The Durant Historical Society opened Three Valley Museum in 1976 and the museum celebrated its 50th birthday last Saturday.
Greg Phillips, president of the board, said it was special to look around the room and see so many people who believe in the importance of preserving local history.
“For 50 years, Three Valley Museum has been a place where the stories of Bryan County come alive - stories of the people, families, businesses, traditions, and events that shaped our community,” Phillips said. “Since opening its doors in 1976, the museum has worked to preserve and share the history of our area for generations to come.”
Phillips said the museum has continued to grow over the past decade to serve the community in meaningful ways. Exhibits have been expanded and countless artifacts have been preserved as the museum continues its mission of educating people about the history of Durant and surrounding area.
“None of this happens without people,” Phillips said. “I want to personally thank all of our volunteers, past board members, donors and supporters who have given their time, talents, and resources to make this museum what it is today.”
The museum first opened at the former Oklahoma Presbyterian College that became the Choctaw Nation headquarters. It moved to its present location, the former Carpenter’s Machine Shop at 401 W. Main St., in 2004.
“Rector Swearengin was president of the board and was instrumental in the start of the museum and it’s just basically a collection of the history - it’s a transportation museum,” Phillips said. “This building was built with a transportation grant along with personal funds and donations. But as far as how it started and why it started, basically to preserve the history of this area of southeastern Oklahoma, Bryan County and the surrounding communities.”
Brianna Reed was hired earlier this year as the director/curator of TVM, and Phillips said she has great vision and ideas. She is a Southeastern graduate and has experience as a museum director and curator.
“I just think we’re so excited with Brianna’s vision and with Brianna’s history, knowledge and education in history,” Phillips said. “I just think that there are so many good things that are on the horizon for the museum. We’re very, very excited to have her. Very proud that she’s here with us.”
This Saturday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., TVM will be hosting Journey Stories: Songs of the Open Prairie. Wayne and Brenda Cantwell will be performing 19th century American and Celtic songs. Admission is $5.
The next program will be given by a director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
“He is going to do a first-person historical interpretation of a soldier who went between Fort Washita and Fort Towson, so naturally, he had to travel along this route to get from Fort Washita to Fort Towson,” Reed said. “He’s going to be dressed and talking as if he is that soldier and telling you about his life.”
A date has not yet been set for this event, but it will be an upcoming Friday evening.
Another upcoming Journey Story will be about the sinking of the steamboat Heroine in 1838 on the Red River. It was discovered in 1990. Phillips said TVM is getting out in public more by working with other organizations.
“That started a while back reaching out to the Chamber, the Durant Main Street, the Choctaw Nation Cultural Center, the Semple Family Museum basically to collaborate and to collaborate on events and also supporting each other downtown and since then, we’ve had Durant Main Street move in as a tenant here in the museum,” Phillips said. “They’re occupying the front office and that’s been a great collaboration.”
TVM has been talking with Durant Main Street Director Stephanie Swicker about having a farmto- table dinner in the fall on North Third Avenue in the downtown.
Reed said the museum is reaching out to inform the community.
“We’re telling them all of the wonderful things that we’re going to hopefully accomplish, but those accomplishments do take funding,” Reed said. “We’re working on our memberships and if someone hasn’t given in a long time, we would love to invite them down to the museum and to talk to them and see if they would be interested in giving again.
“We appreciate the community’s support, and we couldn’t do any of this without the community’s support. So, if someone would like to become a member, we would really appreciate that and if anyone has resources that they think that they could donate to this facility, we would absolutely appreciate that donation.”
Another idea Reed has is to visit the schools and bring artifacts from the museum.
“I think that would be an awesome way for the museum to get out there more to expand their outreach,” Reed said. “I think we’ve got some pretty big plans, and we hope that the museum is around for another 50 years.
