“The Women on the Mother Road” program, Henry Overholser Mansion

Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. is pleased to host “The Women on the Mother Road” program in both Oklahoma City and Miami. On Monday, September 18, at 7 pm the first program will be held in the Carriage House at the Henry Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th Street in Oklahoma City. On Tuesday, September 19, at 7 pm the second program will be held at the Miami Public Library, 200 North Main Street in Miami. This special program will reexamine Route 66 from a female perspective with a film screening and discussion. For more information about “The Women on the Mother Road” please visit www.route66women.com. These programs are free and open to the public.

Called the “Mother Road” by author John Steinbeck, US Route 66 stretches some 2,400 miles from Los Angeles to Chicago, symbolic of the mobility available to Americans, and an iconic highway for many travelers. Yet much of the historical perspective of the highway that passes through Oklahoma has primarily focused on men, often overlooking the experiences of women and girls. Themes of growing up, traveling, challenging gender stereotypes, confronting prejudice and pushing boundaries in a man’s world run through the new oral histories.

Project director Katrina Parks and historians Patti Loughlin and Andrew Vassar will present a slide lecture and several filmed and edited oral histories. They will place archival photos and the filmed interviews in a wider historical and women’s studies context.

For more information on the program, contact Preservation Oklahoma at 405-525-5325 or david@preservationok.org. For information about “The Women on the Mother Road” project, please contact Katrina Parks at 323-203-5968 or katrinaparks@mac.com.

Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Oklahoma Humanities or the NEH.

About Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.:
Preservation Oklahoma, Incorporated, is the state’s only private, nonprofit membership organization that is dedicated to promoting, supporting, and coordinating historic preservation activities throughout the state. Preservation Oklahoma’s mission is to promote preservation statewide. Founded in 1992, Preservation Oklahoma is a Statewide Partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and works on joint projects with the Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). More information can be found at www.preservationok.org.