The Oklahoma History Center, the new home for Oklahoma’s historical treasures, is now officially open to the public. Five years of construction came to an end as curators moved thousands of artifacts into the new building to prepare the five museum galleries for the opening.

“As visitors arrive, they will truly experience Oklahoma at one site, from Guymon to Broken Bow and from Miami to Altus. The Oklahoma History Center is an architectural masterpiece a decade in the making that captures the people of Oklahoma, our diverse terrains and indigenous trees, flowers and plants,” said Dr. Bob Blackburn, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

The Oklahoma History Center features a soaring 80-ft. glass atrium featuring a replica of the Winnie Mae airplane, flown around the world in only eight days by Wiley Post, and its five state-of-the-art galleries brimming with more than 2,000 artifacts and 200 multi-media, interactive exhibits. Other exhibit highlights include an 1830s Red River commercial riverboat, a Civil War cannon, a Land Run covered wagon and the Gemini 6 space capsule commanded by Tom Stafford.

The museum features five galleries of artifacts that showcase various aspects of Oklahoma’s developmentand history. Four galleries are permanent in that they will always have the same theme, however the objects that tell the stories will change periodically. The fifth gallery is the special events gallery allowing the museum staff either to show an exhibit that is not display elsewhere in the museum or expand on an existing exhibit.

INASMUCH Gallery - First Floor South – features exhibits such as Voice, Vision & Vacuum Tubes, Wild West Shows, Sports, Diversity, Images of Oklahoma, Culture and the Arts. The INASMUCH Gallery is an exploration of the breadth of Oklahoma’s artistic achievements as well as the impact of an extremely diverse immigrant population. Visitors will enjoy a broad range of subjects, including our entertainment value as a land of Cowboys and Indians, our pioneering innovations in broadcasting and the dramatic and unifying impact sports and sporting events have made on our communities.

ONEOK Gallery – First Floor North – focuses on Indian Lives, Origins, Spirituality, Languages, Dwellings, Living Ways, Sovereignty and Tribes. Representing all 39 American Indian tribes currently associated with Oklahoma, the ONEOK Gallery offers visitors the opportunity to explore the traditionalhistoric past of native peoples of Oklahoma as well as experience contemporary Indian cultures. Using the American Indian experience as a bridge between the past and the present, the exhibit offers artifacts, tribal music, photographic images, Indian art and oral histories from the Indian tribes of Oklahoma.

E.L. & THELMA GAYLORD – Special Exhibits Gallery – First Floor North - The Gaylord Special Exhibits Gallery is host to revolving exhibits heralding Oklahoma’s important citizens and rich heritage. Some exhibits feature all or parts of a single collection while others bring together items from two or more collections to tell a story.

NOBLE FOUNDATION Gallery - 3rd Floor North - Land Run, Urban Frontiers, Farm & Ranch, Weather, Quilts, Government & Politics, Law & Order, Fashions and Education. Land Runs and lotteries have played an enormous role in our development and settlement as a state. Through artifacts, images and first-hand accounts of participants, visitors can relive the lives of those brave souls who settled our great plains and turned homesteads into farms and cities. It was their survival of, and adaptation to, the extremes of weather, economics and politics that enabled them to create this magnificent state.

There are three permanent exhibits on the grounds of the history center. They include:
RED RIVER JOURNEY - During your visit, we hope you will take time to enjoy the Red River Journey, a relaxing 1/4-mile walking tour that replicates the Red River Valley along Oklahoma’s southern boundary – a unique sample of Oklahoma’s diverse terrains as well as a botanical field trip of indigenous trees, flowers and plants.

DEVON ENERGY OIL & GAS PARK - The story of oil and gas exploration is a tale of risk, innovation, fortunes won and lost, spectacular successes and dramatic challenges. The Devon Oil and Gas Exploration Park interprets some of the technology that is part of the fascinating history of Oklahoma’s oil industry.

OGE ENERGY CORP. 14 FLAGS - Empires, explorers, nations and people are known and defined by their symbols. One measure of the last few hundred years of Oklahoma’s history is the flags of the different nations and peoples that have lived here, claimed the area and fought for control of Oklahoma’s land, people and resources. The 14 Flags Over Oklahoma exhibit briefly identifies and interprets some of the most important flags and nations that tell the tale of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma History Center is officially affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. It is an 18-acre, 215,000 square foot research and learning center with almost 40,000 sq. ft of exhibit space. The exhibits cover more than 50 topics of interest exploring Oklahoma’s contributions to aviation, geology, commerce, culture and the arts, transportation and many more subjects.

The parking lot is large enough for a number of busses and RV’s and several hundred cars. The Winnie Mae Café located on the third floor of the building features diverse menu of salads and sandwiches. It is open the same hours as the museum.
The regular admission charge for the museum will be $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, $3 for students and children ages five and under will be admitted free. Group rates will be available. Organized student groups will be admitted free. There will not be a charge for access to the research library once it opens.

The Oklahoma History Center is located at 2401 N. Laird Street, the northeast corner of N.E. 23rd & Lincoln Blvd. just east of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Its hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday Noon to 5:00 p.m. The museum will only be closed three days per year: News Years Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.