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
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma (ESTO) has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has been awarded $20,000 for a project titled “Exploring Calamas Pond Cemetery,” which will allow staff to research and discover the names in the cemetery and research each individual history and lineage to gather and create a family lineage file. Those files will then be used to create a digital publication that will be available on the tribe's website and at the library.
“Congratulations to the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma on receiving this grant award,” said Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, Adair. “The digital publication created from gathering the information to create family lineage files is a vital step in making this history accessible to the public.”
“Enabling tribal nations—in this case, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma—to explore more of their history and tell their rich stories is an important use of this grant funding,” said Rep. Steve Bashore, Miami. “I'm grateful the Oklahoma Historical Society recognizes the significance of helping tribes preserve their culture and heritage.”
“The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is excited that the Oklahoma Historical Society funded our project, ‘Exploring Calamus Pond Cemetery,’” said Glenna Wallace, chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. “Calamus Pond is the oldest Eastern Shawnee cemetery and was established in 1832, the same year we were forcibly removed from Ohio and arrived in Indian Territory. Our goal is to explore each gravesite and discover the lineage of our tribal leaders buried there. ESTO library staff will document the individual grave’s birth date (if known) and death date. From that information a family tree of lineage will be connected to the tribe’s 1938 base roll.”
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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