Oil Capital Pop-Up Museum

Tulsa’s forgotten petroleum history is on display 100 years after the first International Petroleum Exposition (IPE).

Free exhibit on the 100th anniversary

Huge oil shows from 1923–79 put Tulsa in the world spotlight. Come revisit remarkable times in the Oil Capital of the World and go further on our Oil & Gas History Tour.

Pop-Up in the Philcade

Oil princesses… petroleum kings… modern machinery… and the Golden Driller! See vintage artifacts and images with summaries written by the founder of Tulsa Tours.

This pop-up fits perfectly inside the Philcade, an Art Deco landmark financed by Tulsa oilman and philanthropist Waite Phillips. It’s also home to our tour office and local roaster Topeca Coffee.

experiment for a larger museum

Our goal is to showcase Tulsa’s early oil history from Glenn Pool origins to Oil Capital heyday. If successful, a larger and more permanent exhibit could follow.

Oil and gas remain vital to the state economy. The industry supports 4,000 businesses and 85,000 jobs while accounting for $19 billion in state GDP, according to state data from last year. Nationally, Oklahoma ranks fifth in marketed natural gas and sixth in crude oil production.