OHS to host Tulsa Race Massacre Traveling Exhibit

CHECOTAH, Okla. — The staff of Honey Springs Battlefield is honored to announce that the site will host a traveling exhibit from the Tulsa Historical Society entitled “Tulsa 1921” about the Tulsa Race Massacre. The traveling exhibit will be on display inside the Visitor Center from Saturday, December 5, through Saturday, December 19. Regular admission prices will apply to those who visit the traveling exhibit.

According to historian Scott Ellsworth in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the Tulsa Race Massacre is “believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” From May 31 to June 1, 1921, the Greenwood area of Tulsa, known as “Black Wall Street,” was ravaged by a white mob. Official estimates range from 50 to 300 killed, with thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.

Buck Colbert “B. C.” Franklin, the father of famed civil rights advocate and historian John Hope Franklin, moved from Rentiesville to Tulsa to practice law, and was present during the Tulsa Race Massacre. He later represented many survivors of the massacre in court.

For more information regarding the “Tulsa 1921” traveling exhibit and the Honey Springs Battlefield, please email [email protected] or [email protected], or call 918-473-5572. We also encourage all visitors to check out the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame/D. C. Minner Rentiesville Museum. For more information about the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame/D. C. Minner Rentiesville Museum please call 918-855-0978.

Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor Center is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Checotah. The Visitor Center is located on a hill in 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).

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 www.okhistory.org.