The Fort Towson Historic Site will host its annual Doaksville Candlelight Tour on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, at the Doaksville Archaeological Site in Fort Towson. Admission is $10 per person, while children aged six and under can attend for free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the site or by calling 580-873-2634.
Tours will begin at 7 p.m. each night, with the final tour starting at 9:30 p.m. Groups will depart from the Fort Towson Cemetery every half hour. Each walking tour lasts about one hour and follows a route that includes crossing the WPA wall into the historic town. Advanced ticket holders will be given priority seating, but all tours are first come, first served. Organizers advise guests that the terrain may be rough.
This year’s event marks the 160th anniversary of Stand Watie’s surrender at the end of the American Civil War. The tour will focus on events in Doaksville during 1865, depicting scenes such as news of Confederate surrenders reaching town, refugees arriving from northern territories, Watie’s surrender, and local residents deciding how to proceed after the war ended. The cast will include portrayals of Confederate States Army Brigadier-General Stand Watie, Union Lieutenant Colonel Asa C. Matthews, Union Captain W.H. Vance, and Union Captain Kirby of the Sixth Missouri Cavalry.
For additional information about the event or directions to the site located at 896 N. 4375 Rd., visitors can call 580-873-2634 or email [email protected]. The Fort Towson Cemetery is about one mile north of Highway 70 on Red Rd.
