A Civil War Christmas

Honey Springs Battlefield is excited to announce its second annual Civil War Christmas event to be held on Saturday, December 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event will be fun for adults and children alike. Children are encouraged to bring their smiles and wish lists to the Visitor Center, where they will have the opportunity to sit, talk, and take photographs with Santa. There will also be Christmas crafts, a coloring contest, Civil War soldiers dressed in period attire, and refreshments provided by the Checotah Landmark Preservation Society from the Katy Depot in Checotah. 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 regarding the event and Honey Springs Battlefield, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org or alynn@okhistory.org, or call 918-473-5572. Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on a hill in 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).