The Oklahoma Territorial Museum collects, preserves, and maintains a wide variety of material culture relating to the territorial period in Oklahoma history. This includes, but is not limited to, items from the Land Run of 1889 and the opening of the unassigned lands, the territorial period, statehood, and Guthrie as Oklahoma's capital until 1910. This covers the time period roughly between 1889 and 1910.

Our primary collection consists of 3-dimensional artifacts. However, we also have extensive holdings of photographs, postcards, maps, and other archival materials relating to our mission.

If you are interested in donating items to the museum or have a research request, please contact the curator or the collections specialist.

The Oklahoma Historical Society Collection Policy

General:

All donations are tax deductible; however, the Society can assume no
responsibility for evaluating donations.

All donations are considered outright and unconditional gifts to be
used at the discretion of the Society.

Because of the expense involved in housing, handling, maintaining,
insuring, and exhibiting collections, loans cannot ordinarily be
accepted. Occasionally, loans are considered for special exhibits or
programming, but only for assigned periods.

All donations are subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees,
upon recommendations of the Collections Committee of the professional
staff.

Museums and Historic Sites:

1. Accessioned

Primary Collections: These items are the finest available, relate
directly to the Society's purposes and are used only for exhibition
and research.
Secondary Collections: These are usually duplicate or worn items that
may be used for their original function especially as teaching aids.
Care will be taken with these items but the Society cannot accept a
long term obligation for their preservation, and they will be
considered expendable.

2. Non-Accessioned

a. Resource Material: These items are of a documentary nature
(including some photographs) and have minimal intrinsic value, but
rather contain information about persons, events, or types of
artifacts within the permanent collections. Such material will be used
at Museums/Sites for reference purposes.

b. Supplemental Exhibits Material: These items, or an expendable
nature and subject to modification, may be used as background pieces
to add atmosphere to an exhibit or historic building. (Examples would
be molding, mannequins, pieces of rug or carpet, curtains or
draperies, and other such items.)