EXTRA! - He wore the star

See the Discover Greatness exhibit at CSRHC

Explore the chronological chapters through 90 photos that illustrate the history of Black baseball through the exhibit Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues, now on display at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center.

From the beginning, the leagues had their roots in racism with the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” that effectively shut Black ballplayers out of big-league competition for the first half of the 20th century. Despite their eventual demise, the Negro Leagues defined a critical chapter of baseball’s full story, shining a bright light on scores of African American ballplayers whose greatness might have otherwise, tragically, gone undiscovered. The cost of this exhibit is included with the purchase of regular museum admission and will be on display in the Mabee Foundation Gallery through April 20.

Did you know?

Wilber “Bullet” Rogan (pictured above), also known as “Bullet Joe,” was a pitcher and outfielder who played most of his baseball career for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Baseball Leagues as a pitcher, outfielder, and manager. Nicknamed for his quick, no-windup delivery of fastball pitches, he led Kansas City to four Negro National League titles. Rogan was born on July 28, 1893, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Learn more about the history of Black baseball in Oklahoma by clicking here.

THIS LAND IS HERLAND

Women's History Conference 

The Oklahoma History Center will host a free Oklahoma Women’s History Conference on Saturday, March 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. The moderators will be Sarah Eppler Janda and Patricia Loughlin, the editors of This Land is Herland: Gendered Activism in Oklahoma from the 1870s to the 2010s (2021).

The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. It will take place at the Oklahoma History Center, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. 

IN FULL SWING

Bob Wills Day at the Capitol

The annual celebration of Oklahoma music icon Bob Wills returns to the Oklahoma State Capitol on Monday, March 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event commemorates the life and legacy of the “King of Western Swing” with live performances in the Capitol’s second-floor rotunda.

Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, under the direction of Jason Roberts, will be headlining this year’s event. Guest fiddle player and vocalist Katie Shore will join them. Additional performers include Jay Steagall & The Part-Timers, Kyle Dillingham, Greg Burgess, and the Oklahoma Swing. Tracy Pitcox will emcee the event.

The Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Historical Society are sponsoring this event. The OKPOP Museum will be on site to display items from the Bob Wills collection. The event is made possible partly through the folk and traditional arts initiative of the Mid-America Arts Alliance. 

Lunch and Learn free webinar

The State Historic Preservation Office offers free webinars on a regular basis. As a continuation of the “Lunch and Learn” series, on Wednesday, March 6, at noon, Jessica Scott will lead a webinar presentation entitled  "Creativity in the Preservation World: How to Reach a Younger Generation.” She is the Director of Community Development in Ardmore. 

One example of creativity in preservation is the Main Street Kids Activity Book, utilized by the city to educate junior preservationists. Through word games, puzzles, fun facts, and coloring book pages, budding historians can explore the history of Ardmore’s most historic buildings. Register for the webinar by clicking here.

Museum After Dark: Lantern Tours

The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is hosting its annual “Museum After Dark: Lantern Tour” event on Friday, March 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. in the historic Humphrey Heritage Village. Living history interpreters will entertain and educate visitors while sharing their unique historical perspective of life in northwestern Oklahoma before statehood. Short vignettes from living history interpreters will occur at each of the stops on the tour.

Tickets are $7 per person and can be purchased by clicking here. The special lantern tours begin at 7 p.m., with a new group starting every 20 minutes. The last group will begin at 9 p.m. For more information about the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, please call 580-237-1907 or visit www.csrhc.org.

SAVE THE DATES!

The Oklahoma Historical Society will commemorate the bicentennial of Fort Gibson and Fort Towson this year. Both forts were established in 1824 in Indian Territory—and 2024 marks 200 years since their inception.

Fort Gibson Historic Site will host a 200th Commemoration on Saturday, April 20. It was the first US military post in what would become the state of Oklahoma (and it was further west than any other post in the United States at that time). It was located near the confluence of the Verdigris, Neosho (Grand), and Arkansas Rivers.

Fort Towson Historic Site will host a 200th Anniversary Commemoration on Saturday, May 18. Situated near the Red River, Fort Towson initially served as an outpost on the border between the United States and Mexico (present-day Texas). 

Living History Education Day

On Thursday, March 7, the Fort Towson Historic Site will bring history to life with Living History Education Day—a free event!

Living historians will demonstrate historical skills and educate guests while wearing period clothing, teaching visitors what life was like at Fort Towson in the past. Living History Education Day will present multiple learning experiences about life at the military outpost during the 1840s, when it was a vital resupply point for soldiers headed south to engage in the Mexican-American War.

The event is open to the public. Groups need to register before the event. Call 580-873-2634 or email fttowson@history.ok.gov to register for Living History Education Day.

A new video series entitled Towson Tales is being created by the staff of the Fort Towson Historic Site to commemorate 200 years since the establishment of Fort Towson. The first video produced for the series introduced a brief history of the site and its establishment in 1824. Future videos will be based on first-person historical documents, letters, reports, and newspaper accounts that paint a picture of life at the military site. The latest installment, entitled “My Love to All,” recounts a letter written by Brevet Second Lieutenant James Engle to his mother in October 1826. Through reading the letter, historical interpreter David C. Reed shares the details of the soldier’s life at the post, which later became Fort Towson. Subscribe to the Fort Towson Historic Site YouTube channel for more videos and information about the OHS military site and those who served there.

Encountering John Brown exhibit extended through March 16

The exhibit Encountering John Brown, will be displayed inside the Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center through Saturday, March 16.

The exhibit will explore the history of the man who helped ignite the American Civil War. The display will also provide meaningful historical connections between John Brown and those who later fought at the Battle of Honey Springs on July 17, 1863.

Encountering John Brown was developed, designed, built, and toured by Overland Traveling Exhibits from North Newton, Kansas. Founding institutions include the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence, Kansas. Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH of NEH.