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Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues exhibit open
The exhibit Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues which tells the complex history of Negro Leagues baseball, is now open at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC). It is a truly American story, full of aspiration, injustice, triumph, and complexity.
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.
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The leagues also provided a structure for Black agency and entrepreneurship. In February 1920, African American team owners convened at a YMCA in Kansas City to form a league of their own, the Negro National League (NNL). The NNL and the other professional Black baseball leagues that followed created a forum where star players could showcase a style of speed, daring and showmanship that would come to characterize the special excitement of Negro League play.
This traveling exhibition was curated by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation of Negro Leagues baseball history. The exhibit will remain open at CSRHC through Sunday, April 21.
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TOMORROW!
All-Black Towns in Oklahoma
On Thursday, February 8, the State Historic Preservation Office will hold a free webinar, which will be the first installment of the 2024 Speaker Series, “Everyday Oklahoma: Fascinating Stories about Familiar Places.” Featured speakers Gina Sofola and Kory Van Hemert will explore the topic of All-Black Towns in Oklahoma.
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Gina Sofola (pictured at right), AICP, is president and owner of Sofola & Associates, Inc. will discuss her collaboration with the All-Black town of Tullahassee to restore the National Register-listed A. J. Mason Building, seen as a centerpiece of the town’s broader revitalization efforts. Kory Van Hemert (pictured left) who is the architectural historian for Stantec, will speak about ongoing efforts to document historic resources associated with All-Black towns.
The free webinar will occur online on Thursday, February 8, at 2 p.m., Central Time, lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes.
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Take a closer look at
All-Black towns of Oklahoma
"The All-Black towns of Oklahoma represent a unique chapter in American history. Nowhere else, neither in the Deep South nor in the Far West, did so many African American men and women come together to create, occupy, and govern their own communities. From 1865 to 1920 African Americans created more than fifty identifiable towns and settlements, some of short duration and some still existing at the beginning of the twenty-first century." Read more about All-Black towns of Oklahoma in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
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STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE WEBINAR
Lunch and Learn webinar: “Preserving Dr. Wyatt Hardy Slaughter’s Home and Family Legacy”
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at noon, The State Historic Preservation Office will hold a free webinar session of the “Lunch and Learn” series focused on the efforts underway to preserve the home and family legacy of Dr. Wyatt Hardy Slaughter (1872–1952), Oklahoma City’s first Black doctor, and his wife, Mrs. Edna Randolph-Slaughter.
Register for the free webinar by clicking here.
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Kilgen Theatre Organ performance featuring Tedde Gibson and the silent film Captain January
On Monday, February 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a Kilgen Theatre Organ performance will be held in the Devon Great Hall at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) featuring organist Tedde Gibson accompanying the silent film Captain January (1924).
Tedde Gibson's Kilgen Theatre Organ performance will feature the American silent film Captain January (1924), featuring the child star Baby Peggy, a.k.a. Diana Serra Cary, one of the last actresses to have a substantial career in silent films.
Tedde Gibson is one of a few musicians able to play classical and theatre pipe organ as well as jazz and gospel on the Hammond and piano. He integrates these styles into his theatre and classical pipe organ playing—the ultimate vehicle to showcase his talents.
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2024 Oklahoma Historical Society Awards Banquet
On Thursday, March 21, at 6 p.m., the Oklahoma Historical Society will celebrate the contributions of Oklahoma historians at the 2024 Oklahoma Historical Society Awards Banquet at the Oklahoma History Center.
Each year, the Awards Banquet brings together historians, educators, and civic leaders to honor individuals in our state who have made a significant impact on our understanding of Oklahoma history.
This year, the Oklahoma Historical Society is honored to induct Hannibal B. Johnson and Debra Echo-Hawk to the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame for their lifelong contributions to Oklahoma history. The event will also honor Representative Bob Ed Culver and Senator Kevin Matthews for their leadership in collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of the state of Oklahoma. Additional awards will be presented to outstanding educators, students, writers, and projects around the state.
For a complete list of award winners and event details, please click here. Ticket sales will close on March 11, 2024. For event information or sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch with Brittney Berling, development officer at brittney.berling@history.ok.gov.
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Click event listings below for more information.
8 - Everyday Oklahoma: Fascinating Stories about Familiar Places: “All-Black Towns in Oklahoma” webinar, State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
9 - Museum After Dark: Date Night at the Museum, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
10 - Quilting Workshop, Sod House Museum, Aline
10 - “Crochet a Little: Flowers for Valentine’s Day” workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
11 - Osage Ribbonwork Class with Ruth Shaw **class is full,** White Hair Memorial, Hominy
13 - Lunch and Learn: “Preserving Dr. Wyatt H. Slaughter’s Home and Family Legacy” webinar, State Historic Preservation Office
14 - “Pal”-entine’s Mixer, Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Ponca City
14 - Valentine’s Day Couples Night, Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum, Ponca City
15 - From the Stacks: Readings from the Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Guthrie
16 - Art Night, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
17 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
19 - Kilgen Theatre Organ performance featuring Tedde Gibson and the silent film Captain January (1924), Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
23 - Movie Night featuring Ernest Goes to Jail (1994), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
24 - "Make Your Own Tea Blend: Grown in Oklahoma" workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
26–27 - Will’s Garage Sale, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
28 - OkNHD Professional Development workshop for Teachers, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford
29 - Antique Doll exhibit closes, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
1 - Trust and Betrayal in Osage Country exhibit closes, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1 - Pioneer Mother Monuments: Constructing Cultural Memory discussion and book signing presented by Cynthia Culver Prescott, Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum, Ponca City
2 - Encountering John Brown exhibit closes, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
2 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
2 - Oklahoma Women’s History Conference, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
2 - Poetry Writing and Zine Making class, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - Bob Wills Day, Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City
6 - Lunch and Learn: “Creativity in the Preservation World: How to Reach a Younger Generation” with Jessica Scott, State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
7 - Living History Education Day, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
8 - Museum After Dark: Lantern Tours, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
8–9 - 1840s Encampment, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
9 - Quilting Workshop, Sod House Museum, Aline
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 Music Supervisor Zelia Breaux leading a rehersal with a group of students from the Douglass High School orchestra, 1946 (2012.201.B0104.0626, OPUBCO Collection, OHS).
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Masthead image: Photograph of Mrs. Zelia Page Breaux (18429, Elwyn Welch Collection, Oklahoma Historical Society Photograph Collection).
To read more about the life of musician and educator Zelia Page Breaux (1880–1956), written by Hannah D. Atkins, click here.
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