Press Release
March 17, 2022
Contact: Nicole Harvey
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5202
nharvey@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/grants
Wynnewood Historical Society Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Wynnewood Historical Society has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
The Wynnewood Historical Society has been awarded $3,600 for a project titled “Digitization and Online Publishing of the Wynnewood Gazette Archives,” which will provide for the digitization of more than 30 rolls of microfilm that will then be published, with the gracious copyright permission of the publishers of the Wynnewood Gazette, on The Gateway to Oklahoma History online repository. This will ensure that the history of Wynnewood, through the archives of the Gazette, are preserved using the most modern technology and will be available for generations to come.
“I’m very glad to see this grant award for the Wynnewood Historical Society. While we think of newspapers as giving us current information about what’s happening in our communities and our state, they are also archiving history. The best way to ensure those archives are available for years to come is to digitize these documents, ensuring they won’t be lost due to time, deterioration or natural disaster,” said Sen. Greg McCortney, Ada. “I applaud the development of this program by the Oklahoma Historical Society and appreciate this much-needed assistance for the preservation of Wynnewood’s history.”
“The Wynnewood Historical Society is honored to be a recipient of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant,” said Derrick Moore, vice president. “The grant will allow the Wynnewood Historical Society to continue with a project to digitize almost 100 years of the Wynnewood Gazette's archives and make them available to the public online. This will help us ensure that the written history of our community is preserved and available for generations to come.”
The total amount of funds that will be distributed this year is just over $558,000, with projects ranging from collections care and strategic planning to exhibit development and educational programming. “Entering our third year of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program, the OHS is thrilled with the program’s success,” said Nicole Harvey, director of strategic initiatives and grants administrator for the OHS. “To date, the program has funded over 120 projects that are aiding with collecting, preserving and sharing Oklahoma history for local communities across the state.”
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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