09/02/2026
WELCOME TO THE GLAMOROUS WORLD OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
Some of you may remember that back on February 25, 2026, we made a post about The Hole in the basement of the State Capital Publishing Museum.
You know the one.
The hole that was originally covered by the Goss Straight-Line Newspaper Perfecting Press.
Well, once the press was moved, the hole was no longer hiding.
And if you’ve ever been in our basement, you’ve probably seen it.
It is… BIG.
In fact, it is deep enough that a grown man can stand down in it and still can just see over the rim.
So naturally, we thought:
“We should probably do something about that.”
This past weekend, six brave volunteers took on the next step.
Approximately 600 bricks were moved from a trailer, through an opened basement window, and carefully stacked next to The Hole.
Yes.
600 bricks.
Through a window.
By hand.
Because apparently, this is what we do for fun.
Those bricks will eventually be used, along with cement, to fill in The Hole later this fall.
And if you’re wondering…
WHY?!
We have answers!
1. SAFETY.
2. We have all these bricks. We worked WAY too hard to get them into the building and stack them neatly to let them sit there forever.
3. SAFETY.
4. I would really prefer not to fall into a hole in the basement.
5. And just in case anyone missed the first, third, and fourth reasons…
SAFETY.
😂😂😂
Historic preservation isn't always glamorous.
Sometimes it’s restoring beautiful old windows.
Sometimes it’s preserving historic printing equipment.
And sometimes it’s six people moving 600 bricks through a basement window because there is a giant hole that needs to disappear.
But every single one of these jobs matters.
Every brick moved, every repair made, and every piece of this historic building we preserve helps us protect the story of Oklahoma for the generations who come after us.
So, a HUGE THANK YOU to the six brave souls who came out and spent their Saturday doing some very unglamorous—and very important—work at the museum.
And thank you for doing it on what may have been the coolest Saturday we’ve had all August! ❤️
We truly could not do this without our volunteers.
And to the six people who moved 600 bricks…
You are officially on the “People We Trust Near The Hole” list. 😂🧱
