Completed in 1903 for one of Oklahoma City's major historical figures, the Overholser Mansion is a glimpse back in time to the life of the man most responsible for the thriving city that exists today. The three-story chateauesque home showcases original furnishings, stained glass, and ornate canvas painted walls.
The mansion offers tours.
The Society operates museums housed in several historic buildings, with exhibits and collections interpreting both the history of the buildings and the community. The buildings include the 1901 courthouse, the 1900 Customs House, the 1900 mule barn, the 1901 non-commissioned officers quarters, and the waterwagon shed.
The museums offer exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.
At Monument Hill, a crypt and granite monument honor the men who died in the 1840s Dawson Massacre and Black Bean Death Lottery. The nearby Kreische House and Brewery preserve the life and work of Heinrich L. Kreische and other early European immigrants who settled the area.
The sites offer tours.
The San Marcos Historical Society is a local organization dedicated to the archiving and preservation of the history of San Marcos. It operates a museum, as well as a Heritage Park containing two restored historical structures: the 1888 Cox House and the 1890 Bidwell House.
Both the museum and the park offer tours and exhibits.
Last president of the Republic of Texas Anson Jones farmed near Washington during and after his presidency. Jones named his farm "Barrington" after his Massachusetts home, Great Barrington. There he lived with wife Mary, their four children, his sister, sister-in-law, and five slaves. The family home, two slave cabins, a kitchen building, smokehouse, cotton house, and barn made up Barrington Farm. With Jones's daybook as their guide, the interpreters at Barrington Living History Farm conduct themselves much as did the earliest residents of the original farmstead. The Jones home is original; the outbuildings are replicas constructed by Texas Parks and Wildlife using Jones's own journal and drawings. Visitors to the farm can experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the 19th century. The scene is complete with heritage breeds of livestock. Interpreters, dressed in period style clothing, help visitors better understand what life was like 150 years ago. Visitors can participate in the work of the farm and become a part of the exhibit.
The farm offers demonstrations, tours, classes, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).
Ed Chappell, director of architectural research at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the research required to restore buildings to their colonial-era state, and how perception of how a building should be restored and presented changes over time and with the appearance of new information.
Modern-day curators focus on reversible restoration techniques. Conservator Shelley Svoboda describes the renewal of the Carolina Room.
Thousands of "soddies" once dotted the prairies of Oklahoma, but only this sod house built in 1894 by Marshal McCully remains. McCully took part in the largest of Oklahoma's land runs when the Cherokee Outlet opened for settlement at noon on September 16, 1893. McCully first lived in a one-room dugout, hollowed out of a ravine bank. He built the two-room sod house in August 1894 using blocks of the thick buffalo grass blanketing Oklahoma's prairies. Although the soddy remains in its original location a cover structure now protects it from the elements. Visitors can enjoy the unique experience of walking through the furnished sod house to imagine what life was like for Oklahoma's early settlers.
The museum offers tours and scavenger hunts (basic for grades 2-3, detailed for grades 4-8). The scavenger hunt is handed out to students after a brief history of the sod house, allowing them to answer questions about the house, surrounding area and find specific artifacts in the museum.
There is also a Trunk Show on kitchen items is for 1-4th grade. This is a hands on program: items are taken out of a trunk and passed around for students to see and feel, with students encouraged to name the item and discuss how it was used and why.
A double-pen, cedar log dogtrot house, Fanthorp Inn was built by an English immigrant, Henry Fanthorp, when Texas was part of Mexico. Fanthorp petitioned Stephen F. Austin in 1832 for permission to settle in this Original Austin Colony. He bought 1,100 acres and built his house in 1834 on the road that crossed his land, thus bringing travelers to his door immediately. Henry Fanthorp was appointed Postmaster by the Provisional Texas Government in 1835 and saw the advantage of offering other services and goods to his frequent visitors. Within time, Fanthorp's became a well-known stopping place for both travelers and the community.
The site offers tours, stagecoach rides, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).
The Oklahoma Historical Society, with its affiliate, the Jim Thorpe Foundation, preserves and displays the former home of the 1912 Olympian containing exhibited artifacts from Jim Thorpe and his family.
The home offers tours.