The United States Armed Forces Monument

The citizens of Seminole County built a large, gray granite monument in front of the Seminole County Courthouse in Wewoka, Oklahoma to honor "All who serve to guarantee our Freedom" and that "We owe [them] an endless debt of gratitude..." The central column bears this inscription and an engraving of the U.S. Seal. The column is 20 feet tall. The flanks, each 10 feet in length, are also made of polished, gray granite. The Courthouse is built on the site of the Seminole Nation's Capitol Building (1865-1907) in the Indian Territory and the tree to the right in the detail photo (south) of the central column was the Seminole Nation's "Whipping Tree" for criminals convicted of Misdemeanor Offenses in its Tribal Courts and is now 65 feet tall. The "Execution Tree" of the Seminole Nation, for criminals convicted of Capitol Offenses in its Tribal Courts, was on the north end of the Capitol grounds. It was cut down in the 1920's and is preserved in the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.