Press Release
November 29, 2023
Contact: Adam Lynn
Honey Springs Battlefield, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-617-7125
honeysprings@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/honeysprings
Experience a Civil War Christmas at Honey Springs Battlefield
CHECOTAH, Okla. — The annual Civil War Christmas event will return to Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center near Checotah on Saturday, December 9, from 2-3:30 p.m. The family-friendly event will be steeped in the history of Christmases and include Christmas crafts, refreshments and Civil War reenactors dressed in period attire.
Children are encouraged to bring their smiles and wish lists to the newly expanded visitor center, where they can sit, talk and take photographs with Santa. The program is free to the public, but donations are welcome.
Soldiers celebrated Christmas in camp during the Civil War in many ways. For example, they commonly decorated trees in their campsites, sang Christmas carols and gave gifts. Although Christmas was celebrated during the Civil War by both the North and South, it was not officially designated a federal holiday until 1870. President Ulysses S. Grant designated Christmas as an official holiday after the Civil War in an attempt to reunite the still fractured country.
For more information call 918-617-7125 or email honeysprings@history.ok.gov.
Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on a hill near 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 and Visitor Center 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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Editor’s Note: Photos of Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center are available upon request.
