The American Pigeon Museum & Library
Oklahoma City
Founded: 1973
Very few, especially those in large cities, think that the pigeon is a bird that needs a museum dedicated to its preservation. However, that’s exactly what The American Pigeon Museum & Library does, to preserve the rich heritage of the domestic pigeon, in addition to serving as storage for documents and artifacts related to the bird.
“Most of the collections were donated by founders of the museum and pioneers in science, racing and breeding pigeons here in the United States,” says Jessica Nguyen, director of the museum. “Some of our most important collections are those of Thelma Snyder, Charles Heitzman, E. Lang Miller, ‘Doc’ Hollander and Otto Meyer.”
In addition to exhibits on pigeons’ roles in the war and pigeon artwork, the museum houses live birds on the property that guests can hold and pet.