First Lutheran Church of Oklahoma City Oklahoma Historical Society Friends of the Oklahoma History Center The 1889ers Society Oklahoma Genealogical Society First Families of the Twin Territories Oklahoma County Medical Society Oklahoma City/County Historical Society OKC Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Royal Neighbors of America John and Virginia Weinmann Oklahoma Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Ladies Music Club of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Philomathea Club Oklahoma PEO Sisterhood Barbara Atkinson Pam Guffey Dr. Thomas H. Flasher III Dr. David Holden Ann Marshall Mary Lee Smiser Elizabeth Prosser Jamie Farha James and Rebecca Buchanan Mr. and Mrs. John L. Powell Margaret Malloy John and Barbara Keating Donald and Mary Henline Thomas and Carolyn Hall Oklahoma Department of Libraries The City of Oklahoma City Oklahoma Archeological Survey Andy Slaucitajs Oklahoma School for the Blind The staff and volunteers of the Oklahoma Historical Society

Now On Exhibit

"On Behalf of the Pioneers:" The Oklahoma Century Chest

Items from the Century Chest are on exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center. Visitors can view photographs, documents, and American Indian artifacts and hear Oklahoma pioneer Angelo C. Scott's speech delivered at the burial of the chest in 1913. The exhibit features the 1889 poster promoting the first Fourth of July celebration in Oklahoma City on July 4, 1889, a letter to the blind of 2013 written in braille, the first state flag of Oklahoma, and the pen used by President William McKinley to sign the Free Homes Bill for Oklahoma. In addition the exhibit contains dozens of messages, prophecies, and letters from the pioneers of 1913 to their descendants 100 years later.

The Oklahoma History Center is open Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The History Center is located in the State Capitol Complex at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. Call 405-522-0765 for more information.

You can also view the Century Chest collection online.



Century Chest Facebook Album

Oklahomans write postcards to the future!

For Teachers and Students

About the Century Chest

View the album to explore the Century Chest project, from the unearthing of the chest to the exhibit.This album is courtesy of Pr. Jerry Peterson.Explore the era of the Century Chest with our online "then and now" section, biographies of key people, and activities.

On April 22, 1913, a Century Chest was buried in the basement of the First English Lutheran Church (now the First Lutheran Church of Oklahoma City) at 1300 North Robinson. The ceremony was witnessed by a capacity crowd including Governor Lee Cruce and other notable residents.

Through a century of dutiful vigilance, the congregation of the First Lutheran Church guarded the Century Chest. On April 22, 2013, the items from the chest were unveiled in a public ceremony. The church has partnered with the Oklahoma Historical Society to preserve the artifacts from the chest for future generations.

Chad Williams, director of the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division, talks about the history of the First Lutheran Church's Century Chest.