11/29/2025
Good morning!
We are in the midst of an extensive reorganization that has resulted in the accomplishment of several years-long goals and challenges.
Earlier this year the society dedicated the sculpture of C.G. Jones along with related historic artifacts, including the columns from the Huckins Hotel, at a new plaza at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds. We will add a separate post on this dedication in the near future. Board member John Dunning, meanwhile, has spent the past few months cleaning out the society's storage units in the basement of the Main Street Garage. With water and wastewater lines running above the units, this has not been the best place for storing items of historic value or documents we've accumulated since the start of our organization.
The documents are being organized, scanned, and some will be posted online. We are also in the midst of determining how to best place the historic objects in our possession. Some may go the Metropolitan Library System. Other items may go to museums and historic exhibits more appropriate for such collections. We will keep folks updated as this clean-up continues.
With progress well underway, the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society is about to transition into a group with far more engagement and activities throughout the year.
Part of this program will be the result from the incorporation of programming once hosted by Retro Metro OKC, the organization that was taken over the historical society in 2024.
Upcoming events will include what will be the relaunching of annual holiday celebrations. The 2025 holiday gathering will feature a visit with Jeffiee Tayar, whose husband Bob Tayar owned and operated the legendary Molly Murphy's House of Fine Repute and former employee "Moose" Craig Allman. This should be a fun discussion of what is probably one of the most missed restaurants in OKC. The party will begin at 5:30 p.m. December 9 at the Dunlop Codding event room, 609 W Sheridan.
Other upcoming events will be a presentation on the history of our group, provided by state historian Bob Blackburn, at our January 12, 2026 annual meeting, and a Route 66 bus tour on March 28, 2026 (stay tuned for details on how to reserve a seat!)
We also will be resuming scanning of private photo collections for the Retro Metro OKC website and will relaunch the annual Pathmaker Awards. Discussions also are underway on how best to further promote preservation in our city and county.
Finally, please note we have a new website address, www.okchistory.com and it is being updated with improvement to include news, a blog and event calendar, research tools and resources, and a list of fellow history organizations and sites of interest to our members.
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