Press Release
December 21, 2022
Contact: Lynda Ozan
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-4484
lynda.ozan@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/shpo
State Historic Preservation Office Receives Grant to Continue Survey of All-Black Towns
OKLAHOMA CITY — The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) received a $75,000 grant from the National Park Service (NPS) to continue its historic survey of All-Black towns in Oklahoma.
African Americans who settled in Oklahoma established more than 50 identifiable All-Black towns between the end of the Civil War and 1920. Thirteen of the towns remain today.
The $75,000 grant for the SHPO is part of $1.2 million in Underrepresented Community Grants for 21 projects across the nation. Grant recipients will survey sites and produce National Register of Historic Places nominations or amendments for diverse communities through its Underrepresented Community grant programs.
“Since 2014, the Underrepresented Community Grants program has provided $5.75 million to better tell the varied histories and stories of all Americans so that they may one day no longer be called underrepresented,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams.
For more information, contact Lynda Ozan, deputy state historic preservation officer, at 405-522-4484 or lynda.ozan@history.ok.gov.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. 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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