“Freedmen History” living history programs

On November 7–9, 14–16, and 21–23, the Fort Gibson Historic Site will present living history programs focused on Freedmen history. The programs will be held from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 4 p.m.

The programs will cover a brief historical moment in the late 1800s when formerly enslaved people from across the territory traveled to Fort Gibson to be enrolled in the Dawes rolls. Captain McKennon set up an office in one of the officers’ quarters to fulfill his commission of enrolling the folks once enslaved in Indian Territory. While waiting, a small community was built, and soon-to-be-enrolled Freedmen visited with long-lost friends, sold goods brought with them, and held gatherings on the post’s grounds. During this time, several images were taken of the proceedings, which the Fort Gibson staff has curated into a Freedmen Exhibit now open at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.

For more information, follow Fort Gibson on Facebook.

Did you know?

When the Five Tribes were forcibly removed from their homelands in the 1830s–40s, people enslaved by the tribes also made the long journey to Indian Territory. By 1861, eight to ten thousand Black people were enslaved throughout Indian Territory. In 1863, the Cherokee National Council passed an act freeing all people enslaved by their tribe, but many slaveholders ignored the law. After the Civil War, new treaties between the US government and the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole abolished slavery among the tribes and outlined citizenship rights available to the Freedmen and their descendants. These treaties were ratified in the summer of 1866.

Discover more about Freedmen History on the OHS website.

Fort Gibson, Indian Territory (15807, Aylesworth Album Collection, OHS).