OHS EXTRA! - Remembering the Battle of Honey Springs

Oklahoma Historical Society sent this bulletin at 07/06/2022 05:00 AM CDT

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History Center Research Museums & Sites Preservation Publications

July 6, 2022

Battle of Honey Springs Memorial Service

Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service honoring the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah on Saturday, July 16, at 10:30 a.m.

The memorial service will be held outside on the lawn of the visitor center. Adam Lynn, site manager for Honey Springs Battlefield, will give a welcome and opening remarks, followed by the presentation of colors by the color guard, an invocation, and a special program by Dr. James Finck from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. After the program, the color guard will retire the colors. The Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield will host its annual meeting following the retiring of the colors. There will also be special Civil War demonstrations and guided tours on the battlefield throughout the day.

A guided tour with students from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) will follow the Memorial Service on Saturday, July 16. USAO student tour guides will point out the exact locations of military actions on the six trails that cross the 1,100-acre battlefield, highlight key aspects of the engagement, and discuss its historical importance.

For more information regarding the memorial service, guided tours, and Honey Springs Battlefield, please email 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 within 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).

Young Western entertainers May and Gordon William Lillie posing for a portrait in western gear and hats

Thursday Night Lecture Series at Will Rogers Memorial Museum

On Thursday, July 21, Anna Davis, the historical interpreter at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, will present for the Will Rogers Memorial Museum's Thursday Night Lecture Series. The content of her lecture will focus on Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie and May Manning Lillie, the founders of the Pawnee Bill Ranch.

Anna Davis has been the historical interpreter at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum for 16 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. She specializes in genealogy and the history of the American West. She is the host of the Pawnee Bill Ranch podcast, which explores western history topics, as well as facilitating educational programming at the historic ranch throughout the year, both in person and online.

To find out more about the programs at Will Rogers Memorial Museum and Birthplace Ranch, visit www.willrogers.com.

A photo from 1894 of the town of Perry. Wooden business fronts and signage with pioneers standing in foreground

The Photography of Barney P. Enright

Visit the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School this summer to see a new exhibit about the life and work of Perry photographer Barney P. Enright. A variety of Enright's photographic prints, as well as period cameras and clothing, are included in this exhibit telling the story of his career as a lensman.

At the age of 21 Enright moved with his family to Lahoma in Oklahoma Territory. His love of photography began with taking pictures of farms and homes in the area, and creating stereoscopic photographs of the prairie landscape. The Enright family moved to Perry in 1910, establishing a farm northwest of town. Enright worked as a photographer for 30 years in Perry. He singularly documented the devastation of an April 20, 1912, tornado that caused immense damage to the town. That same year he and his brother established the Enright Brothers Photography Studio in downtown Perry. Barney became the personal photographer of Pawnee Bill, taking many photos of Pawnee Bill's Old Town. He married his wife, Sylvia, in a ceremony held at the Pawnee Bill Ranch at the invitation of the Lillie family.

The Barney P. Enright, Photographer exhibit will remain open through Saturday, December 17, 2022. Research for this exhibit was provided by Cheryl DeJager and the late Perry historian and author Fred Beers. DeJager has loaned many Enright photographs for this special exhibition. Exhibit content for Barney P. Enright, Photographer is also available to view and read online by clicking the button below.

View the Enright exhibit online

Today the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is excited to launch a new logo design that will take the place of the previous OHS logo. The most noticeable change in the design is the separation of text and image. The OHS name is featured alongside the new logo, making it easier to read. The icon/mark features 24 extending rays, symbolic of an abstract sunrise/sunset to convey the unending passage of time. In addition to the updated look, a new, vibrant color palette correlating to the State of Oklahoma’s brand also will be utilized.

Last summer, the OHS staff began working with the idea of changing the detailed imagery and hand lettering of the previous design, which was created more than 30 years ago. Initially, the team noticed that the words embedded in the design were difficult to read in smaller sizes and, while the design worked well in color, it did not translate well into black-and-white. After much planning, the new logo design was chosen and shared with the OHS Executive Committee and staff in the winter of 2021. The OHS Board of Directors approved the new logo and identity in April 2022.

Our new identity system will help us unify the many facets of the OHS. The effort is now underway to rebrand all publications, print collateral, and membership materials to create a cohesive visual print identity. The modernized logo will be reflected in the logos of OHS's multiple museums and historic sites, publications, educational programs, and online resources. In this day and age of social media, it is more important than ever to have a logo that is modernized and will work on a variety of platforms. The chosen design will also be seen in digital applications.

At the OHS, we know it is crucial that every person who views our exhibits, researches in our archives, joins in a field trip, experiences living history, attends a class, engages with historic preservation, reads our publications, discovers history on our website, or steps foot into OHS museums and historic sites understand that their experience was made possible by the OHS and its supporters.

Beginning on July 13, 2022, OHS EXTRA! readers will see a change to the publication's design. Over the next few months, you will see the new OHS logo in more and more places as we make the transition to the new look.

OHS COVID-19 safety measures

We recommend that visitors who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 wear face masks in indoor public areas. We ask that you avoid visiting OHS museums, sites, and affiliates if you have COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms, have a fever, or are otherwise feeling sick or unwell.