Claremore Museum Of History Opening New Black History Exhibit

Just in time for Juneteenth, a museum in Claremore is about to unveil a new exhibit highlighting Green Country black history.

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If there's one person qualified to preserve African American history in Claremore, it's 86-year-old Gerome Riley, because he says he's lived it.

"I wanted to get out to the public the history of blacks that they have contributed to a society that people don't know about," said Riley.

Riley grew up just down route 66 in Chelsea, and came to Lincoln High School in Claremore in 1949, just 5 years before schools here would be integrated.

"Studied quite a bit of black history in the black school. White schools did not have any teaching of black history," he said.

He's been collecting stories and artifacts from Claremore's black community for years, and now those stories will live on for generations inside the Claremore Museum of History. 

"It's an awesome feeling. You can't feel the feeling I'm feeling."

The new exhibit is called Building Heritage, History, and Hope. It tells stories of athletes, business owners, and others from Claremore that broke barriers to become successful. For the folks at the museum, it's not just about telling the stories of famous citizens like singer Patti Page or astronaut Stuart Roosa, it's about honoring all parts of Claremore's past.

Gerome says the museum's board chairman Steve Robinson has been a tremendous help with the exhibit, putting in countless hours to make it a reality.

"We also want to try and capture the local history that has nothing to do with whether someone became famous or not, and this most recent exhibit with our black history does just that," said Robinson.

He says the mission of the museum is to make sure these stories don't get lost and Gerome couldn't agree more.

"The thing that I am interested in is not letting it die, to keep it going," Riley said.

The museum is also creating an online educational program that goes with the new exhibit. The exhibit will be open to the public starting Sunday.