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Celebrating Black History Month |
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Since 1893, the Oklahoma Historical Society has collected and shared the story of Oklahoma. In the 1980s, the OHS began a concerted effort to engage with Oklahoma’s Black community—to listen to their stories and share their experiences. While we have made both mistakes and significant strides, we will continue to do better and do more. As new voices call for change, the OHS stands committed to our mission to collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of all Oklahomans. Learn more and browse free resources related to the Black experience.
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TOMMORROW AT THE OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER! |
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OETA's Black Frontier Towns special screening and discussion panel |
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The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), invites the public to a special screening of Black Frontier Towns in honor of Black History Month. The event will take place on Thursday, February 6, from 1 to 3 p.m., in the Chesapeake Event Center and Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center.
Black Frontier Towns is a Heartland Emmy Award-winning documentary series OETA’s Oklahoma News Report team produced. This year-long series, recognized at the 38th Annual Heartland Emmy Awards, highlights the history and enduring legacy of Oklahoma’s 13 historically Black townships still in existence today—communities built by Black pioneers seeking independence, opportunity, and self-sufficiency.
Following the screening, a panel discussion will feature historians, scholars, and cultural experts who will provide deeper insights into the founding, growth, and continued significance of these towns. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage with the panelists and ask questions.
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Oklahoma City Black History Mobile App Launch with Keynote Speaker Bob Dotson |
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Emmy-winning storyteller Bob Dotson will be the keynote speaker for the February launch of a mobile app designed to familiarize people with Oklahoma City’s Black history. The free app will be introduced at the Oklahoma History Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 15. Visitors can enjoy a photo exhibit, door prizes, and live jazz music.
The mobile app tour is a development of Oklahoma Black Living Legacy (OBLL), a nonprofit founded in 2020 to raise awareness of and preserve the state’s Black history, artifacts, and living legacies. OBLL volunteers researched the app with staff and volunteers at the Oklahoma History Center. An Oklahoma Historical Society Preservation Grant and other sponsors helped fund the project.
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The Oklahoma History Center will screen the Smithsonian film The Green Book: Guide to Freedom on Saturday, February 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. After the screening, Dr. Matthew Pearce will moderate a discussion with panelists Doris Youngblood and Edward Threatt. The film screening and discussion is for ages 18 and older. The cost is included with admission to the Oklahoma History Center Museum.
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“Our Museum” Oklahoma History Center Museum open house |
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Visit the Oklahoma History Center Museum after hours on Thursday, February 20, from 6-8 p.m. to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes of a museum.
This family-friendly "Our Museum" open house will allow guests to learn about the various jobs involved in a museum, such as curators and exhibit designers. This is a great opportunity to discover what keeps a museum running.
Register online through the Museum Store to secure your spot before the deadline on Wednesday, February 12. Registration is limited to the first 100 people. The event is included with paid admission to the museum. Members of the Oklahoma Historical Society get in for free.
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JOIN TODAY!
Become an OHS member and help preserve Oklahoma’s heritage for future generations
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By joining the Oklahoma Historical Society, you become part of a legacy forged by generations of remarkable individuals. From the Native Americans who first inhabited these lands to the civil rights leaders, sports heroes, public servants, veterans, entertainers, artists, and citizens who followed, you connect with the rich tapestry of Oklahoma’s history.
The OHS collects, preserves, and shares these stories with thousands of students and visitors every year. Your tax-deductible membership supports the creation of exhibits, educational programs and resources, special events, and publications that bring our history to life.
Exciting New Membership Changes!
The Oklahoma Historical Society is enhancing your membership experience! Members now have the option to choose digital membership cards and digital subscriptions to The Chronicles of Oklahoma and Mistletoe Leaves. Eligible members will also receive a complimentary North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association membership, granting access to over 1,400 museums and sites across North America. These new benefits will appear on your next renewal invoice. Read more about all the benefits of OHS Membership.
For questions, please contact the OHS Membership Office at 405-522-5242 or ohsmembers@history.ok.gov.
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"Environmental Justice 101" free program at the Oklahoma History Center |
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Join the Oklahoma History Center and OKC Beautiful for an exciting and informative free program on the powerful concepts of environmental justice and explores how our environment directly impacts our health and well-being. This event will be held on Friday, February 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation shaping our future! The free event will be held in the Musser Learning Lab inside the John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center at the Oklahoma History Center.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE?
2025 Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Festival
Call for Vendors!
The Oklahoma History Center will hold the 2025 Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Festival on Saturday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free, family-friendly event will encourage the exploration of historic and modern agriculture. There will be hands-on activities and demonstrations for visitors of all ages.
Would your organization like to participate?
The Oklahoma History Center invites organizations to participate in the Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Festival. At this family festival, attendees will explore historic perspectives, farm life, and how food gets to our table. Families will experience perspectives from Colonial America to the modern day with hands-on activities for visitors of all ages.
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Lunch and Learn: “Finding your Native Roots: the Dawes Rolls” with Laura Martin webinar |
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The story of your family is waiting to be discovered |
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There is a certain kind of history that relates to everyone.
It is uniquely personal and yet connects each generation to the next—family history. Visit the OHS Research Center to enjoy fee access to newspapers, books, and periodicals, photos, oral histories, American Indian records, film and video collections, and useful genealogy websites.
Searching for your roots goes beyond simple heredity. It's about connecting with those who came before us and uncovering the story of their lives. Read the issue of CROSSROADS, No. 5, "Uncover Your Roots: OHS Research Center Geneaology Resources" to find inspiration for your own research.
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“An Afternoon with General Blunt” presentation with Jim Spillars |
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On Saturday, February 15, from 1 to 2 p.m., Honey Springs Battlefield will host living historian Jim Spillars, who will portray General Blunt (1826–1881). Spillars will give a presentation on Blunt’s leadership during the Engagement at Honey Springs which was the largest of more than 107 documented hostile encounters in Indian Territory. He will be dressed in period Civil War attire for this event.
James Blunt was a ship captain, a physician, and an abolitionist. He led Indigenous and Black troops to victory at the Battle of Honey Springs, helping to bring a portion of Indian Territory under Union control.
Jim Spillars is the former president of the Washington County Historical Society and has dedicated many years to studying and portraying General Blunt.
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Justice for All: Dick T. Morgan, Frontier Lawyer & Common Man's Congressman book discussion |
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On Friday, February 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library will host a Lunch and Learn program with author and historian Michael J. Hightower to discuss the book Justice for All: Dick T. Morgan, Frontier Lawyer & Common Man’s Congressman. The event is free to the public and registration is not required.
On Saturday, February 22, from 2 to 4 p.m., historian and author Michael J. Hightower will have another book discussion and signing for the title at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center with David Morgan, who is Dick T. Morgan’s great-grandson.
Justice for All chronicles the career of Dick T. Morgan, an Oklahoma founding father whose public service reflects a passion for fairness that was sorely lacking in Gilded Age America. After arriving in the Unassigned Lands (later, central Oklahoma) with the first wave of non-Native settlers on April 22, 1889, Morgan developed a reputation as the go-to lawyer for land disputes, built a substantial real estate business, and promoted church-building across Oklahoma Territory.
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Two-part Beginning Knitting class at Fort Towson
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The Fort Towson Historic Site will host a two-part beginner’s knitting class that begins on February 15 and continues on February 22. Both sessions will be held from 9 a.m. until noon and will focus on the foundational skills of casting on, knit stitch, purl stitch, and casting off. Registration is required for this FREE class.
Knitting is a time-honored art using at least two needles to work yarn into functional, beautiful textiles. In the 1800s, knitting was generally used to make utilitarian items, while crochet was reserved for fancy work. During the Civil War, the US Sanitary Commission distributed patterns for knitted garments like socks to be mass-produced for soldiers on the front lines.
To learn more about the classes or other programs and events at the Fort Towson Historic Site, call 580-873-2634 or email fttowson@history.ok.gov. The Fort Towson Historic Site is located at 896 N. 4375 Rd. in Fort Towson.
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Myra Maybelle Shirley “Belle” Starr (1848–1889), known as “the Bandit Queen,” was born on this day in history, February 5, 1848. She continually associated with notorious outlaws and gang members, and numerous legends about her have circulated. During the early 1880s, Sam and Belle Starr’s cabin was a hideout for outlaws. Her only documented crime was horse theft in 1882.
She was shot and killed by an unknown assailant on February 3, 1889, and buried at Youngers’ Bend, near present-day Eufaula.
Read more about her life and other outlaws in her family in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
(4631, image detail, Frederick S. Barde Collection, OHS).
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Follow the OHS website calendar to learn about all of our events and programs at OHS museums and historic sites across the state! |
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Connect with the Oklahoma Historical Society on social media—where you can learn more about Oklahoma history and get up-to-date information about events and exhibits across the state!
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