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Thematic Surveys

The State Historic Preservation Office carries out a comprehensive survey program for the identification of historic properties. The results of survey activities are presented in reports that explain the goals of the project, the methodology used, the resources documented, and much more. These projects are carefully designed and employ a systematic process of identifying and gathering data on buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects, and landscapes. Often the goal of a survey project is to record all property types in a particular geographic area. However, the survey may be designed for the documentation of only those properties that represent a single theme such as WPA properties, grain elevators, or historic Route 66. In both cases, the work involves field survey, the physical search for and recording of historic resources on the ground, as well as planning and background research before field work begins.

Reports detailing the Oklahoma SHPO's thematic survey project results are provided in this section. Most reports listed below are in PDF format. Other surveys are also made available for the public through links to external websites.

Architectural and Historical Survey of Oklahoma All-Black Towns, Pt 1 (2023)
Cushing Oil Field: Historic Preservation Survey (1981)
Energy: Northwest Oklahoma: 1910–1930 (1986)
Energy: South Central Oklahoma: 1900–1930 part 1, part 2 (1985)
Grain Elevators in Western Oklahoma, 1889–1950 (1990) part 1, part 2
Historic Building Survey (Final Report), Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service (OCAIHS) (2005)
Historic Context for African American History in Muskogee, Oklahoma (2014)
The Historic Context for Modern Architecture in Oklahoma: Housing from 1946–76 (2014)
Historic Homes of Oklahoma (1975)
Historic Preservation Survey of Folk Housing in Oklahoma (1994)
Historic Preservation Survey: Northcentral Oklahoma (1978)
Movie Theaters in Central Oklahoma (2004/2005)
A New Deal for Oklahoma: Bridge and Road Building in the Depression Era 2016 (provided by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation)
New Deal Era Public Art in Oklahoma (2003–04)
New Deal-Era State Parks in Oklahoma (1993)
Oklahoma City's Historic School Buildings (made available with permission) (2001)
Oklahoma Historic Bridge Update for Metal Truss, Masonry Arch, and Concrete Arch Bridges Constructed through 1980 (2021) (provided by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation)
Oklahoma Historic Highway Bridge Survey Phase I (2007) (provided by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation)
Oklahoma's Legacy of Defense (1993)
Phase 2 of Coal Mining Related Resources in Region Four Survey (1990)
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Modern Houses in Payne County, 1946–76 (2017)
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Oklahoma County: Industrial Resources (1991)
Report on the Intensive-Level Survey of the Historic Churches in Ponca City (2012), View Map
Rosenwald Fund in Oklahoma (1997)
Rural Schools of Southwestern Oklahoma (1998)
Spans of Time (1993) (provided by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation)
Thematic Survey of Calabooses (Tiny Jails) in Oklahoma (2023)
Thematic Survey of Historic Barns in Central and South-Central Oklahoma (2012)
Thematic Survey of Historic Barns in Northeast Oklahoma (2013)
Thematic Survey of Historic Barns in Northwestern Oklahoma (2011)
Thematic Survey of Historic Barns in Southeastern Oklahoma (2014)
Thematic Survey of Historic Barns in Southwestern Oklahoma (2010)
Thematic Survey of Oklahoma Sandstone Canals (2022)
Thematic Survey of Oklahoma's World War II Training Fields, 1941–45 (2017)
WPA Region Reports
WPA Structures (Phase III) (1987) part 1, part 2