On Saturday, July 13, Honey Springs hosted their Annual Memorial Service commemorating the 161th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs, the largest battle of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements throughout Indian Territory in presentday Oklahoma. Dr. Kristen Oertel, the Chair of History at the University of Tulsa, was the guest speaker.
Battlefield Site Director Adam Lynn welcomed all the community and reenactors who attended the memorial including special guests: Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, Trait Thompson; Director of Museums and Sites for the Oklahoma Historical Society, Chantry Banks; Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Muscogee Nation, Grover Wind; Regional Director of Sites for Eastern Oklahoma, David Fowler; former Executive Director for the Oklahoma Historical Society, Dr. Bob Blackburn; members of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board; members of the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield Park Inc. and members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Historic and Cultural Preservation Department.
After the retiring of the colors, the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield held their annual membership meeting and honored Howard C. McKinnis (USMC Retired) for his $50,000 gift supporting the Honey Springs Battlefield Site. They also spoke about the $10,000 Forest Service grant that is being used to clear trees down the north side of the hill to hopefully reveal the Texas Road and give visitors a view of the Battlefield from the Visitor’s Center and the fact that the center is a designated stop on the Underground Railroad.
The Checotah Landmark Preservation Society also served sandwiches, chips and homemade peach cobbler as guests toured the facility and shopped at the gift shop for souvenirs.
After the meeting, Lynn was thrown a going-away party by his coworkers and was brought to tears as he thanked everyone and said his goodbyes. He will take his mentor’s place, history teacher Roger Thompson, at Eufaula Public Schools this fall.
Lynn graduated from Eufaula High School in May, 2000, where he took high school U.S. History (prehistory through the American Civil War) as a junior and high school U.S. History (Reconstruction through Present) as a senior.
“Mr. Thompson’s courses opened my eyes to entire new worlds I never realized existed,” Lynn said. “His passion for teaching and storytelling was infectious, and I realized at that time, it was plausible to pursue history as a career after graduation so that’s exactly what I did.
“I remember sitting in my seat while watching him draw out battle formations on the black board from famous Civil War battles, such as Gettysburg and Antietam with the seemingly same fervor and voracity as if he were fighting the battles himself. He taught with such enthusiasm about presidents, monarchs, and important historical figures and places throughout the world, it made me feel as if I knew them personally and had traveled the world.
“He really opened my eyes when I was fortunate enough to travel to Washington D.C., Ireland, Whales, Scotland, London, Italy, and Spain as a student after graduation with groups led by this amazing educator. By this time, Mr. Thompson had already taught us so much about the history and important historical figures that we were mesmerized when we experienced these exact places in real life. One can only imagine the thrill all of his young students felt when they saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States for the first time in Washington D.C. and when they sat in Ford’s Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, viewing Lincoln’s top hat and some of the clothes he was wearing on that fateful April 14, 1865 evening.
“I had the honor of seeing Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal family as they passed by during a parade in London honoring the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday in 2000, and I witnessed Pope John Paul II blessing new marriages outside of the Vatican during another trip in 2002.
“All these historical thrills were inspired by Mr. Thompson’s selfless dedication towards the goal of bringing history to life through storytelling and personal travel. I am just one of countless former students that have benefited from Mr. Thompson’s example and for that I will forever be grateful.”
Lynn credits Thompson for his love of history and is excited to return to his hometown to teach the next generations.
“I have two wonderful children, Kyiah and Zachary Lynn, and a beautiful wife, Kimberly Lynn, who have supported me in my decision to take this teaching position. This will allow me to teach my children, Kyiah, who is 15 and will be starting her sophomore year in high school and Zachary, who is 9 and will be starting his 4th grade year.
“While I have loved my time as director of the Honey Springs Battlefield, teaching history in my hometown is a wonderful opportunity and it will allow me more time to spend with my family, as well as attend my children’s extra-curricular activities on a regular basis.”
As director of the Honey Springs Battlefield for the past seven years, Lynn has collaborated with the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield, helping to create and implement the firstclass permanent exhibits, featuring an immersive 3D theater detailing the battle and its history located inside the visitor center.
Lynn has successfully hosted several battle reenactments bringing in thousands of visitors and reenactors from across the state and country and has also updated new interpretive signs for visitors to enjoy while touring the battlefield. As well as hosting lectures from leading historians about the history of the Civil War in Indian Territory, Lynn has brought in numerous new visitors from near and far as he has watched visitation grow greatly since he started in May, 2017.
“I’m so proud of all these lectures and programs that have brought in hundreds of new visitors from across the state and region. We also produced a new documentary featuring the battle and its history, which won several film festivals, including several from out-of- state. I’m so grateful that this documentary will be available as a resource to anyone teaching Oklahoma or Civil War history for many years to come. It has been a wonderful seven years working with and for some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I will always cherish my time at the Honey Springs Battlefield and I plan to bring my future students to see this remarkable history that happened right here in their backyard.”
