January 15, 2016

Gateway to Oklahoma History announces availability of e-newsletter alerts

The past few years have been those of tremendous growth and development for the Oklahoma Historical Society. With the goal of over 5 million pages of pre-1923 Oklahoma newspapers and 1.3 million images from the Daily Oklahoman newspaper, we have reached over 1.4 million items online and free for all access research!

Due to the rapid increase and additions to the Gateway we have received many requests to notify researchers and patrons as those items are added. We have developed a monthly report to send to all! This report will address both collections so that you can keep up with our progress and review items added.

To be added to this newsletter and receive updates on new additions to the OHS's Gateway to Oklahoma History click here. Simply add your email address to the section in the lower right hand side and click subscribe.

NRHP Nomination Grants available from the SHPO

The Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) announces its annual matching grants to state, local and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations for the preparation of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nominations. The SHPO has reserved $10,000 of its FY 2016 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) allocation from the U.S. Department of the Interior for the program. The funds will be equally divided for award in two grant rounds with any funds remaining from round one carried over for round two. Applications and detailed instructions will be available from the SHPO on February 1. The deadline for round one applications is 5 p.m. on April 1, and the deadline for round two applications is 5 p.m. on June 3. Each grant is limited to $1,000, and the applicant must provide a nonfederal, cash match of at least $700. Grant recipients will use the grant funds and nonfederal match to retain an appropriately qualified professional to prepare a complete individual property nomination package for the NRHP. Applicants must be aware that $1,700 (federal grant plus nonfederal match) is only an estimate of the cost for such projects and that more than the minimum $700 nonfederal match may be necessary to cover the consultant fee. Consultants must consider the nature of the property proposed for nomination and many other factors as they develop their fee proposals.

The NRHP is the list of our nation's significant buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects and landscapes important in our past. While listing is not a guarantee of preservation or of financial assistance, the NRHP status of a property is often critical to the strategy for its preservation. The NRHP provides increased public awareness of these irreplaceable resources, provides limited protection for them, qualifies property owners for federal and state tax credits under certain circumstances and may qualify the property owner for grant assistance when such programs are funded.

To obtain or submit a NRHP Nomination Grant application form, please visit www.okhistory.org/shpo/nrgrant.htm. You may also contact the SHPO at 405-521-6249. Information about the SHPO and its programs, including the NRHP, is available at www.okhistory.org/shpo.

Hand Quilting Workshop

Saturday, January 16

Sod House Museum | Aline, OK

The Sod House Museum will host a quilting workshop on Saturday, January 16, 2016, from 9 to 11 a.m. Doris Booze of Aline will present hand quilting basics for beginning quilters. Hand quilting provides a soft finish that cannot be achieved any other way.

Participants will enjoy a fun morning while learning about quilting needles, threads, thimbles and how to make a quilt knot. Quilt stands and hoops also will be on display. Although Booze has been quilting for only six years, she is excited about the interest shown in hand quilting and wants people to learn the fun and simplicity of it.

There will be a quilt stand set up with a small quilt on it for everyone to learn how to make a quilt stitch, or participants may bring a small project of their own for practice if they wish. Participants will be shown the up-down motion of how to load several stitches on the needle while maintaining an even tension. Keeping stitches even is an important part of the technique for beautiful hand quilting.

The Sod House Museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and is located southeast of Aline on State Highway 8. For more information contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.