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Governor's Mansion
The Oklahoma governor's mansion
is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the present governor, Brad
Henry, has been living there since he took office in 2003. After the
state was admitted to the union in 1907, the legislature
concentrated on starting the state capitol, but not the governor's
residence, until 1919, when the capitol building was completed. The
site had been chosen in 1914, just east of the capitol building. The
site stayed a grassy knoll for more than 10 years, while the
legislature debated about the funds necessary for the structure,
until 1927, when the state was in the midst of an oil boom and
$100,000 was allocated for the mansion. Out of that original amount,
only $75,000 was spent on the construction and the remainder spent
on furniture and furnishings. In 1929, the legislature had to spend
another $39,000 on the landscaping and outbuildings, finally being
completed in 1928, in a Dutch-colonial style. Carthage limestone was
used on the exterior to complement the capitol building, and with 19
rooms, the 14,000 square foot mansion was later reduced to 12, with
5 bedrooms, library, kitchen, parlor, sun room, dining room and
grand ballroom. Henry S. Johnston was the first governor to live
there, but he was then impeached and lived there for only three
months and William H. Murray would come to the mansion and become
the first full term governor to live in the marvelous mansion.
Murray was the governor when the Great Depression arrived, and
wanting to help the poorer hungry Oklahomans, he brought a team of
mules to the property and began to plow a big part of the landscape;
himself, and transformed the grounds into a huge vegetable garden
where the poor could start their own vegetable gardens. Because of
his colorful personality, an urban legend has cropped up, saying
that Murray still continues to walk the grounds today, making sure
his constituents are taken care off. E. W. Marland became the
governor in 1935, and they discovered oil on the property, and the
legislature took full advantage of that and built a oil well on the
mansion grounds that was there until the end of the 1940s. A
temporary helicopter pad was installed on the grounds in the 1960s
to welcome President Lyndon B. Johnson in his helicopter. After
Johnson's visit, the concrete pad was converted to a tennis court,
and in the 1970s, the citizens of Oklahoma raised enough money to
install a swimming pool in the shape of the state. During 1995, when
Frank Keating was the governor, the mansion would enjoy a huge
restoration, and the governor asked Oklahomans to help with the
restoration, and many did come. The Friends of the Governors
Mansion, Inc. was formed to help with raising the money. A lot of
structural work had to be done to bring the kitchen up to standards
for preparing state dinners, although the magnificent red and black
granite countertops that were made in Granite, Oklahoma in the early
1990s were kept. The library's walnut paneling and moldings were
brought back to their original condition and the room's 1928
color-scheme of burgundy, green and gold as well. The ballroom's
original maple wood floors had a Persian rug added, with the
moldings, windows and chandeliers being recreated to match the
originals that were installed in 1928.
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American Banjo Museum
The American Banjo Museum is
another hidden treasure in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, sitting in a
$5million, world class 21,000 square foot structure that celebrates
the marvelous rich history of the dynamic spirit and limitless
future of the banjo. The museum houses over 300 instruments, which
is the biggest public exhibit of banjos in the world, with
outstanding examples that include copies of the primitive banjos
that were developed by the African slaves in the old south, the
nucleus collection of elaborately decorated banjos made in American
during the jazz age of the 1920s and 1930s, minstrel age instruments
originating from the 19th century and post WWII instruments used in
folk, bluegrass and world music. The museum was initially located in
Guthrie, and started as a nonprofit in 1998 by Midwest City lawyer,
Brady Hunt and Indiana industrialist, Jack Canine; using the name
The National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum. Jack, a retired
Indiana industrialist, was also a banjo player and enthusiast, said
the saving and promoting the history of the banjo, America's adopted
native musical instrument, is an important mission for future
generations, so that they too, can enjoy the magnificent sounds that
banjos can make. The museum was started by and for banjo enthusiasts
and players of the four-string banjo, the main stringed instrument
that is and was part of the jazz age of the 1920s and 1930s. The
museum's director, Johnny Baier stated that the banjo, in various
forms and styles, has been evolving for more than 350 years, and the
museum is committed to presenting all the chapters of the banjo
story; beginning with its roots in American slavery to the most
current identities in bluegrass and international folk music. The
banjo was first introduced to this country by the African slave
culture in the mid 17th century, and stayed exclusively with the
black culture for almost two centuries. There are some early
replicas of these instruments exhibited when visitors come into the
museum, and as they peruse the beautiful collections, visitors can
see many various examples of banjos that were constructed during the
late 19th century, during the minstrel age of music when the banjo
was elevated to the stage and concert hall, from the plantations;
and gained instant public appeal and interest. The name Gibson is
synonymous with quality banjos, and a special gallery is located in
the museum that spotlights a huge collection of Gibson Mastertone
banjos that were manufactured during the company's golden years of
the 1920s and 1930s, including a very rare, pre-war Gibson
five-string banjo that is worth more than $175,000. The second floor
contains the museum's showpiece collection that contains over 200
four-string banjos that are from the jazz age of banjo music. These
fabulous instruments are in pristine condition, with elaborate
designs and tonal sound qualities that have been almost frozen in
time and space. Every banjo in the outstanding collection is
virtually a work of art, showcasing the craftsmanship, dedication
and ingenuity of the master crafters who created these spectacular
masterpieces almost a century ago. This collection, the only one of
its kind in the world, is certainly considered a national treasure,
and once you visit, you'll understand the love and attention that
has been created here.
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