Garfield County Genealogists
Enid, Oklahoma
Southern Heights Heritage Center And Museum
616 Leona Mitchell Place, Enid, Oklahoma, 73701
(580) 237-6989
Open 10-4 Tuesday through Friday, 10-2 Saturday
Admission Free
Tours for schools, churches and family reunions can be arranged. Speaking engagements available.
At first glance, Southern Heights Heritage Center and Museum appears to be merely another brick building along Garriott Street. The unassuming exterior is deceiving, however. Once a person goes inside, they will find it brimming with cultural artifacts from the dawning of man to the modern age. The museum also serves as an educational resource center.
The Executive Director is Barbara Finley, one of the daughters of the late Rev. Hulon Mitchell. It was his wish that the Antioch Church of God in Christ building be used for this heritage center and museum. It opened in February, 2002, a year after his death.
The center plays tribute to the African-American culture and its links to Enid and northwest Oklahoma. Early settlers, black Indians and freedmen have made their mark in the community, as have their descendants.
Visitors can sit in the reading area, the film area and the game area, browsing materials about black cowboys, buffalo soldiers, slaves and black Indians. The games teach children about the struggle for civil rights, then and now.
For those seeking their heritage, genealogy records are available. To capture modern history, there are collections featuring school trophies and college degrees, military uniforms and other career moves. Leona Mitchell, another daughter of Rev. Mitchell, is a world renowned opera star, and has donated costumes from her past performances, posters, music albums and more to the museum. The museum encompasses the traditions from Africa and America, such as wedding rituals and tribal inheritance. There are authentic sculptures and artifacts from Africa as well as memorabilia from local heroes.
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Garfield County Genealogists, Inc.
P. O. Box 1106, Enid, OK 73702