|
|
The Oklahoma History Center Museum, in partnership with the Vietnamese American Heritage Community of Oklahoma, is proud to announce Our Journeys, presented by Vietnamese Boat People, a multimedia traveling exhibition on display September 12 through January 4, 2027.
Created by New Jersey-based nonprofit Vietnamese Boat People, the exhibition centers the voices of Vietnamese Americans through oral histories, photographs, and interactive elements that explore migration, memory, and resilience across generations. The exhibit debuted in 2025, marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the displacement of millions of Vietnamese refugees whose stories continue to shape communities across the country—including here in Oklahoma. The exhibition is included with regular museum admission.
|
|
|
JUST FOR ADULTS!
Stay overnight at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum
Friday, September 11, at 6 p.m., marks the start of an extraordinary overnight adventure just for adults at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Choose your own cozy spot to sleep, explore the museum after hours, and let the fun last until sunrise. Your ticket treats you to a mouthwatering barbecue dinner, a light breakfast, and a night packed with excitement: sneak behind the scenes on exclusive tours, hunt for clues in a scavenger hunt, master the two-step on the dance floor, catch movies with popcorn in the Will Rogers Theatre, play video games on the big screen, unleash your creativity with painting projects, and even try your hand at trick roping.
|
|
Special Crossroads of America screening at the historic Route 66 Tee Pee Drive-in |
|
On Sunday, September 13, at 8 p.m., there will be a free screening of the new documentary Crossroads of America: Oklahoma’s Route 66 at the Tee Pee Drive-in Theater in Sapulpa!
The Oklahoma Historical Society, in collaboration with Director Bryan Beasley, producers Jon and Jaime Roman, and with support from the Inasmuch Foundation, has produced Crossroads of America: Oklahoma’s Route 66. This documentary examines the evolution of Route 66 in Oklahoma, from the hardships of the Dust Bowl era to post-WWII road trips. It explores the highway’s history and future through interviews with historians, interactions with small-business owners, and scenes created using virtual production technology filmed at the Cherokee Film Studios.
A Q&A with Trait Thompson and Bryan Beasley will follow the screening. No admission is required to attend the screening, but attendees must reserve a seat!
|
|
|
Rooted Infrastructure: “Caring for Trees that Anchor Our Historic Places” |
|
|
On Wednesday, September 2, at noon Central Time, the State Historic Preservation Office will host a free webinar in its Rooted Infrastructure series, titled “Caring for Trees that Anchor Our Historic Places.”
Join Riley Coy, urban forestry coordinator with the Oklahoma Forestry Services, and Deputy SHPO Lynda Ozan to learn how trees are the only living pieces of our historic sites that actually witnessed the past. However, like any infrastructure, they require maintenance and planning to protect surrounding structures. Join us to learn how to identify, manage, and curate these historic trees, ensuring their stories survive for generations to come.
|
|
|
LEARN ABOUT LIFE AT THE FORT
Towson Tales video series
The Fort Towson Historic Site team has created over 30 videos in the Towson Tales project, filmed on location at Fort Towson. These episodes utilize letters, reports, and newspaper accounts to reconstruct the experiences of individuals who lived and served at the military outpost, offering a detailed glimpse of daily life.
Subscribe to the Fort Towson Historic Site YouTube channel to uncover more stories, explore hidden corners of the outpost, and honor the people who shaped its legacy.
|
|
Back-to-School membership specials!
Oklahoma Historical Society museums and historic sites offer valuable opportunities to explore history. In August, save $5 on a Basic membership for two, discounted to $35 per year (regularly $40), or save $25 on a Family membership for up to six, at $50 (regularly $75). Both membership levels include unlimited free admission to all OHS museums and historic sites, along with additional benefits. Join or renew by Monday, August 31, to take advantage of these savings.
|
|
Upcoming book presentations at OHS |
|
We Fought Back talk and book signing
Author Dr. Sara Doolittle will present a free author talk and book signing at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library on Wednesday, September 2, at 6 p.m. The discussion will feature her new title, We Fought Back: The Black Legal Struggle for Education in Oklahoma Territory (The University of Oklahoma Press, 2026).
Most people are familiar with the landmark 1954 US Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which held that state laws mandating racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional. But what about the court cases that far preceded, and informed, this national ruling? They took place in smaller courts, in unsung parts of the United States, including in Oklahoma Territory.
|
|
Hungry Oklahoma book presentation
On Wednesday, September 9, at noon, the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library will host a book presentation by author Robert Lee Maril. He will be discussing his book Hungry Oklahoma: Confronting Poverty and Food Insecurity (University of Oklahoma Press, 2026).
In writing the book, Maril drew upon interviews and participant-observation data from his volunteer work at a food pantry and combined them with census and sociological data. Join the discussion on the ethnographic details of the status of poverty and low-wage workers in the state today.
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE!
Guest Lecture with author Caleb Gayle
The Oklahoma Historical Society will host a guest lecture with Caleb Gayle at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on Thursday, September 24. The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Caleb Gayle is an award-winning journalist and the author of Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State and We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power. A professor at Northeastern University in Boston, he is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine.
The evening will also mark the conclusion of the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail Grant Program, which supported projects across the state to preserve and share Oklahoma’s civil rights history.
|
|
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:
Petronella Vossen Turck, her daughter Marie Turck, and her sister Mary Vossen Wittman sitting on the harvest in a cotton field, c.1908 (21762.15, Stearns County Historical Society Collection, OHS).
|
|
|
|
|
