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Visit OHS museums and historic sites this summer
There is something for every interest at OHS museums and historic sites—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 while out on your summer travels! Be sure to check the OHS website calendar for the latest events and programs happening across the state.
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY - July 17, 1863
The Battle of Honey Springs
The Engagement at Honey Springs was the largest of more than 107 documented hostile encounters in Indian Territory. The engagement took place on a rainy Friday, July 17, 1863, between the First Division Army of the Frontier, commanded by Major General James G. Blunt, and the Confederate Indian Brigade led by Brigadier General Douglas H. Cooper. Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) regiments fought on both sides. The approximately 9,000 troops involved included Native Americans, veteran Texas regiments, and the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, which was the first African American regiment in the Union army.
The Honey Springs Battlefield is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Visit The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture to find out more about the Battle of Honey Springs.
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As you go about your day this summer, listen to your favorite episodes of A Very OK Podcast. From topics that range from the Oklahoma City Sit-Ins movement with guest Marilyn Luper to Oklahoma’s first state parks, rodeo, and the Oklahoma State Capitol, to the challenges of the Great Depression, and even America’s favorite pastime, baseball—A Very OK Podcast has something for every listener. OHS Executive Director Trait Thompson and former Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn explore various stories and delve into some fascinating personalities—like Maria Tallchief, Bob Wills, Kate Barnard, and Ernie Fields—that make up the state’s unique history. Become a listener of A Very OK Podcast to hear from guest historians, authors, leaders, and experts who provide a fresh take on the history of Oklahoma with each episode.
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BICENTENNIAL YEAR PROJECT
Towson Tales videos capture life at the fort
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To commemorate 200 years since the establishment of the military outpost, the historical interpreters on the Fort Towson Historic Site staff have created the Towson Tales video series. The informative videos are captured on the site’s historic grounds. The real stories of the fort are told through first-person historical documents, letters, reports, and newspaper accounts. Each educational episode helps to paint a full picture of life at the military site, from requests for sugar and coffee to the inventory of wagons arriving at the fort.
Subscribe to the YouTube channel of the Fort Towson Historic Site for more videos and information about the military outpost and those who served there.
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“All the World’s Sorrows” presentation at Fort Gibson Historic Site |
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On Saturday, July 27, at 10:30 a.m., Dr. Michelle Martin will present “All the World’s Sorrows: Hannah Worcester Hicks and the Civil War in Indian Territory” at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.
During the American Civil War, women and children in the Cherokee Nation suffered tremendously. Hannah Worcester Hicks, the daughter of famed missionary Samuel Austin Worcester and her husband Abijah Hicks (Cherokee), lived near Fort Gibson as the war raged in the western Ozarks. Martin’s presentation will explore the first-hand account found in Hannah Hick’s diary, providing insight into the family’s tragic story and illustrating the human cost of war in Indigenous nations and western Ozark communities.
This program is included with site admission and will be located in the Fort Gibson Historic Site Commissary.
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1862 Indian Territory notebook donated to OHS |
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This year, as the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) commemorated the bicentennial of the Fort Gibson and Fort Towson Historic Sites, the OHS Research Division was astounded when a Civil War-era journal connected to the western outposts came through the door.
The recently donated 162-year-old artifact appears to be a notebook of the quartermaster of Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, in 1862. The Potter, Nute, White & Bayley journal—manufactured in Boston—that arrived as a serendipitous donation carries handwritten accounts that will deepen our understanding of Oklahoma history.
Entries in the journal date between September 1862 and December 1862 and mention several familiar people and places in Indian Territory, such as Fort Washita, Scullyville, and Chilly McIntosh (Creek), among others. Handwritten pages in pen and ink will each have to be transcribed so more of the journal’s contents and complete history can be understood.
Fort Gibson was established in 1824 to keep peace between the Osages and Cherokees and was located farther west than any other existing military post at that time. It served as a starting point for several military expeditions that explored the West.
The OHS has been collecting, preserving, and sharing Oklahoma history since 1893. We are grateful to donors who think about us when looking for repositories for their cherished items. Learn more about donating items to the Research Center by clicking here.
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Don’t touch that dial!
A new exhibit, 75 Years of Television in Oklahoma, will open to the public on July 25 at the Oklahoma History Center Museum.
The public is invited to a free reception to celebrate the exhibit’s opening on Thursday, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. No RSVP is needed. Light refreshments will be served. Gene Allen, author of The Vision and the Dream: WKY-TV Comes to Oklahoma, will attend to sign copies of his book, which will also be available for purchase from the Oklahoma History Center Museum Store. The new exhibit will be the only one open for viewing during the event.
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 inspired by 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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Teacher Resource Social at the First Americans Museum
The 2024 Teacher Resource Social will be held at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, August 6, from 2 to 6:30 p.m.
The Teacher Resource Social, formerly known as the Back to School Bash, is an annual resource fair that brings museums and other organizations together to offer resources for teachers to plan for the upcoming school year. The event is a great opportunity for educators to network, share resources, and connect with organizations and colleagues from around the state!
For more information about the event contact Leticia Barrios at leticiab@famok.org.
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Get your kicks!
On Saturday, July 27, at 2 p.m., the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will host the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The event is open and free of charge.
Inductions are held every two years for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion or preservation of Route 66. After the inductions, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will open a new exhibit titled Discovering 66, which will feature a collection of photographs by Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.
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Click event listings below for more information.
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
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 - Blacksmithing Demonstration, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
3 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
6 - USCIS Naturalization Ceremony, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
6 - Teacher Resource Social at the First Americans Museum, Oklahoma City
8 - Lunch and Learn: “Collections in the Edmon Low Library Maps and Spatial Data Division” webinar with Kevin Dyke, State Historic Preservation Office
9 - Wreath Laying and Flyover, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
9 - Museum After Dark: Village Sounds featuring Gus Burns, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
10 - Quilting Workshop, Sod House Museum, Aline
15 - Summer Sounds Concert with Travis Kidd, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
16 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
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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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