Est. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Preserving the Legacy of the Semple Family

A Tulsa-based nonprofit museum dedicated to cultural preservation, education, and community heritage.

"We exist to honor a shared history — the letters, photographs, and quiet objects that carry one family's story into the wider memory of Tulsa."

Featured Exhibits

A rotating selection from our permanent collection, drawn from generations of family records and donated artifacts.

Letters of the Frontier exhibit

1872 – 1908

Letters of the Frontier

Handwritten correspondence chronicling life in early Indian Territory and the founding years of Tulsa.

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Instruments of Daily Life exhibit

Late 19th Century

Instruments of Daily Life

Personal artifacts — timepieces, leather-bound journals, and the everyday tools of a settler family.

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Portraits in Sepia exhibit

1890 – 1940

Portraits in Sepia

A gallery of family photographs preserved in original frames, restored for public study and reflection.

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Upcoming Events

May 18, 2026

Curator's Talk: The Letters of Eliza Semple

An intimate evening with our lead archivist exploring newly conserved correspondence from the 1880s.

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June 7, 2026

Spring Family Open House

A free afternoon of guided tours, oral history workshops, and refreshments for the whole family.

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A family's archive, opened to a community.

The Semple Family Museum Foundation was established to safeguard and share more than a century of letters, photographs, and personal effects gathered across generations. Today the foundation operates as a public museum, welcoming visitors, scholars, and schoolchildren into the texture of an ordinary family's extraordinary record.

About the Foundation
Sepia family portrait

Every gift helps preserve a memory worth keeping.

Your contribution sustains conservation, public programming, and free admission for the people of Tulsa. Donations are tax-deductible under our 501(c)(3) status.

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