Where History Meets Commerce
by Michael J. Hightower, PhD, Principal Researcher
Oklahoma Bank and Commerce History Project
 
The OHS is undertaking a three-year, state-wide effort to collect, preserve, and share the history of banking and commerce in Oklahoma. Through collections, museum exhibits, books, and documentary films, the OHS hopes to encourage a better understanding of the role that capital investment and banking services have played in shaping state and local history.

 
To solicit participation in what has been branded as the Oklahoma Bank and Commerce History Project, Principal Researcher Dr. Michael J. Hightower attended the Oklahoma Bankers' Association convention in May as an exhibitor. Bankers took time from pressing concerns to drop by his booth to enjoy historic maps and photographs and reminisce about the days when family banks ruled the roost. Dr Hightower left the gathering with a stack of business cards and a

First State Bank of Norman

calendar full of appointments with bankers eager to tell their stories. To date, Dr. Hightower has traveled to Bokchito, Konawa, and Norman to interview bankers and develop an inventory of banking artifacts. Ada, Bristow, and Tulsa are next on the list, and bankers from such diverse locations as Kremlin, Perry, and Arnett have been in touch via email and snail mail to see how they can participate in the project. Clearly, the OHS's decision to launch a project on banking and commerce was an idea whose time has come.

 

To learn how bankers in your community can participate in the Oklahoma Bank and Commerce History Project, contact Michael by email at mhightower@okhistory.org or by phone at (434)249-6043.