News Release

Horseshoe Bend 2026 Symposium-"Memory and Meaning and the Creek War"

News Release Date: July 13, 2026

Contact: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, [phone]

DAVISTON, Ala. — Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is pleased to announce the academic symposium, “Memory and Meaning and the Creek War,” at Auburn University on Aug. 22. Offered in collaboration with Auburn University and the Friends of Horseshoe Bend, the program brings together leading scholars to discuss the Creek War and how generations have since commemorated it.  
This year’s symposium will feature three distinguished presenters whose work illuminates different dimensions of the Creek War and its legacy:  

• “Soldier Memories and Commemorative Activities”   

Kathryn H. Braund, Hollifield Professor of Southern History Emerita, Auburn University  

A look at the immediate aftermath of the battle and how Jackson’s troops remembered, narrated and commemorated their victory  

• “The Battle to Create Horseshoe Bend National Military Park”   

Keith S. Hébert, Draughon Professor of Southern History, Auburn University  

An exploration of the decadeslong effort to preserve the battlefield and establish it as Alabama’s first National Park Service unit.  

• “Remembering (and Forgetting) the Creek War in Alabama”   

Mike Bunn, Director, Historic Blakeley State Park  

An overview of lesser known or overlooked Creek War sites and their significance in regional historical memory.  

• “The Southeastern Struggle”   

Jake Tiger, Traditional Heritage Interpreter  

An in-depth view of the Mvskoke/Seminole Wars told by a Seminole tribal member.  

  “We’re excited to bring together these outstanding scholars to help visitors understand not only the events of the Creek War, but how generations have remembered and interpreted them,” said Superintendent Andrew R. Miller.  

  The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Pebble Hill Program Room at Auburn University. The event is free and open to the public.   

  For program updates, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/hobe or go to the park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HorseshoeBendNMP.  

  nps.gov  

 About Horseshoe Bend National Military Park: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park preserves and tells the story of the Andrew Jackson ‘s victory over Creek warriors which ended the Creek War, resulting in a land cession of 23,000,000 acres to the United States. This defining moment in the history of the United States helped solidify Andrew Jackson as a national hero and contributed to his election as the seventh President of the United States. For more information please visit: www.nps.gov/hobe.