Preservation Oklahoma news, 04/2013, v.19 no.3

              PRESERVATION
OKLAHOMA NEWS
On March 11, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and
Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis
announced the designation of 13 new National Historic
Landmarks, including Oklahoma's Honey Springs Battle-field.
Twenty-two Oklahoma properties now have this
special designation.
“These National Historic Landmark designations span
more than two centuries of our country’s history, from
17th Century architecture to a Civil War battlefield to a
19th Century-Kentucky whiskey distillery that continued
to operate through the Prohibition era,” Secretary Sala-zar
said. “Today’s designations include significant sites
that help tell the story of America and the contributions
that all people from all walks of life have made as we
strive for a more perfect union.”
“From the Civil War to civil rights, to the struggles and
accomplishments of women, African Americans and Lati-nos,
these sites highlight the mosaic of our nation’s his-toric
past,” said Director Jarvis. “We are proud to admin-ister
the National Historic Landmarks Program to edu-cate
and inspire Americans through their country’s rich
and complex history.”
National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant
historic places that possess exceptional value or quality
in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United
States. The program, established in 1935, is adminis-tered
by the National Park Service on behalf of the Sec-retary
of the Interior. Currently there are 2,540 desig-nated
National Historic Landmarks.
Honey Springs Battlefield, located in McIntosh and Mus-kogee
Counties, is by far the largest Civil War engage-ment
of the 1861-1865 period of conflict within Indian
Territory, the Battle of Honey Springs was the largest
battle in Indian Territory in which Native Americans
fought as members of both Union and Confederate ar-mies.
It is also significant as the first and largest engage-ment
in which Indian troops of both sides fought in the
formalized style of Anglo-American warfare.
The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) owns the major-ity
of the property included in the nomination and is cur-rently
building a new interpretive center at the site with
the support of the Friends of Honey Springs and the U. S.
Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Pro-gram.
Honey Springs Battlefield Designated NHL
April 2013 Volume XIX, No 3
A joint project of the State Historic Preservation
Office and Preservation Oklahoma
PRESERVATION OKLAHOMA NEWS l APRIL 2013 1
Texas Road. Photo: SHPO
Honey Springs Battlefield. Photo: SHPO