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October 2024
Back in Time: “Haunted Heritage” special screening and panel with OETA Producer Robert Burch
On Wednesday, October 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the OETA and the Oklahoma Historical Society will partner to host a hauntingly good special screening of the OETA Back in Time series episode “Haunted Heritage”—just in time for Halloween!
The event will be held at the Chesapeake Event Center and Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center. Uncover the spine-tingling stories that haunt Oklahoma’s past. Whether you’re a history buff or just love a good ghost story, this event promises to be a frightfully fun experience!
Following the screening, a panel discussion featuring paranormal investigators, local historians and storytellers will provide insights into the folklore and ghostly tales that shape our understanding of history. State historian Matthew Pearce will moderate, with panelists Chantry Banks, OHS director of museums and historic sites, Robert Burch, OETA producer, Stacy Price, paranormal investigator, and Jeff Provine, professor and author.
Find out more »November 2024
“Oklahoma Calabooses: The History and Stories of Oklahoma’s Early Jails” with Michael Mayes
On Thursday, November 7, from 6 to 7 p.m., the Oklahoma Territorial Museum will have a program with Michael Mayes, National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) coordinator for the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). He will discuss “Oklahoma Calabooses: The History and Stories of Oklahoma’s Early Jails.” This program is free to the public, but donations are appreciated. About Michael Mayes Michael Mayes holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and a master’s in museum…
Find out more »The Shoemaker book discussion and signing with author Retired Major Joe Lee Todd
In honor of Veterans Day, the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division will host a special presentation of The Shoemaker on Wednesday, November 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Musser Learning Lab.
Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame member Rt. Major Joe Lee Todd will discuss Louis Kerbel’s life and times. Todd is the author of The Shoemaker (2021, New Forums Press), a biography of Kerbel based on hours of recorded interviews.
Louis Kerbel was a Russian Jewish man born in Ukraine in 1888 in the village of Roshen. He worked as a shoemaker in Russia. Kerbel lived through unimaginable violence before coming to the United States in 1911 with only 75 cents in his pocket. In 1914, he moved to Oklahoma, where he opened a shoe shop in downtown Tulsa. Due to the violence he endured in Russia, Kerbel felt compelled to assist many African Americans during the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 by concealing them in his shoe shop.
Find out more »“The Black Experience and Route 66” program and pop-up exhibit
On Friday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Choctaw Freedmen Citizen Footprints (CFCF) is partnering with the Oklahoma Historical Society to share and discuss Black experiences on Route 66 in the Chesapeake Event Center and Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. The CFCF will unveil the Oklahoma Freedmen Families and Descendants pop-up exhibit at the event. This exhibit explores the journeys of Freedmen families traveling across Route 66 and other Oklahoma roads, highways, and byways…
Find out more »May 2025
Oklahoma in Context: The Oklahoma History Symposium
The 2025 Oklahoma History Symposium will be held on May 3, 2025, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the symposium is a one-day event encompassing a range of historical topics pertaining to Oklahoma. It provides a venue for scholars, students, educators, public history professionals, and the interested public from across the state and region to share their work and interests with others. The 2025 symposium will center on the theme “Oklahoma in Context.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines context as “the…
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