Events for March 1, 2022 - April 10, 2022
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March 2022
Living History Education Day
Fort Towson Living History Education Day on Thursday, March 3. Educational stations will include reenactors portraying time periods from the fort's beginning in 1824 through the 1870s. Participants can expect to see soldiers in full gear and civilians who dealt with the soldiers at the fort. The reenactors will teach students about the uniforms, weapons, and lifestyles of soldiers, trappers, storekeepers, and other people around the region who were connected to the fort. Visitors will move from station to station…
Find out more »Movie Night featuring The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a Movie Night featuring the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz in its theater on Friday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Prior to the movie, "Horsing Around with Will" will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., during which families can enjoy activities and crafts relating to the movie's theme. Guests can enjoy free admission, popcorn, and drinks while watching the film. Seating is limited, so early arrival is suggested. This…
Find out more »Museum After Dark: Lantern Tours
Take a tour of the historic Humphrey Heritage Village after dark on Friday, March 4th from 7 to 9 p.m. Living history interpreters will entertain and educate while sharing their unique, historic perspective of life in northwestern Oklahoma before statehood. Short vignettes from living history interpreters will occur at each stop on the tour! There are no advanced tickets to purchase, and Lantern Tours are on a first-come-first-served basis. The Heritage Center will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00…
Find out more »Historical Travel Bag workshop
On Sunday, March 5, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Chisholm Trail Museum will host a Historical Travel Bag workshop. Participants will create a 19th-century travel bag under the guidance of Marna Davis, the "Domestic Lady’s Dressmaker." The bag will be made from a pattern fashioned after measurements from a period original found repeatedly in period fashion magazines and Butterick catalogs from the 1870s through the 1890s. The cost for the class is $75, with materials and lunch…
Find out more »Blacksmithing Demonstrations with the Saltfork Craftsmen
Visit the Cherokee Strip Museum in Perry to watch the Saltfork Craftsmen give a Blacksmithing Demonstration in the blacksmith shop. The demonstration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can enjoy watching the craftsmen work and will have an opportunity for safe hands-on experiences. This event is for those who enjoy watching craftsmen at work, and for young and old alike to try their hand at the craft. The forge will be lighted at 10:00 am. This…
Find out more »Spring Bake Day
On Saturday, March 5, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the smell of fresh-baked bread will once again permeate Fort Gibson Historic Site. Bake Day, an educational fundraiser, is a unique and delicious experience for the public to enjoy. Staff will operate the oven all day Saturday, and the fresh loaves will be available around noon and 3:30 p.m. from the tent in front of the bakehouse. Fort Gibson coffee mugs will also be for sale at the tent,…
Find out more »Making Tracks on Mars (2021) film screening
In conjunction with the Launch to Landing: Oklahomans and Space exhibit, the Oklahoma History Center and the Smithsonian Channel will present a screening of the new film Making Tracks on Mars. This screening will be held on Saturday, March 5, from 1 to 3 p.m., and is included with paid admission to the Oklahoma History Center.
The Smithsonian Channel film Making Tracks on Mars takes viewers millions of miles away to discover the challenges of building, testing, launching, and landing a rover on the planet Mars. The film focuses on the Perseverance rover, but also looks at the story of Mars as humans discovered it—mission by mission, question by question. Mariner 4’s flyby, Mariner 9’s orbits, the seminal Viking landings—each exponentially advanced the knowledge of Mars. Viewers will marvel at the radical pace of innovation that progressed from a microwave-sized Sojourner to an SUV-sized Perseverance.
Find out more »From Institution to Inclusion: The History of disAbilities in Oklahoma exhibit opens
To celebrate People with Disabilities Awareness Day on March 8, the Oklahoma Historical Society’s (OHS) John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center opened the interactive exhibit From Institution to Inclusion: The History of disAbilities in Oklahoma on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. Through digital photographs, From Institution to Inclusion will highlight Oklahoma’s disability pioneers. Guests will view images of the institutions, legislators, and citizens who fought to break down barriers; the organizations making a difference today; and self-advocates…
Find out more »2022 People with Disabilities Awareness Day and Awards Ceremony
On March 8, the Oklahoma History Center will host the 2022 People with Disabilities Awareness Day and Awards Ceremony. The event will take place at the OHC from noon to 4 p.m., and will include more than 70 disability-centric exhibitors and the presentation of Awareness Day awards. In conjunction with the event, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center will open the interactive exhibit From Institution to Inclusion: The History of disAbilities in Oklahoma on the…
Find out more »#ExploreOHS Travel Contest begins
The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is excited to launch a new travel contest—just in time for Spring Break 2022! The #ExploreOHS Travel Contest will be held Thursday, March 10, through Sunday, April 10. During these dates, participants will travel to OHS museums and historic sites across the state—competing to see who can visit the most sites! This contest is open to the public, and all entries must be submitted on social media using the #ExploreOHS hashtag. See below for eligibility…
Find out more »“Second Saturday Silents” featuring Tom Mix in Trailin’ (1921)
On Saturday morning, March 12, at 11 a.m. at Circle Cinema in Tulsa, the Second Saturday Silents film series will feature Tom Mix in Trailin' (1921). The silent film will be accompanied by Bill Rowland on Circle Cinema's 1928 theatre pipe organ. "Walk-in music" will be performed by Phil Judkins. A Felix the Cat silent cartoon will also be shown. All tickets to the special showing are FREE courtesy of the Hughes Lumber Company of Tulsa and Dewey! The Tom…
Find out more »“The First Indian Home Guard” presentation by Dr. M. Jane Johansson
Honey Springs Battlefield’s special presentation, “The First Indian Home Guard,” which was originally scheduled to take place at the battlefield’s Visitor Center on Saturday, February 26, at 1 p.m. has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. to take place at the same location. Dr. Jane Johansson, professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Rogers State University and editor of the book Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards, and the Civil War on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier, will speak about the regiment’s unique history in relation to the Civil War in Indian Territory and the Battle of Honey Springs.
“Recruited in Kansas refugee camps in the spring of 1862, the First Indian Home Guard was a unique Civil War regiment,” said Johansson. “Comprised of whites, refugee Muscogee Creeks and Seminoles, and African Creeks, the regiment served in a variety of military operations from 1862–1865. Notable actions that the unit engaged in included Locust Grove, Fort Wayne, Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, Honey Springs, and many smaller encounters. This presentation will explore the regiment’s background, its composition, notable personalities, military actions, relations with the federal government, and the postwar era,” Johansson continued.
Find out more »Spring Break Activities at Will Rogers Memorial Museum and Birthplace Ranch
Five afternoons of fun, games, and learning about Will Rogers are in store for children ages 17 and younger during Spring Break, March 14–18. Activities are planned from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch near Oologah on Tuesday and Thursday. On Monday at the museum, kids will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes. Visitors to the ranch on Tuesday will…
Find out more »19th-century broom making
Visit Hunter's Home in Park Hill on special dates in March to see a living history demonstration of 19th-century broom making. Historical Interpreter Maddox Cott will demonstrate the process of weaving and wrapping sturdy pieces of corn stalks together to make a household broom. In the 19th-century, more primitive versions of the broom were improved upon by using winding machines to tightly wrap the bundles of broom corn together using wire or string. Broom corn is a species of tasseled…
Find out more »Family Kite Flite Day
Come celebrate the beginning of spring at the Family Kite Flite Day at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center. Family Kite Flite Day will be held Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. This will be a free admission day at the site, although donations are appreciated. It will be a great day for families and folks of all ages. Each year since 1987, Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center has hosted a day of spring fun and learning for more than…
Find out more »Chuck Wagon Gathering and Fundraising Dinner
Visit the Chisholm Trail Museum on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a day filled with cowboy fun! Drop in and see a variety of working chuck wagons from across the region as the cooks prepare some of their favorite dishes. Activities include live music, cooking demonstrations, gunfights, Wild West Show performers, medicine man shows, Annie Oakley performances, and more. The daytime activities are free, and tickets for the delicious chuck wagon meal at noon are…
Find out more »Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Festival
The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) announces the 2022 Farm-to-Table Festival to be held on March 19, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free, community-wide festival highlights historic and modern farm life, with the purpose of demonstrating how food and household items travel from their sources to our homes. Families will experience perspectives from 17th-century America to the modern day, with hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. Admission is free to the public, and the event will be…
Find out more »Stained Glass Preservation and Restoration workshop
On Saturday, March 19, Preservation Oklahoma will have an in-person Stained Glass Preservation and Restoration workshop at the Carriage House of the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion at 405 NW 15th Street, Oklahoma City. The workshop will take place from 10 am–2 pm, with lunch and drinks provided. This workshop is the perfect place to gain hands-on experience in the restoration and preservation of vintage/antique stained glass. Tim Brown of Artistic Glass Studio in Edmond will lead the workshop, teaching…
Find out more »Make and Take Workshop: Carpentry
Join us for History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip on Saturday, March 19 for a special Make & Take Workshop! We are making wooden toolboxes in the historic Humphrey Heritage Village. Cut out your material, nail it all together, and learn a heritage skill! This special workshop is $25 per person. Register now! Spots in the workshop are limited and will go quickly! Not only does your ticket reserve you a spot in the class, but you also take home…
Find out more »Wanted: Dead or Alive exhibit closes
Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will feature the photography exhibit Wanted: Dead or Alive, with images of some of Oklahoma’s most infamous criminals until March 20, 2022.
Images in the exhibit are from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the University of Oklahoma Western History Collections, the National Archives, the vast photographic archives of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and private lenders. The 38 black-and-white images on display consist of mugshots, crime scene locations, and group shots with criminals and law enforcement officers. They span more than 70 years, starting before statehood in 1907 and reaching into the late 1950s.
Find out more »Vernal Equinox Walks
Come celebrate the beginning of spring a little differently this year. On Sunday, March 20, there will be a series of guided Vernal Equinox Walks at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center where visitors can learn from an archaeologist about the spring equinox. There will be walks at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m., led by archaeologist and manager Dennis Peterson. Each walk will take about two hours and require a mile of easy walking. Peterson will tell about this unique,…
Find out more »Oklahoma State Capitol Museum grand opening and ribbon cutting
On March 22, 2022, at 10 a.m. the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) will officially open the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum, a state-of-the-art gallery space in the Oklahoma State Capitol. Created as part of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project and located on the ground floor near the new primary public entrance on the south side of the Capitol, the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum contains 4,400 square feet of exhibit space and 13 exhibit cases, featuring more than 125 artifacts relating to…
Find out more »2022 Oklahoma Historical Society Awards Banquet
The 2022 Oklahoma Historical Society Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Oklahoma History Center. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt will be the guest speaker at the evening event, and Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith will serve as the emcee. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith A cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m., and dinner and the awards program will follow at 6:30 p.m. Cocktail attire is requested. At this…
Find out more »Thursday Night Lecture Series featuring the 1979 Will Rogers Days Parade planners
On Thursday, March 24, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum will have a special panel of guests who were the planners of the Will Rogers Day Parade of 1979. That year, on November 4th, Claremore celebrated the 100th birthday of Will Rogers with a more than 2-hour parade. Guests Dave Burrows, Jerry Webster, Bill Crutcher, who were young Claremore businessmen in the seventies will talk about the 12-month process of planning the parade, which was one of the largest gatherings in…
Find out more »Movie Night featuring Space Cowboys (2000)
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a Movie Night featuring the film Space Cowboys (2000) in its theater on Friday, March 25, at 7 p.m. Prior to the movie, "Horsing Around with Will" will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., during which families can enjoy activities and crafts relating to the movie's theme. Guests can enjoy free admission, popcorn, and drinks while watching the film. Seating is limited, so early arrival is suggested. This event is FREE…
Find out more »“History and Hops: The Edwards Store” presentation with June Lester Chubbuck
On Friday, March 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., Preservation Oklahoma will hold a History and Hops event. For this special evening event, June Lester Chubbuck will be making a presentation about the historic Edwards Store and the Butterfield Overland Trail in southeast Oklahoma. The presentation will take place in the Carriage House of the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, located at 405 NW 15th St., Oklahoma City. The History and Hops series is a fun way to learn about…
Find out more »Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit opens
The Oklahoma Historical Society, in cooperation with Oklahoma Humanities, is pleased to announce that the Smithsonian Institution Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America is coming to Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum March 26–May 7, 2022.
Americans come together at the crossroads. They invest in places and build their futures where their paths cross. Small towns became centers of commerce, trade, local politics, and culture. For some, the crossroads affirmed a new life in a new place. For others, the crossroads meant hard work and hard times.
Find out more »Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry exhibit opens
On Saturday, March 26, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will have the exhibit Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry on display until Sunday, May 8, 2022.
The traveling exhibition features twenty colorful, illustrated panels about the Plains area before, during, and after the Dust Bowl occurred. The exhibit will use images and quotations from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, memories of the Dust Bowl from oral histories and writing, and recent scholarly analysis. QR codes on the panels lead to selections from the OSU oral histories, the writings of Caroline Henderson, and other primary sources.
Find out more »Vietnam War–era Veterans Pinning Ceremony
On March 29, 2022, on National Vietnam War Veterans Day, the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) will hold a special pinning ceremony to honor the service men and women who served anywhere in the world during the Vietnam War era. This includes service from November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. The event will be held in the Devon Great Hall of the OHC from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This event is free and open to the public. The event is…
Find out more »April 2022
Hammered Aluminum Ware exhibit opens
The Fred and Addie Drummond Home will host the exhibit Hammered Aluminum Ware during the month of April. From Friday, April 1 to Saturday, April 30, visitors can view beautiful examples of hammered aluminum metalware, such as salad dishes, cookie trays, and pitchers with matching tumblers. During the early 1900s up to the 1950s, when most housewives were expected to entertain, many would use cheaper, lighter hammered aluminum for their card games, birthday celebrations, church events, and monthly coffee socials…
Find out more »Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission meeting
The meeting of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission will be held on Tuesday, April 5 at 1 p.m. Agendas will be posted at www.okhistory.org/commission twenty-four hours before the meeting. Unless otherwise indicated, meetings will be held in the Dr. LeRoy H. Fischer Boardroom at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, 73105.
Find out more »“Kansas Abolitionist and the Civil War” presentation by Debra Goodrich
Honey Springs Visitor Center will host Ms. Debra Goodrich on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. for a special presentation about life and career of former Union Army Officer of the Second Indian Home Guard, who fought at the Battle of Honey Springs, John Ritchie. Ms. Debra Goodrich will detail Ritchie’s history beginning with his involvement as an abolitionist in Kansas during the Bleeding Kansas years leading to the Civil War, his involvement as a delegate in two Kansas Constitutional…
Find out more »Special Meeting of the Board of Directors
The Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors will be holding a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors on Friday, April 8, at 1:30 p.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at www.okhistory.org/board. This meeting will be held at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City.
Find out more »American Battlefield Trust Park Day
On Saturday, April 9, The Fort Towson Historic Site is participating in the American Battlefield Trust's annual Park Day event. History enthusiasts from across the country take part in an effort to help keep our nation’s heritage not only preserved but pristine. Since 1996, American Battlefield Trust has sponsored Park Day, an annual hands-on preservation event to help Civil War—and now Revolutionary War and War of 1812—battlefields and historic sites take on maintenance projects large and small. Those interested in…
Find out more »Quilting workshop with Martha Ray *canceled*
Visit the Sod House Museum southeast of Aline for a quilting workshop on Saturday. The workshop will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. with instructor Martha Ray, and the cost is $5 per person. For more information, please contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.
The Sod House Museum seeks to preserve Oklahoma’s only remaining sod house and interprets the early-day lifestyles of a pioneer, from the establishment of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893 to 1920. The museum encloses the original sod house which is the key exhibit. Visitors can enjoy the experience of walking through the “soddy” and exploring exhibits, artifacts, photographs, and a root cellar. The artifacts and exhibits portray the daily activities of the pioneers.
Find out more »“Perspectives in History”: The Oklahoma History Symposium
The Oklahoma Historical Society will present “Perspectives in History,” the 2022 Oklahoma History Symposium, on Saturday, April 9, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This one-day symposium offers scholars, historians, authors, and museum professionals a forum to share their work with history enthusiasts through presentations centered on topics in Oklahoma’s history. Three professional development sessions also will be offered for museum professionals, volunteers, and students. The symposium will feature a book signing and keynote speech by Connie Cronley,…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Membership meeting
A meeting of the membership of the Oklahoma Historical Society will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 11 a.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at www.okhistory.org/board. This meeting will be held in-person at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors organizational meeting
An organizational meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors will be held on Saturday, April 9, at 11:15 a.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at www.okhistory.org/board. This meeting will be held in-person at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
Find out more »“Historic Skills and Trades Expo” Second Saturday Demo
Fort Towson Historic Site will host “Historic Skills and Trades Expo” Second Saturday Demo on Saturday, April 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. Guests are welcome to watch and learn as craftsmen and artisans demonstrate how objects were made before industrialization. Historical interpreters will be demonstrating the art of candle making, wooden bucket making, the operation of a wooden lathe, the preparation of black powder, and a cooking demonstration. Living history reenactors will be on hand to explain a variety…
Find out more »#ExploreOHS Travel Contest concludes
The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) #ExploreOHS Travel Contest will conclude on Sunday, April 10. From March 10 to April 10, 2022, participants will travel to OHS museums and historic sites across the state—competing to see who can visit the most sites! This contest is open to the public, and all entries must be submitted on social media using the #ExploreOHS hashtag. See below for eligibility requirements and details about how you can participate. The person (or family/group traveling together) who…
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