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What do the Spiro Mounds, Victorian mansions, sod houses, forts, and battlefields have in common? They are all right here in Oklahoma, where our diverse and exciting past unfolds across the state. Take time to visit one of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s museums, historic sites, or affiliates this summer!
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SAVE THE DATE for JULY 13!
Battle of Honey Springs Memorial
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Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service on Saturday, July 13, at 10:30 a.m., to honor the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah.
The service commemorates the largest of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements throughout Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. The engagement took place at the Honey Springs settlement, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, on July 17, 1863, just two weeks after the famous Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Approximately 9,000 Union and Confederate troops, primarily Native and African Americans, were involved in the Battle of Honey Springs. Of those, approximately 200 total casualties were suffered. After a decisive Union victory, Confederates lost control of Indian Territory north of the Arkansas River. The Union victory also ensured Federal control of Fort Gibson in Indian Territory and Fort Smith in Arkansas.
The memorial service will be held outside on the visitor center’s lawn. This year’s guest speaker will be Dr. Kristen Oertel, the Chair of History at the University of Tulsa.
For more information regarding the memorial service and Honey Springs Battlefield, call 918-617-7125. You can also email honeysprings@history.ok.gov.
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The Oklahoma History Center will host a panel discussion on July 13 from 10:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to celebrate the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The morning session will focus on civil rights-centered archives, including the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center Archives and Dr. Autumn Brown of the Edmon Low Library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. It will run from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
The afternoon session will discuss the legacy, historical context, and influence of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on modern legal processes. It will feature Tamya Cox-Touré, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma; Veronica Laizure, deputy director of CAIR; and Tuesdae Pelt-Willis, professor at Rose State College and third-year PhD candidate at the University of Oklahoma. The session will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Admission is $5 for OHS members and $10 for non-members; both sessions are included in the ticket price. Boxed lunches may be pre-ordered for $10 each.
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Back In Time: “The Three Guardsmen” premiere screening and panel |
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Discovering 66, photograph exhibit |
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On Saturday, July 27, after the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will open a new exhibit titled Discovering 66. The exhibit will feature a collection of photographs by Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. Multiple images of his photographic journey will be a part of the exhibit Discovering 66, which documents over 38,000 miles of Martin’s trips along the Mother Road, the most famous historic highway in the world.
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Create your own Barn Quilt
The Chisholm will hold a two-day Advanced Barn Quilt Workshop from Friday, July 12, through Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. This advanced workshop allows participants to take on more ambitious and elaborate barn quilt patterns and create their own blocks. Please contact the museum at (405) 375-5176 to reserve your place today!
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Quilt Drawing on July 13!
The Sod House Museum is currently selling raffle tickets ahead of two drawings for two sampler quilts, one with a patriotic theme and the other with a pinwheel design. The drawing will be on Saturday, July 13, during the meeting of the quilting workshop from 9 to 11 a.m. Tickets are currently on sale for the raffle at $2 each, three for $5, or six for $10. You can purchase tickets at the museum, open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or email sodhouse@history.ok.gov.
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See The People's House
See the documentary The People’s House: The Story of the Oklahoma State Capitol now available on the Oklahoma Historical Society's YouTube page!
The documentary features a spectacular four-minute drone tour of the Capitol with glimpses of the House floor, Senate floor, and Oklahoma Supreme Court, providing rare views of the building’s interior and exterior. It walks through the history of the Capitol, the importance of the building, the years-long restoration process, its resilience over the decades, and more.
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Stay tuned!
A new exhibit, 75 Years of Television in Oklahoma, will open to the public on July 25 at the Oklahoma History Center Museum.
On June 6, 1949, at 7 p.m., WKY-TV went on the air, introducing television to Oklahoma audiences. At the time, television was a new medium, touted as “a modern miracle” by The Daily Oklahoman. Technicians, newspaper reporters, and photographers grappled with the equipment to make the vision a reality.This exhibit will feature a collection of images takes inspiration from early post-war black-and-white sets when a generation of Baby Boomers was raised on the innovative creativity of television.
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Found in the Century Chest |
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Oklahoma City Fourth of July poster
This rare color poster promoting a Fourth of July celebration in Oklahoma City in 1889 was discovered when the Oklahoma Century Chest was first opened in 2013.
The Fourth of July celebration of 1889 was designed to be a grand event, bringing up to 20,000 visitors to the fledgling town. In early June 1889, a committee was formed to arrange the celebration. The first order of business was to secure reduced railroad fares into Oklahoma City, and the second was to secure land to the east of town (in what is now Bricktown) to build a baseball diamond and horse track. By June 26, 1889, the plans for the Fourth of July celebration were primarily complete. A parade route was mapped to take participants down California, Reno, Harvey, Robins, Grand, and Main Streets. The list of activities throughout the three-day celebration included the following: an election of city officers, horse racing, feats of horsemanship, sack racing, Indian war dances, infantry drills, a baseball game, and a gun tournament. Copies of the poster are available by clicking here.
(2013.133.255, Century Chest Collection, OHS)
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Click event listings below for more information.
6 - From Our Hands, exhibit closing, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
6 - Guided Tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
6 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
11 - “The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) Program at the NPS” webinar, presented by Catherine Lavoie, State Historic Preservation Office
11 - Back In Time: "The Three Guardsmen" premiere screening and panel, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Guthrie
12–13 - Advanced Barn Quilt Workshop, Chisholm Trail Museum and Horizon Hill, Kingfisher
13 - Quilting Workshop and quilt drawing, Sod House Museum, Aline
13 - Civil Rights Act of 1964: 60th Anniversary Panel, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
13 - Battle of Honey Springs Memorial Service, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
17 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting *canceled,* Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
18 - Historic Preservation Review Committee Meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
18 - Summer Sounds Concert with Mackynsie McKedy and the McKedy Band, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
20 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
20 - Flower Art class, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
24 - Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
25 - 75 Years of Television in Oklahoma, Oklahoma History Center Museum, Oklahoma City
26 - Movie Night featuring Rockadoodle (1991), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
27 - Discovering 66 exhibit opens, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton
27 - “All the World’s Sorrows: Hannah Worcester Hicks and the Civil War in Indian Territory” presentation, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
27 - Oklahoma Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton
1 - Antique Handkerchiefs exhibit opens, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
3 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
3 - Blacksmithing Demonstration, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
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Masthead image: The Oklahoma History Center has a wide variety of E-Exhibits you can view from the cool comfort of your home! Each one explores an Oklahoma history topic and includes historic images, activities, a glossary, and a bibliography. Experience the full selection of E-Exhibits by clicking here.
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