NOTICE: TALBOT LIBRARY AND MUSEUM, COLCORD, OKLAHOMA
WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC TEMPORARILY.
FOR ANY BOOK ORDERS, INQUIRIES, ETC., WE ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESS ONLINE @ www.talbotlibrary.org
You may also email us at: talbotlibrary@earthlink.net.
And continue to follow us on Facebook!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
TALBOT LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
New book in our Store: The Teachers of the Cherokee Nation Public Schools 1870's-1907
New book arrival! This Second Edition of this important book was published in 2012. Our newest book features a detailed history of the two seminaries that were established in the Cherokee Nation prior to Oklahoma Statehood in 1907. More information on the book and for ordering at this link!
TL&M Enters Western Writers of American Book Display Contest
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NEWS RELEASE: Talbot Library and Museum Association Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
2/25/20 OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society is proud to announce that the Talbot Library and Museum Association has been awarded a grant through the new Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
The Talbot Library and Museum Association has been awarded $900 to utilize a consultant to develop a strategic plan. The development of a comprehensive strategic plan is vital to the long-term success of any organization. A strategic plan will address the organization's mission statement, long-range planning and an action plan for accomplishing its goals. "Talbot Library and Museum is so very grateful and honored to receive this grant from the Oklahoma Historical Society," said Keri Parker, vice chairman of the board. "We have a passion for both Oklahoma and Native American history, as well as researching genealogy for our many patrons. This grant will assist in setting new goals and strategies aimed at fulfilling our mission of preserving a 'bit of history.''' A total of just over $410,000 in grant funds will be distributed, with projects ranging from collections care and exhibit development to strategic planning and educational programming. "We are very pleased with how well this first cycle of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program has gone," said Nicole Harvey, grants administrator. "Both the variety of projects and the number of applications submitted show that this program is not only necessary, but a game changer for the future of collecting, preserving and sharing Oklahoma history in local communities across the state." The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society with a goal of encouraging the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org. Talbot Library & Museum sold books in our booth at the Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah
On August 30 and 31, Talbot Library & Museum sold books at the annual Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah, OK. We enjoyed meeting so many people and getting the chance to sell the variety of quality genealogy, Oklahoma history, Cherokee, Civil War and other books! You can buy these books at our library in Colcord, Oklahoma and online in our bookstore!
Thanks for supporting the Talbot Library! We enjoy the Cherokee National Holiday every year! UPDATE: Recent sculpture attributed to Clarence Downing; donated to TL&M
Earlier, we posted about this piece of art found on the property of Gary Williamson. The artist of this Native American sculpture has been determined to be the work of Clarence Downing. Mr. Gary Williamson has lived on his property in Siloam Springs, Arkansas for 35 years. Recently he discovered this beautiful piece on his property.
He brought it to the Talbot Library and Museum for us to review. The initials on the piece are "CD". It was determined that these are the initials of Clarence Downing. Mr. Williamson has generously donated this piece to the Talbot Library and Museum for display! Thank you, Mr. Williamson! You can find more information on the artist Clarence Downing in this NewsOk article from 1990. Mr. Downing said, "...one of his sculptures has been purchased by Gov. Henry Bellmon and another by a Catholic nun who said she was taking it to Rome." What an amazing sculpture and discovery! We are grateful to have it in our collection! Oklahoma History Center Exhibit Features Grinding Box On Loan from Talbot Library & Museum
The Oklahoma History Center, in Oklahoma City, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by inviting audiences to step back into time with its new exhibit "Crossroads of Commerce: A History of Free Enterprise in Oklahoma". This exhibit opened up on November 18, 2015 and includes an object on loan from the Talbot Library and Museum-- a Grinding Box that was rescued from the Hildebrand-Beck Mill before its eventual collapse.
Click here for more information about the Exhibit, the Hildebrand-Beck mill and information for visiting the Oklahoma History Center. |
Read more stories about preserving history (like those just below) in our "Bit of History" blog.
Gas Pumps on Permanent Display at Talbot Library and Musuem
From the Talbot Library and Museum Collection:
These gasoline pumps that were lovingly restored by board member Bob Stinchcomb a few years ago. It was a huge undertaking but worth the effort! For years, the old gas pumps had no inside home and were exposed to weather conditions. Bob took them to his home workshop and cleaned, repaired and painted them. They are on permanent display inside of the Adair building on the Talbot museum’s grounds. These are pieces of Americana and now they can be appreciated and enjoyed for years to come, thus upholding Talbot’s motto of “Preserving a Bit of History”. For more details on the pumps and their restoration, go to the "Bit of History" Blog. Early 1900's Elgin Pocket Watch from the Talbot Museum Collection 
his watch belonged to Robert Lee Brown who was born at Rising Star, Texas in 1885. He married Mary E. Hodges in 1908. She was born in Indian Territory in 1888. In 1936, the family moved to Colcord and began taking care of the Colcord Ranch and Lodge.
Lowell Brown, the donor of this watch and the son of Robert and Mary, was about 17 and one of the younger children in a family of 9 children. Living at the ranch gave them many modern conveniences that most families in the area weren’t accustomed to. Lowell remembered having electricity from a Delco system and running water. He also remembered pumping gas from one of the old gasoline pumps from the ranch. These very pumps are located in the Adair Building on the Museum property. The pumps have been carefully restored by Bob Stinchcomb. Lowell recalled a special story about this watch: While in Texas, his father, Robert, needed some money and borrowed it from a local storekeeper. As collateral he gave the man his watch, who in turn loaned his father his own watch to keep time. It was several years before his father managed to pay off the loan and get his watch back. The watch is an Elgin. The watch and the chain have always been together. Lowell made the stand the watch hangs on many years ago. The watch was donated to the Talbot Museum by Lowell Brown in September 1996. Excerpts: Life in the Cherokee NationThe area known as Indian Territory was among the last frontiers in America. Promised to the Indians for as long as the grass "growed" and the water flowed, the areas was inhabited by Indians, their adopted whites and those working in the areas on permits. A lawless element also attempted to use the Territory as a haven from the law.
In the Cherokee Nation, an area located in the northeastern part of the present-day Oklahoma, the people were torn apart by a bitter factional dispute that had raged for over a half century. Into this land came George William Talbot and his bride, the little Cherokee lady, Annie Caroline Smith Talbot. When George and Annie set up housekeeping in the Nation in the late Summer of 1876, he was no stranger to the country...... --Excerpts from the story "Life in the Cherokee Nation". Read more excerpts here. The full story appears in the book The Talbots: Centuries of Service and in the book A Bit of History. Both books are by Virgil Talbot and are available at the Talbot Library and Museum in Colcord, Oklahoma or you may order them at our online bookstore by clicking the link We also offer:
* Genealogy Research Requests * Obituaries/Death Notice Index * Engrave-A-Brick Memorial * Latest Book Store Arrivals Talbot Library and Museum featured in video for "Visit Cherokee Nation"
From "Visit Cherokee Nation": Tucked away in the small town of Colcord is the Talbot Library & Museum. This unique indoor and outdoor museum specializes in the history and genealogy of northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and Cherokee Nation. Catch a glimpse of what you might see here.
Did Virgil Talbot Fully Understand What He Began?
By Keri (Stinchcomb) Parker
Virgil Talbot’s mission to “Preserve a Bit of History” has been the constant theme and mission of the Talbot Library and Museum (TL&M) since its inception. If we break down the meaning of the individual words in the “name” of the organization we find a very broad and complete understanding of “preserving history”. “Talbot” – obviously, this is the surname of its found, Virgil Talbot. In his own words…”I am proud of the name and perhaps more so than most because I came into this world without right or title to a family name and for sixty years I never knew the identity of my natural father. Mine was no joyous moment of birth—there was no proud father waiting, nor caring mother. But there was someone willing to take me into their arms and into their heart and call me their own. That person was James A. Talbot, better known as Jim. He gave me the Talbot name and I have proudly borne it ever since….The name Talbot is up there on that building, not as a tribute to me but to a man who was born on Cowskin Prairie near Grove, OK of ancestry reaching back to the Norman Coast of France, and beyond that to the Norsemen from the far north; whose people came over the long Trail of Tears and settled in this country some 150 years ago; a man who loved history and passed that love on to me; who loved to read and gave me that love.” Read the rest of the story here. |
