View Full Version : Centennial Park historical markers & what the city doesn't know.



Plutonic Panda
04-03-2015, 04:24 PM
This is interesting...


OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City has a mystery it's trying to solve and it is hoping residents may be able to help.
There's no scene of the crime, but a scene that has changed over time.

The Civic Center Bicentennial Park downtown has close to a dozen dedication markers from more than 70 years ago.

The City admitted so much time as passed that it really doesn't know the historical significance of the markers.

"We want stories, we want photographs and we want to know the people that were involved," said Robbie Kienzle, with OKC's Arts and Cultural Affairs.

If you know anything about the markers, the city said it hopes you'll contact them with the information.

Nearby at the downtown public library at least a one person was on the case.

Buddy Anderson runs the "Oklahoma Room" at the library and has been looking up the dates of the dedications listed on the markers with their corresponding daily newspaper on microfilm.

The story behind one marker dedicated by the American War Mothers dated back just after Pearl Harbor when the Navy recruited 300 people from Oklahoma City for the war effort in just one week.

"They decided to have the mothers of the sailors March with them to Bicentennial Park," said Anderson about the day the sailors were sworn in.

"There was a parade of mothers and sailors," added Anderson.

There are nine other marker mysteries that the city hopes its citizen can help solve

- Red Dirt Diaries: OKC Calls Upon History Buffs - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | (http://www.news9.com/story/28718035/red-dirt-diaries-okc-calls-upon-history-buffs)


Information sought for historical Oklahoma City monuments and other markers
(March 17, 2015) - Oklahoma City officials are asking the public for any information they remember about historical plaques, monuments and other markers located on the grounds of the Civic Center’s Bicentennial Park, City Hall and on the west side of the Oklahoma County Courthouse.

“We are searching for clues about what the markers signify, when they were installed and why,” said Robbie Kienzle, Liaison for the City’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

The markers were installed over time in recognition of various people, groups and events, but little archival information remains.

“Our view of history shapes the way we view our present,” added Kienzle. “It’s important to fully understand the meaning behind these artifacts and why they were placed near the Civic Center and City Hall so we can make proper decisions about where they are placed in the future.”

- http://www.okc.gov/news/2015_03/Information_sought_for_historical_Oklahoma_City_mo numents_and_other_markers.html