Good news, my fellow history buffs and cheapskates!
This week the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum is open to the public. Here are the details via the OK History website:
The Oklahoma State Capitol Museum contains 4,400 square feet of exhibit space and 13 exhibit cases, featuring more than 125 artifacts relating to the history of the Oklahoma State Capitol and the work of Oklahoma’s state government.
We're suckers for history at The Lost Ogle, so here are 7 things we’ll probably find at the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum!
William “Alfalfa” Murray’s Autobiography
As we explored in our series, “Politicians of Oklahoma Past,” William Murray was a bigoted, self-serving crackpot who spent more time getting on both President Roosevelts’ shitlists than he did helping his constituents survive the Great Depression. His autobiography will probably be on display at the Capitol Museum to remind today’s leaders of Oklahoma of our state’s checkered past and implore them to refrain from racism or selfishness, lest they also get two whole ass counties and a college named after them.
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Ralph Shortey's Ironic "Cool Story Now Go Make Me A Sandwich" T-Shirt
Unlike the ripoffs found on Amazon, this priceless shirt was the one State Senator Ralph Shortey wore the night he was caught smoking weed inside an interstate motel room with a teenage male prostitute.
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Cuneiform Tablets
No, these aren’t on loan from Hobby Lobby as a personal favor to James Lankford. Rather, these ancient tablets are inscribed with the speech Jim Inhofe gave more than 2,000 years ago when he was first elected to office as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
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Copies of Books banned by the Oklahoma legislature
Located behind a locked and secure glass case where nobody can open them, this exhibit will show the great lengths Oklahoma lawmakers go to protect the local citizenry from controversial words.
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Three Sentences Dedicated to A. C. Hamlin
In those three sentences, you’ll learn that A. C. Hamlin was the first African American elected to the Oklahoma Legislature way back in 1908. You probably won’t learn in those three sentences that other esteemed Oklahoma politicians of the time worked hard to make sure that didn’t happen again for a while.
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A Diagram Exploring Oklahoma’s Complex and Rich Relationship with Azerbaijan
Since there seems to be a lot of confusion about the reason behind Governor Stitt’s visit to Azerbaijan, some interning staffer was given the task of creating an exhibit exploring the relationship between the former Soviet state and Oklahoma. It likely includes a diorama depicting Stitt’s initial meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and an informational poster on the governments’ shared interests, both of which will fuel visitors’ curiosity... in that it will leave them with more questions than answers.
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A Gift Shop
The museum may be free, but you won’t want to leave without paying $12.99 for a commemorative oil derrick shot glass. Keep your receipt for 15% off your next order at Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen.
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Hayley is ready for an afternoon at the museum. Follow her on twitter @squirrellygeek and become a contributing member of TLO here.
