Press Release
July 2, 2026
Contact: Molly Hutchins
Honey Springs Battlefield, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-617-7125
[email protected]
okhistory.org/honeysprings
Annual Memorial Service Planned at Honey Springs Battlefield on July 18
CHECOTAH, Okla. — Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service on Saturday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m., to honor the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs.
Tom Wing from the Drennen-Scott Historic Site in Arkansas will serve as the keynote speaker, addressing the connections between Arkansas and Indian Territory during the Civil War and their influence on the Battle of Honey Springs. Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and Molly Hutchins, director of Honey Springs Battlefield, will also offer remarks. Seth Goff, historical interpreter at Fort Gibson Historic Site, and living historian Jacob Spillars will post the colors. Jim Spillars will play “Taps,” and the Fort Towson Historic Site crew will present an artillery salute. The event will conclude with the annual meeting of the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield.
The service commemorates the largest of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements that took place throughout Indian Territory, now present-day Oklahoma. The engagement took place at the Honey Springs settlement, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, on July 17, 1863, just two weeks after the famous Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Approximately 9,000 Union and Confederate troops, mostly Native and African Americans, were involved in the Battle of Honey Springs. Of those, approximately 200 total casualties were suffered. After a decisive Union victory, the 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.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 918-617-7125 or email [email protected].
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 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 okhistory.org.
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Editor’s Note: Photos of Honey Springs Battlefield are available upon request.
