FAIRFIELD MISSION
”Just as we emerged from the dense forest we heard a church bell, a church bell in a savage land.”
Reverend Henry R. Wilson, 1828 (Upon his arrival in Indian Territory)
A single historical marker dedicated to Fairfield Mission and located in the McLemore Cemetery near Bunch in southern Adair County commemorates a once small but thriving institution dedicated to the salvation of pioneer souls.
Fairfield, first known as Mulberry, was a sub-station of Dwight Mission in Pope County, Arkansas. Dwight was located on Illinois creek four miles north of today’s Lake Dardanelle and Mulberry was further north on Mulberry Creek. Dwight Mission had been founded in 1820 to serve Western Cherokees and the sub-station at Mulberry had just been established in the spring of 1828, when the Western Cherokees agreed to exchange their land in Arkansas for territory that later would become Eastern Oklahoma.
Unlike most missions Mulberry was managed by a physician, Dr. Marcus Palmer. After graduation from college in New England, in 1820, Palmer had first been assigned to Union Mission in Osage country and then transferred to Harmony Mission in Bates County, Missouri. It was there that he met and married a fellow missionary and teacher, Clarissa Johnson. When both of the Arkansas missions were relocated to the new Indian Territory, Dwight on Sallisaw Creek and Mulberry (now renamed Fairfield) fifteen miles north, Palmer and his wife remained in charge. The Cherokees were so desirous of hearing the gospel preached that they assisted in building the necessary facilities at both sites and provided meat and vegetables for the missionaries.
Shortly after Fairfield was relocated, Dr. Palmer met Sam Houston, “The Raven,” and they developed a life-long friendship. Houston held Palmer in high regard, but Palmer noted in one letter sent back east that he “failed to convert The Raven or change his habits, which the local clergy found a fertile subject of criticism.” Shortly thereafter, in 1830, Palmer was ordained as a Presbyterian minister and although he continued to preach and minister to his small congregation and Clarissa taught their children, he spent considerable time practicing medicine. Once when an epidemic broke out in the Fairfield neighborhood he rode long distances, but mostly at night, in order not to interfere with his ministerial responsibilities.
Although the mission struggled in terms of membership, one focus on education was unique, Fairfield featured a circulating library of 150 volumes, undoubtedly the first of its kind in Oklahoma. And, the Cherokee Chiefs were very supportive of Palmer’s efforts. In May of 1833 they decided to appropriate $750 annually to support the mission. However, the good news about Fairfield was tempered when in 1835, Palmer’s wife Clarissa, fell ill and died in Ohio as she was returning to her family home in New England. Marcus Palmer remarried and remained at Fairfield until 1839 but at the age of 44 he also left and returned east where he continued his ministry until he died in Ohio at the age of 81.
Palmer was replaced at Fairfield by Elizur Butler, another doctor turned preacher. Butler had gained notoriety among the Cherokees in 1831when he and Reverend Samuel Worcester were sentenced to prison for refusing to swear allegiance to the Georgia government. Released four years later, he was then also ordained. Butler remained at the little mission until he was appointed superintendent of the Cherokee Female Seminary in 1851. Although Fairfield remained open until 1859, attendance at the school and mission continued to decline.
The historical marker in McLemore Cemetery, also known as Fairfield Mission Cemetery, commemorates a once vigorous ministry that covered twelve acres of the surrounding area. It was the religious, educational and social center of the community. Visitors who know its history can envision school children at work and play, prayer meetings, even the images of Marcus and Clarissa Palmer who were so committed to their ministry. Another contribution to our region’s history and another Echo From The Past.
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