The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will hold his first meeting of 2026 on Saturday, January 17th at 10:30 at the Calloway County Public Library, 710 Main Street in Murray beginning at 10:30.
The speaker will be Steven Hunter who will discuss his book Oklama (My People): The Story of Our Choctaw Ancestors and People.
In his book Steven Hunter discusses important individuals, traditions, and facts about Choctaw life, past and present. He offers both a nod to the Choctaw and an eye-opening experience for the reader. Hunter recalls memories of his Choctaw childhood and family; as he ages it may all soon be lost, this book is an effort to preserve Choctaw history and heritage for future generations. “The JPHS is pleased to have Steven Hunter as our speaker as we begin a new year of programs” JPHS President Bill Mulligan offered. “One of our principal goals is to present the full spectrum of our history and this program will bring much forward that is not well-known,” he concluded.
Steven Hunter at pastor at the Glendale Road Church of Christ in Murray and is active in a number of community organizations, including the Murray Rotary Club. He has a PhD from Faulkner University.
In 1958, a group of historians met in Murray, Kentucky led by faculty from Murray State University and University of Tennessee-Martin and formed the Jackson Purchase Historical Society to promote interest, study, and preservation of the regional history of the territory encompassed in the Treaty of Tuscaloosa, known as the Jackson Purchase. The society holds a number of meetings each year with a speaker on Jackson Purchase history and publishes an award-winning journal on local history. Members include a wide range of people who simply share a love of history and a love of the Jackson Purchase area.
The society recently refurbished its website and an array of information about the society and Jackson Purchase history is available at: jacksonpurchasehistoricalsociety.org or the JPHS website: jacksonpurchasehistoricalsociety.org.
Free electronic access to back issues of the Journal through 2023 is available through the Murray State University Libraries at https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/jphs/.
Articles are welcome for future issues of the JPHS Journal and can be sent to the editor, Bill Mulligan at billmulligan@murray-ky.net. We also welcome inquiries about topics, books for review, or offers to review a book. Copies of the Journal are available from the Jackson Purchase Historical Society, PO Box 531, Murray, KY 42071. The cost is $15.90 including postage and sales tax. Anyone interested in Jackson Purchase history is welcome to join the JPHS.