott Hammerstedt, Dr. Amanda Regnier, and Dr. Patrick Livingood, students will be excavating areas of interest at the Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center as the only pre-European contact site in Oklahoma. This…
Find out more »The Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program Overview
On Monday, May 13, from 10 to 11 a.m., the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will have a free webinar featuring an overview of the Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program. Sara Werneke will be the featured presenter. 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 Certification Application, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will guide owners and developers in successfully preparing the information…
Find out more »The Historic Preservation Tax Credit: A Case Study
On Tuesday, May 14, from 10 to 11 a.m., the State Historic Preservation Office will offer a free webinar entitled “The Historic Preservation Tax Credit: A Case Study.” Sara Werneke will be the featured presenter. Knowing what should be in a Historic Preservation Tax Credit project submission can be daunting. Even knowing where to start can be overwhelming. In this workshop, Werneke will use a case study of an actual tax credit project that successfully went through the process and…
Find out more »“Asian American and Pacific Islander Experiences in Oklahoma: A Historical Journey”
On Tuesday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center will highlight the history, heritage, and contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Oklahoma with “Asian American and Pacific Islander Experiences in Oklahoma: A Historical Journey.” This lunch and learn session will also honor individuals who have contributed to the culture of Oklahoma. From 11-11:30 a.m., author Amy Le will be available for a book signing. Le is the award-winning author of…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meetings are scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. However, Executive Committee meetings are not usually held on the months in which the full board meets. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at okhistory.org/BOARD. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105.
Find out more »Summer Sounds Concert featuring Jason Scott and High Heat
Join The Chisholm on the third Thursday of May, June, July, and August for a free Summer Sounds Concert series. Plan to come early and enjoy dinner from a featured food truck beginning at 6 p.m. Then, spread out your favorite blanket or set up a comfy lawn chair and enjoy live music from 7:00 – 8:30 at Horizon Hill, the home of territorial governor A.J. Seay. Each month will feature a unique group of Oklahoma musicians and a local…
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