Email
PrintBack to the future
The Retro Tulsa Internet Museum provides an e-haven for Tulsa history buffs to relive the city’s past.
With no admission fee, waiting lines or limited open hours, the Retro Tulsa Internet Museum allows Tulsans to peruse exhibits of old-time Tulsa and explore collections of city memorabilia with the simple click of a mouse. A project of Feldman, Franden, Woodward & Farris, this e-museum serves as a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate local archive.
Barbara Rush, research and writing specialist for the local law firm, created the Retro Tulsa Museum about a decade ago. Her purpose was not so much rooted in civil litigation, the firm’s specialty, as it was in the preservation of Tulsa’s rich history. Accessible through the firm’s Web site, Retro Tulsa features pictures, recollections and memorabilia — all showcasing early to mid-20th century Tulsa.
“It brings back a lot of memories for me,” says Rush, museum curator and native Tulsan.
An avid collector and researcher of Tulsa history, Rush continuously expands the site by collecting facets of Tulsa history submitted by longtime lawyers of the firm, community members and site visitors, some of whom have relocated around the country but visit the site and submit their own Tulsa memories.
“It’s like going back home,” Rush says.
Thanks to the museum, Tulsan Michael Hoover of Scott&Goble Architects made a discovery when researching downtown’s Oil Capital building for a project several years ago. Seeing an old postcard of the Ketchum Hotel on the site and recognizing the uppermost windows, Hoover realized that the Ketchum Hotel is now the Oil Capital Building at 507 S. Main St. Connections such as these bridge the gap between today’s Tulsa and that of the past.
The museum’s virtual exhibits feature visual highlights of early Tulsa, showcasing the city’s unique and historical landmarks, architecture, entertainment, downtown and more. From copies of old city maps to scanned photographs capturing the hustle and bustle of 1950s downtown, images of Tulsa’s past are available for all to see.
Scanned postcards and snapshots detail some of Tulsa’s iconic buildings in their early prime, such as the Coliseum and the 1920s Tulsa Convention Hall, now Brady Theater. Vintage posters boast of the University of Tulsa football team and its 1940s trips to the Orange and Sugar bowls.
The Retro Tulsa Museum has attracted positive feedback since its creation, Rush says. Retro Tulsa provides many Tulsans with new discoveries and others with trips down memory lane. Rush continuously receives much appreciation and insight from those who visit the site and hold Tulsa dear to their hearts.
As generations elapse, “we lose part of our collective memory, our history,” Rush says. “And it’s important to get it written down.”
Visit the Retro Tulsa Internet Museum at www.tulsalawyer.com and click the “Retro Tulsa Museum” button or submit your snippet of Tulsa history to Barbara Rush at Rush@tulsalawyer.com.
