As part of a massive restoration project recently completed at the building, the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum in Oklahoma City opened to the public last week.
The museum on the ground floor of the state’s Capitol “unveiled exhibits during Tuesday’s opening ceremony displaying government-forming documents, century-old stained glass, antique ballot boxes and the accoutrements of notable Oklahomans dating to before statehood,” reported The Oklahoman newspaper.
The $275 million in work began on the Capitol in 2014 to essentially bring the structure up to code.
More from The Oklahoman:
The museum will give the many groups that visit the Capitol each year, often including school trips, an avenue to learn about Oklahoma’s past while the policy work of the day unfolds in the legislative chambers on the floors above. […]
Oklahoma citizens and visitors from around the world will find exhibits ranging from fun items, like dresses worn to galas and political campaign memorabilia, to more poignant and impactful artifacts, such as the physical bill that allowed for Jim Crow-era laws.
The Oklahoma Historical Society also had more details about the museum:
This rich history will come alive as visitors view important artifacts from Oklahoma’s political past, such as a working draft of the Oklahoma Constitution, the quill pen used by President Theodore Roosevelt to sign the Oklahoma Statehood Proclamation, and a 1970s-era voting machine. As guests walk through the exhibit, they can look back toward the entrance to a large, lenticular image of the Capitol that shows the building’s evolution over time as the image is viewed from different points in the gallery.
KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City produced this video about the opening:
The museum will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Capitol is at Lincoln Boulevard and NE 23rd Street, both of which were Route 66 alignments through the city.
(Image of the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City by Steve via Flickr; image of the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum via the Oklahoma Historical Society website)