Metro Special Collections & Research

Metro Special Collections & Research Documenting Our Past, Telling Our Stories

Sixty-one years ago this month, this photograph was taken in the dining room of the Fountainhead State Lodge at Lake Euf...
08/13/2026

Sixty-one years ago this month, this photograph was taken in the dining room of the Fountainhead State Lodge at Lake Eufaula State Park in Checotah, Oklahoma.
(via Bob Bowlby and the Lynn Rostochil Collection)

This photograph is from this week in 1965, showing the chow line for a First National Building Corporation Employee Even...
08/11/2026

This photograph is from this week in 1965, showing the chow line for a First National Building Corporation Employee Event at Springlake Amusement Park.
We have to say their fits are much more chic than we usually wear to an amusement park.
(via the Retro Metro Collection)

Meet our newest librarian Rachel through her picks from our collections:01. This photo is amazing because you can see th...
07/30/2026

Meet our newest librarian Rachel through her picks from our collections:

01. This photo is amazing because you can see the store signs and even the prices for lunch!

02. I like this photo because it’s fun to see people from history doing leisure things that we don’t always think about. Like these people swimming!

03. This is such an interesting photo from the 1950s because you have Thurgood Marshall who was an incredibly instrumental figure in Oklahoma and American History for his landmark cases and advocacy for Civil Rights. But you also have a glimpse of him on a Pan American flight which was an iconic airline for decades. Both are giving a snapshot into mid-twentieth century America.

04. I love seeing photos of buildings being constructed which is one of the reasons I chose this photo. But I also chose it because it is the tallest building in the image, by far with nothing but buildings only a few stories behind it.

05. I like this photo because it shows something uniquely OKC; local students on a local tv show interviewing an Oklahoma Governor!

06. This is a beautiful photo and I was intrigued by how Brown captured the sunlight coming from over the horizon and the street lights that look like stars.

07. I like this photo for the way it physically turned out; a little blurry. But it’s also fun to see people decorating for the Holidays!

08. This is such a beautiful mural and I love the saturated colors and details. The colors are what drew me to it in the first place!

09. The angle and lighting in this photo are incredible. It feels like I am really standing under the sign and looking up at it!

10. I love old postcards because they are literally a snapshot of history! It’s fun to see a building and compare it to what it looks like today or what replaced it.

This photograph from July 1917 shows a demonstration of a fully mechanized tractor and plow. The spikes on the rear wh...
07/28/2026

This photograph from July 1917 shows a demonstration of a fully mechanized tractor and plow. The spikes on the rear wheels are technically utilitarian, but also give us some fun punk/metal vibes.
(via the Dunning Collection)

With all the buzz about Backrooms and liminal spaces, we thought y'all might like this photograph taken today in 1930 du...
07/24/2026

With all the buzz about Backrooms and liminal spaces, we thought y'all might like this photograph taken today in 1930 during the construction of the Belle Isle power plant.
(Via the Dunning Collection)

Apparently handling this 1908 postcard does not count as "touching grass." 😅 What are your favorite non-screen summer ac...
07/22/2026

Apparently handling this 1908 postcard does not count as "touching grass." 😅 What are your favorite non-screen summer activities?
(via the Robert Allison Collection)

Oklahomans have been putting the "fun" in "fundraising" for over 100 years. This photographic portrait from today in 189...
07/20/2026

Oklahomans have been putting the "fun" in "fundraising" for over 100 years. This photographic portrait from today in 1892 depicts the Ladies' Columbian Society, who put together a series of performances and soirees to fund the Oklahoma display at the Columbian Worlds' Fair to be held the following year in Chicago. What are your favorite fundraisers for a good cause in more recent history?
(Image via the Dunning Collection)

From today in 2002: Jucifer at the Green Door (via the Oklahoma Underground Music Archive)
07/16/2026

From today in 2002: Jucifer at the Green Door (via the Oklahoma Underground Music Archive)

Anyone in the mood for some Summerween? We recently had guests in the Oklahoma Room researching the history of Effie, th...
07/14/2026

Anyone in the mood for some Summerween? We recently had guests in the Oklahoma Room researching the history of Effie, the infamous ghost of the Skirvin Hotel. We love the lore, but this advertisement from 1916 was the closest thing to a haunting during the right time period 👻
(Image from the Daily Oklahoman via Newspapers.com)

Address

Oklahoma City, OK
73102

Telephone

+14052318650

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Metro Special Collections & Research posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category