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Blue Star Museums program offered at three OHS sites
The Oklahoma History Center Museum, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, and Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative. All three sites are owned and operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The Blue Star Museums program provides free admission to active-duty U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2025 program will begin on Armed Forces Day and end on Labor Day. The dates are Saturday, May 17, to Monday, September 1.
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and approximately 2,000 participating museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico.
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The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library (OTM) has joined “Museums for All.” Individuals with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, Oklahoma Tribal EBT card, WIC card, Oklahoma Fosters ID, or Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma ID can enjoy free admission to the OTM for up to six people. This initiative aims to make high-quality museum learning resources accessible to a wider audience. The OTM is located at 406 East Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie and is open to the public from Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUMS AND HISTORIC SITES
Find your destination and start exploring Oklahoma history!
Route 66, the Wild West, prehistoric Spiro Mounds, and so much more are waiting for you at Oklahoma Historical Society museums, historic homes, forts, and battlefields.
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Cake with Kate: Kate Barnard 150th Anniversary Celebration
On Saturday, May 24, at 1 p.m., the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library will host an Anniversary Celebration for Kate Barnard’s 150th birthday.
Annette Wisk Jacobi, executive director of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, will be the guest speaker at the event. She will discuss her work for the commission and Barnard’s influence on her career. Birthday cake and refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
Kate Barnard was the first woman elected to a statewide office in Oklahoma and was elected at a time when women were not allowed to vote. Barnard was a popular social reformer who dedicated herself to political and social reform on behalf of orphans, the mentally ill, the incarcerated, and the poor.
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The Will Rogers Memorial Museum will open a new exhibit entitled Aces and Actors: Will Rogers’s Famous Friends on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. The exhibit will explore the actor’s vast connections to Hollywood and the then-fledgling aviation industry through a series of photographs that follow his film career and associations with pilots.
The exhibit begins with pilots and Will's love of adventure and flying. Will knew that air travel was the future and jumped at the chance to fly. He flew with early pioneering aviators like Wiley Post, Frank Hawks, Jocko Clark, and more.
Rarely seen Walt Disney sketches of Will Rogers will be on display for two weeks only before they return to the vault for safekeeping on June 13. Disney and Rogers often played polo at Rogers's ranch in California. Disney also included Rogers in the 1933 cartoon Mickey's Gala Premier. Pencil sketches from this cartoon, including drawings of Will Rogers and Mickey Mouse, will be on display.
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MAY IS AANHPI MONTH!
AANHPI Collective History Day
Join us this May as we celebrate Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) National Heritage Month. To honor their contributions to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Historical Society will host AANHPI Collective History Day on Friday, May 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center.
This event will be an evening of reflection and celebration, bringing together Oklahomans interested in exploring our state’s shared experiences of the AANHPI communities. It will feature a book signing, a panel discussion with authors and scholars specializing in the topic, and amazing cultural performances and interactive activities.
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OHS upcoming events in May |
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Robert Pickering book signing and discussion
FORT GIBSON HISTORIC SITE
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Victorian Tea and Etiquette program
HUNTER'S HOME
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Blacksmithing Demonstrations
CHEROKEE STRIP MUSEUM AND ROSE HILL SCHOOL
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1880s-era Baseball Game
WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM
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Inaugural Impressions exhibit closes
OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER MUSEUM
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 Dutch Oven Gathering
FORT TOWSON HISTORIC SITE
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 Harjo’s Indians Baseball Club, c. 1933. It is believed that the team was based out of Ben Harjo’s hometown of Holdenville, Oklahoma. Jim Thorpe was the coach/manager of the team, seated at center (OHS Photograph Collection).
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We want your stories!
The Oklahoma History Center Museum is creating an exhibit honoring coaches at all levels—from youth to college—who have shaped Oklahoma’s sports legacy. We want your stories! Share how a coach impacted your life or recount your own experiences as a coach. We also welcome photos and artifacts that help tell these stories.
Share your memories and you could contribute to our upcoming exhibit!
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How do you build a museum?
At OKPOP, it starts with the people.
The Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP) is the place where the stories of Oklahoma's creatives will be told. OKPOP is conducting in-depth video interviews with Oklahoma actors, musicians, writers and other creatives to ensure their stories will be told to future generations. In addition, artifacts, memorabilia, and archival material are being collected that tell the story of the people behind the objects. The museum is also partnering with communities across the state to build a creative hub that celebrates Oklahoma's past, present and future.
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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! From seasonal events to celebrations, exhibits, films, educational classes, workshops, our calendar is constantly changing with the latest programs and activities. |
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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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Masthead image: Cowgirls from the Miller Brothers’ 101 Ranch Wild West Show, 1907 (19439.3.34.2, Mabel Tompkins Collection, OHS). |
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