Blackwell Museum receives major grant for historical artifacts

Blackwell’s Top of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum has received a second $20,000 grant to continue an extensive project to inventory the museum’s collection.

The Oklahoma Historical Society awarded the funds to the museum through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program, officials said Thursday.

The grant is for a project called “Collection Management: What and Where? Part II.” It’s the second part of an effort to digitize and catalog the numerous artifacts in the museum, officials said. The grant pays for a staffer to identify, research and photograph every item.

The project began in 2021 when the first grant was awarded.

“The Oklahoma Historical Society grant has helped us save over a century of museum collections at the Top of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum,” museum board president Jaylene Soulek said. “The grant is the second grant the museum has received to continue its work in creating a viable inventory.

“This small-town museum has struggled with very limited resources. This $20,000 grant is step two in knowing what we have and where it is. The inventory will be online and accessible to all.”

The state historical society plans to award more than $550,000 in grants this year to various museums. The grant program’s mission, officials said, is to encourage “the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state.”

“Entering our third year of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program, the OHS is thrilled with the program’s success,” said Nicole Harvey, director of strategic initiatives and grants administrator for the state historical society.

“To date, the program has funded over 120 projects that are aiding with collecting, preserving and sharing Oklahoma history for local communities across the state.”