|
 Visit the OHS Research Center
|
|
|
The OHS John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center, located on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center, is open to the public. The center’s reading room offers free access to multiple subscription websites, including Ancestry Library Edition®, Fold3, HeritageQuest™, Newspapers.com, and The Oklahoman Digital Archives, at no charge to the public. The Research Center is a treasure trove of books, photographs, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, oral histories, audio, and video about Oklahoma history, culture, and genealogy.
|
|
At OHS, we collect, preserve, and share |
|
|
Records
The Research Center has a vast collection of everything from census records to land records.
|
|
The Gateway to Oklahoma History |
|
|
The Gateway to Oklahoma History is a free online repository of Oklahoma history by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Visitors can search and view historic newspapers, photographs, maps, and documents.
The Gateway is a free resource available day and night to anyone interested in Oklahoma history! This convenient digital tool makes it easy to research any topic of one’s choosing.
|
|
NEW TO COLLECTIONS
Make no bones about it, we are grateful that the Oklahoma Historical Society’s (OHS) research division has recently received a remarkable donation of photographs possibly dating to 1929. The images depict a dig site where the skeletal remains of a woolly mammoth were discovered. These extraordinary images were unearthed in the 1950s by the donor’s uncle during his work on a state highway construction project. A note outlining the dimensions of several fossilized fragments accompanied the photos. This donation is an invaluable addition to our collection, and work is underway to authenticate the date and location of the images.
Donating objects is just one way of supporting the OHS mission. If you are considering donating an item to the museum, please complete our acquisition inquiry form (PDF).
|
|
|
Voices of Oklahoma is dedicated to preserving Oklahoma's oral history. The project captures the voices and stories of famous Oklahomans and ordinary citizens in their own words. Oil and gas, ranching, politics, education, sports legends, and more are explored in these far-ranging interviews. The Oklahoma Historical Society is proud to partner with the Voices of Oklahoma project, which was founded by John Erling.
|
|
Upcoming OHS events, programming, films, and festivals |
|
|
GUTHRIE
Finding the Butterfield: A Journey Through Time in Indian Territory author talk and book signing with Susan Dragoo
Join the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library in Guthrie on Thursday, August 28, at 6 p.m., for an author talk and book signing with Susan Dragoo. She will discuss and sign copies of her book Finding the Butterfield: A Journey Through Time in Indian Territory (2024).
|
|
|
CLAREMORE
Movie Night Featuring The Boy from Oklahoma (1954) starring Will Rogers Jr.
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will show the movie The Boy from Oklahoma (1954) starring Will Rogers Jr., at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore on Friday, August 29. The doors to the theatre open at 6:30 p.m., and the movie begins at 7 p.m.
|
|
|
FORT TOWSON
Dutch Oven Gathering
The Fort Towson Historic Site will hold a Dutch Oven Gathering on Saturday, August 23, from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is FREE for participants and guests, and all are welcome to attend.
The talents of local cast iron chefs will be cooking at the Fort Towson Historic Site, with each person setting up their outdoor kitchen and preparing delicious treats.
|
|
|
CALL FOR VENDORS
2025 Oklahoma Folklife Festival
The Oklahoma History Center invites organizations to participate in the 2025 Oklahoma Folklife Festival this fall on October 25. This festival is designed to provide visitors with opportunities to experience other cultures and traditions.
Call for Organizations and Vendors
The Oklahoma History Center invites organizations to participate in the 2025 Oklahoma Folklife Festival.
|
|
“Back to School” online membership special!
Oklahoma Historical Society museums and historic sites are great places to learn about history. In August 2025, OHS Family memberships will be available for $50 instead of $75. This offer is only valid online; memberships must be purchased through the Oklahoma History Center Museum Store website. OHS Family memberships include unlimited free admission to all OHS museums and historic sites and many other benefits. This offer will conclude on Sunday, August 31.
|
|
Secure your tickets for the next Kilgen Theatre Organ concert!
On Monday, September 15, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a Kilgen Organ performance will be held in the Devon Great Hall at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) featuring Nathan Avakian, with vocalist Claire Avakian.
Vocalist Claire Avakian will accompany mega-talented songwriter, film composer, and organist Nathan Avakian’s performance.
Tickets are $10 for Oklahoma Historical Society members and $20 for the general public and are available by calling 405-522-0765.
|
|
The Oklahoma City Sit-ins |
|
|
On August 19, 1958, a movement was born in Oklahoma City when schoolteacher and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth Council advisor Clara Shepard Luper (1923–2011) led the first sit-ins in Oklahoma City. Luper and others joined to protest racial segregation with the first sit-in at Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City, blazing a trail for the Civil Rights movement in the state. While the management of Katz Drug Store agreed to become an integrated lunch counter in three days, the overall struggle took much longer.
The historic photo above shows Marilyn Luper, the daughter of Clara Luper, being dragged by police officers from the entrance of Wedgewood Village Amusement Park in Oklahoma City during the summer of 1963. She was arrested for peacefully protesting against the park’s segregationist policies. This scene is representative of the significant six-year struggle during which numerous sit-ins, marches, and other forms of non-violent protest ultimately led to the end of discrimination in Oklahoma.
|
|
Follow the OHS website calendar to learn about our events and programs at OHS museums and historic sites across the state! Our calendar constantly changes with the latest programs and activities, from seasonal events to celebrations, exhibits, films, educational classes, and workshops. |
|
|
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!
|
|
Masthead image: 1908 Pennant Winners, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Triangular patches on the front of the team uniforms carry the encouragement “We Can, We Will, Bartlesville” (152.4, Howard Sharp Collection, OHS). |
|
|
|
|
