Press Release
June 28, 2022
Contact: Adam Lynn
Honey Springs Battlefield, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-617-7125
alynn@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/honeysprings
Memorial Service to be Held at Honey Springs Battlefield
CHECOTAH, Okla. — Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service honoring the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah on Saturday, July 16, at 10:30 a.m.
The memorial service will be held outside on the lawn of the visitor center. Adam Lynn, site manager for Honey Springs Battlefield, will give a welcome and opening remarks, followed by the presentation of colors by the color guard, an invocation and a special program by Dr. James Finck from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. After the program, the color guard will retire the colors. The Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield will host its annual meeting following the retiring of the colors. There will also be special Civil War demonstrations and guided tours on the battlefield throughout the day.
The service commemorates the largest of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements throughout Indian Territory, in present-day Oklahoma. The engagement took place on July 17, 1863, just two weeks after the famous Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Approximately 9,000 Union and Confederate troops, mostly American Indians and African Americans, were involved in the Battle of Honey Springs. Of those, approximately 200 total casualties were suffered. After a decisive Union victory, Confederates lost control of Indian Territory north of the Arkansas River. The Union victory also ensured Federal control of Fort Gibson in Indian Territory and Fort Smith in Arkansas.
For more information regarding the memorial service and Honey Springs Battlefield, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org or alynn@okhistory.org, or call 918-617-7125. Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of U.S. Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The visitor center is located on a hill within close proximity to the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in Rentiesville. Take the second left after reaching the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Museum (driving from the west).
Honey Springs Battlefield is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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