Do you think the Roarin’ Twenties are the bees knees? Visit the 1920s Edmond: Ain’t We Got Fun? exhibit at the Edmond History Museum & Museum for a satisfying dose of flapper flair.  The exhibit runs from February 2019 through January 2020.

Edmond wasn’t roarin’ in the typical sense, because it wasn’t a party town during prohibition. No speakeasies to be found. But what Edmond lacked in gangster activity, it made up for with in sheer determination to engage civically. Nearly everyone was involved in some kind of social club to improve Edmond as it strived to grow from a pioneer town into one of Oklahoma’s best cities. Business men grew the economy and the take-charge women, who had already earned the right to vote in 1918, had firm control over the social services. 

As a college town, citizens also had an unprecedented access to athletic events, arts, and education. The 40,000 students at Central State Teachers College, who lived in individuals’ homes, were a good lot who mostly avoided any trouble that might jeopardize their future teaching career. The infusion of young people kept Edmond updated on the latest trends in jazz music, slang, and fashion…oh the fashion! Edmond in the 1920s was its own kind of ritzy, automobile-driving, tea-party, Bridge-playing kind of place….minus the scandal.  Ain’t We Got Fun?

The artifacts on display will change out every season, so be sure to come back and see the changes!

 

Special thanks to various local citizens and museums who have loaned artifacts in order to present a full story about Edmond in the 1920s, including the Oklahoma History Center, University of Central Oklahoma Archives & Special Collections, and the UCO Oklahoma Fashion Museum Collection.