Press Release
March 4, 2021
Contact: Nicole Harvey
Grants Administrator, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5202
nharvey@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/grants
Friends of the Murrell Home Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society is proud to announce that the Friends of the Murrell Home has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
"I am so pleased that the Friends of the Murrell Home has been awarded a grant from the Oklahoma Historical Society for their project, ˈHunter’s Home 2021 Virtual Exhibits,ˈ" said Rep. Bob Culver, Tahlequah. "The Oklahoma Historical Society is dedicated to preserving history at the state and local levels. I applaud the Friends of the Murrell Home for presenting the importance of Cherokee history in Park Hill to locals and to those visiting our area. My siblings, my children and their children have enjoyed learning at Hunter’s Home, previously called the Murrell Home, for many years. I congratulate the Friends of the Murrell Home for earning this grant that will help them to continue their valuable work."
The Friends of the Murrell Home has been awarded $9,000 that will fund a new, virtual visitor experience at Hunter's Home. The grant will pay for actors, clothing and props that will allow the site to use historical research to bring the home to life through a new medium. The virtual exhibits will pay special attention to the people who were enslaved at Hunter's Home and the activities they carried out across the site, utilizing a hired consultant who specializes in the history of enslaved peoples in America.
"This grant will enable Hunter's Home to reach a wider audience to tell the story of life on an antebellum plantation and help preserve that history," said Joyce Varner, president of the Friends of Murrell Home.
A total of just over $460,000 in grant funds will be distributed, with projects ranging from collections care and exhibit development to strategic planning and educational programming. "This is only the second year for this grant program. As organizations wrap up their grant projects from last year and as we see the quality of the applications that came in for this grant cycle, it is clear that there is a strong need for this type of grant program," said Nicole Harvey, OHS grants administrator.
The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society with a goal of encouraging the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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