On Wednesday, September 1, an exhibit entitled Thrift Style will open at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. The exhibit explores the reuse of feed sacks to make clothing and other household objects and illuminates how the “upcycling” of these bags mutually benefited 20th-century consumers and businesses. With 41 works from patterns to garments, it serves as an example of past ingenuity that can inform today’s efforts toward sustainability. In conjunction with the exhibit, as a part of the CSRHC's…

Fashions of the Overholser exhibit features several pieces of clothing belonging to Anna Overholser and Henry Ione Overholser Perry's wardrobe. Guests will be able to get an up-close look at fashions from the first half of the 20th century, which are treasures found in the Oklahoma Historical Society collections. Cocktail dresses, gowns, casual wear, shoes, and handbags will be on display along with period clothing donated to the mansion over the years.

Guests are welcome to tour the home and fashions at their own pace. Museum personnel will be on hand to answer questions. This exhibit will take place through mid-November.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) will host a Mayan Art Exhibit featuring original art from Mayan artists September 14–18. The exhibit will culminate with a Guatemalan Cultural Celebration beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 18. The Mayan Art Exhibit will also celebrate the bicentennial of independence for Mexico and Central America, which occurred in September 1821. Featured artists are Hilario Efraín Xitamul Roquel, Sergio Josué Cuy Saloj, and Lucía Anabela Xitamul Roquel de Cotuc.…

On Friday, September 17, the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School will open the exhibit Another Perry Entrepreneur: Marvin “Bud” Jirous. The exhibit follows the life and career of one of Perry's favorite sons.

Jirous was born in Noble County in 1935 and spent his formative years in Perry, Oklahoma. His personable nature, integrity, and hard work set Jirous on a path toward entrepreneurship and becoming a leader in the business world. The exhibit follows the arc of his career, beginning with his high school employment with the M&W Grocery Store and carrying forward to his elevation to president of the Sonic Corporation.

The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is hosting the exhibit Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence, organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The poster exhibit explores women’s suffrage and the fight for the 19th Amendment. It will be enhanced by artifacts from the OHS that tell the story of women’s suffrage in the state of Oklahoma. This exhibit is free to the public and will be available in the museum building from July 7 to September 19, 2021.

The Cherokee Strip Museum will showcase American Indian Art and Photographs through the month of September 2021. Included in the exhibit are original paintings from Native artists Woody Big Bow and Randall Owen Moore, as well as an original painting by Ethel Johnston, wife of former Oklahoma Governor Henry S. Johnston. Many photographs of tribal leaders taken by well-known photographers and several American Indian artifacts are also on display.

An exhibit at the Fred and Addie Drummond home will feature Drummond family heirlooms and attic treasures through the month of September. The exhibit will be on display from September 1 to September 30, 2021. As a reflection of financial success, Fred and Addie built a substantial home in Hominy. The three-story, Victorian-style house, completed in 1905, features a central square tower, second-floor balcony, and false dormers. The first floor is constructed of native sandstone, while the upper floors are…

The Oklahoma History Center exhibit Sun and Silver: Photography Before Statehood reintroduces visitors to well-known professional traveling and studio photographers of the pre-statehood era, and presents lesser-known amateur photographers of the same period. Also included in Sun and Silver is an exploration of the various processes used for developing photographs. Magical images on mirror-like, silver-coated copper surfaces (daguerreotypes), mysterious fragile glass negatives (wet-plate photography), and unique, blue-toned prints (cyanotypes) are just a small sample of what guests will see.

This exhibit is on display in the Cooper and Gladys West Atrium Wing and Gallery during regular museum hours, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors ages 62 and over, $5 for students and free for children ages five and under. Group rates are available upon request. Oklahoma Historical Society members, active-duty military, veterans, and dependents (with ID) are admitted at no charge.

The exhibit Thrift Style will close at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center on Wednesday, October 20. The exhibit explores the reuse of feed sacks to make clothing and other household objects and illuminates how the “upcycling” of these bags mutually benefitted twentieth-century consumers and businesses. With forty-one works from patterns to garments, it serves as an example of past ingenuity that can inform today’s efforts towards sustainability.

The exhibition, organized by the Historic Costume and Textile Museum and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, both at Kansas State University, provides a nostalgic view into American ingenuity, sensibility, and optimism during a particularly challenging time of economic hardship and war—the period of the Great Depression and World War II. The reuse of feed, flour, and sugar sacks was a cost-saving and resource-saving approach employed by homemakers to make new items to meet their families’ needs.

On November 16, the Chisholm Trail Museum (CTM) in Kingfisher opened a special temporary exhibit featuring historical maps from the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), as well as historical surveying equipment from the museum. Maps and Mapmaking: Historical Maps of Oklahoma was created in partnership with the OHS John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center at the Oklahoma History Center. It is a traveling exhibit curated by CTM Director Jason Harris and OHS Research Director Chad Williams that will be shared with museums, libraries, and other institutions throughout the state. The exhibit will be on display at CTM through October 9.

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 Fort Gibson Historic Site October 30–December 11, 2021.

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.

Fashions of the Overholser exhibit features several pieces of clothing belonging to Anna Overholser and Henry Ione Overholser Perry's wardrobe. Guests will be able to get an up-close look at fashions from the first half of the 20th century, which are treasures found in the Oklahoma Historical Society collections. Cocktail dresses, gowns, casual wear, shoes, and handbags will be on display along with period clothing donated to the mansion over the years.

Guests are welcome to tour the home and fashions at their own pace. Museum personnel will be on hand to answer questions. This exhibit will be open until November 13, 2021.

The Oklahoma History Center is pleased to announce the opening of a special exhibit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor featuring the silver service from the USS Oklahoma. The exhibit will open on December 7, 2021, in the third-floor atrium and may be viewed during regular museum hours. The tradition of creating presentation silver sets for United States warships of the “first rank” began with the USS Maine in the late 1890s. Continuing this tradition,…

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 will be on display at the Fort Gibson Historic Site through December 11, 2021.

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.

Oklahomans will have a unique opportunity to consider their crossroads stories through the exhibit’s themes of rural identity, community, land, perseverance and managing change. Each site will engage visitors in complementary programming, celebrating their town’s history and accomplishments and addressing community concerns.

On Friday, January 21, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) will open the exhibit All Aboard: Examining the Orphan Trains. The exhibit explores the history of orphan trains that brought orphaned children from the overpopulated cities in the eastern United States, out to northwestern Oklahoma, across the Great Plains and beyond, during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

This special exhibit opening takes place during the CSRHC's monthly Museum After Dark event. A Behind-the-Scenes tour will take place with a special presentation by the Curator of Collections Amy Johnson about the making of the exhibit.

A live performance and presentation by Phil Lancaster and Alison Moore are also planned for the event. The one-hour multimedia program combines live music, a video montage with archival photographs and interviews of survivors, and a dramatic reading of the 2012 novel Riders on the Orphan Train by award-winning author Alison Moore. The program, supported by Oklahoma Humanities, is the official outreach program of the National Orphan Train Complex Museum and Research Center based in Concordia, KS. Their mission is to raise awareness and preserve stories about the orphan train movement.

On Saturday, January 22, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will open its newest exhibit, Wanted: Dead or Alive. This photography exhibit is comprised of images of some of Oklahoma’s most infamous criminals and will be on display 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.

The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will host an exhibit of antique dolls throughout the month of February. The exhibit will feature a wide array of German-made dolls, including dolls by Armand Marseille, Kestner, and Koppelsdorf. There also will be a large group of china and porcelain dolls. If you are a doll collector, an avid doll lover, or a mother or grandmother with a special little girl or girls who love dolls, this exhibit is sure to…

The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will host an exhibit of antique dolls throughout the month of February. The exhibit will feature a wide array of German-made dolls, including dolls by Armand Marseille, Kestner, and Koppelsdorf. There also will be a large group of china and porcelain dolls. If you are a doll collector, an avid doll lover, or a mother or grandmother with a special little girl or girls who love dolls, this exhibit is sure to…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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…

The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) has Silver Selections from the USS Oklahoma on exhibit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The exhibit, featuring pieces from the USS Oklahoma's silver service, will be open from December 7, 2021 through April 30, 2022 , in the third-floor atrium and may be viewed during regular museum hours. The tradition of creating presentation silver sets for United States warships of the “first rank” began with the USS Maine in the…

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…

The Smithsonian Institution Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America will be on display at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum until May 7, 2022 in the historic Big Barn of the property. 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,…

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.

On Monday, May 16, a new photography exhibit, Becoming Fearless is opening in the Chesapeake Event Center and Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center.

Becoming Fearless explores 70 years of firefighting in Oklahoma. 25 black and white images trace the evolution of the profession from the early days of acrobatics, antics, and volunteerism in the 1900s, to the sophisticated fire safety systems in place today. Photographs from the early days of firefighting often depicted feats of agility—along with a bit of humor. Some of the images are great examples of the firehouses, equipment, and uniforms from across the state. Guthrie established their fire department in 1889, the same year as Oklahoma City. Tulsa followed in 1900, Enid in 1902, and Edmond in 1903. Most started with volunteers only, as is still the case in some rural areas today. Horse-drawn fire equipment was common from 1889, when the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OCFD) was originally established, until 1910 when the first motorized firefighting vehicle was introduced.

On Saturday, May 21, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will open the OHS traveling exhibit Family Album: Photographs by Pierre Tartoue. Pierre Tartoue (1885–1976) was born in the harbor town of Saint-Nazaire on the western shores of France and, in his lifetime, made his way across most of the continental United States. From the late 1930s to the early 1950s he spent most of his time in Oklahoma, painting and producing photographs that bore witness to a tremendous renaissance…

The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will feature Vintage Snack Sets, a temporary exhibit during the month of June. From the 1940s to the 1970s, women often entertained at home by hosting teas, coffees, or church socials. On these special occasions, they would wear their Sunday best and bring out pretty snack sets that included a plate with a round indention to hold the matching cup. This exhibit will include pieces by manufacturers such as Anchor Hocking, Hazel-Atlas,…

On Tuesday, June 28, a new exhibit titled Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show will open at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. It will feature the works of Oklahoma artist Dallas Mayer. The self-named "Ranch Lady" paints figures from everyday life, inviting viewers to experience her heartfelt connections to the animals and people of the Great Plains. With painterly, soft brushstrokes and deep, saturated hues, her paintings convey a lightness of spirit. Dallas Mayer has developed her own unique…

The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will feature Vintage Snack Sets, a temporary exhibit during the month of June. From the 1940s to the 1970s, women often entertained at home by hosting teas, coffees, or church socials. On these special occasions, they would wear their Sunday best and bring out pretty snack sets that included a plate with a round indention to hold the matching cup. This exhibit will include pieces by manufacturers such as Anchor Hocking, Hazel-Atlas,…

A new exhibit, Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929, will open to the public on Friday, July 1. The exhibit will feature fashions and accessories worn by/inspired by Anna and Henry Ione displayed on every floor of the historic home. A fashion timeline, as well as archival photos of the Overholser women and other trendsetters of the period, will be dotted throughout the displays. The exhibit will remain open…

On Tuesday, July 5, a selection of modern gelatin silver prints made from glass plate negatives from the photography studio of Lenny and Sawyers will be on display in the Noble Gallery located on the 3rd floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Lenny and Sawyers Studio was in operation for a short period of time from 1889 to 1891. Many of the photographs taken by William Lenny and William Sawyers in that period depicted Indigenous people in the Lawton…

On Tuesday, July 5, the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School will open a new exhibit about the life and work of Perry photographer Barney P. Enright. A variety of Enright’s photographic prints, as well as period cameras and clothing, are included in this exhibit telling the story of his career as a lensman. At the age of 21, Enright moved with his family to Lahoma in Oklahoma Territory. His love of photography first began with taking pictures of…