Tullahassee, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tullahassee, Oklahoma
Town
Location of Tullahassee, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Wagoner
Area
• Total	1.82 sq mi (4.71 km2)
• Land	1.82 sq mi (4.71 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	620 ft (189 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	83
• Density	45.65/sq mi (17.63/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74454
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-74650
GNIS feature ID	1099007

Tullahassee is a small town in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2020, 83 people lived there. It is known for being the site of the Tullahassee Mission. This was a school for Native American children that burned down in 1880.

After the fire, the Muscogee Creek people, who had fewer members in the area, gave the school to the Creek Freedmen. These were formerly enslaved African Americans and their descendants. The Creek Nation even paid to rebuild the main school building. Tullahassee is thought to be the oldest all-black town still existing in what used to be Indian Territory. By 1880, most people living there were Creek Freedmen and their families.

History of Tullahassee

Early Beginnings and the Mission School

The town of Tullahassee started in 1850. The Creek Nation approved the Tullahassee Mission School to be built here. It was located on the Texas Road, an important travel route. A Presbyterian minister named Robert McGill Loughridge founded the school. He had been working with the Creek Nation since 1843.

Before the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people, some Creek citizens in the town owned Black slaves. In the early 1880s, the number of freedmen in the area grew. At the same time, the number of Muscogee Creek people went down. Freedmen were African Americans who had been enslaved. They and their children were given citizenship in the Creek Nation after the American Civil War. Some of them also had Creek family roots.

A New Chapter for the Freedmen

After a big fire damaged the school, the Creek Council decided to move most of their people. They sent the Creek children to a different school called Wealaka Mission. In 1881, they gave the Tullahassee school and community to the freedmen. The Creek Nation even paid to replace the school's main building.

The people of Tullahassee opened a post office in 1899. The town officially became a town (incorporated) in 1902. A group called the Tullahassee Town Site Company was created to help the town grow. They planned out the town in 1907. They also encouraged Black residents from the southern United States to move there. This was a time when Jim Crow laws were making life very hard for Black people in the South. Tullahassee is now the oldest of 13 all-Black towns still active in Oklahoma. There used to be about 50 such towns.

Important Buildings and Education

The A. J. Mason Building in Tullahassee is a historic site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Carter G. Woodson School is also important. It is named after a famous Black historian. This school is recognized for its connection to African-American history.

In 1914, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) opened Flipper-Key-Davis College. It was also called Flipper-Davis. This college used the old Tullahassee Mission building. At that time, many new colleges were starting. Flipper-Davis College was the only private college for African Americans in Oklahoma. It closed in 1935 during the Great Depression, a time of severe economic hardship.

Modern Efforts for Justice

In June 2021, Tullahassee's Mayor, Keisha Cullin, joined 10 other mayors to form a group called MORE. This stands for Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity. This group of mayors promised to create programs to help make up for past injustices. Other mayors in MORE came from big cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Geography

Tullahassee is located at 35°50′16″N 95°26′21″W / 35.83778°N 95.43917°W / 35.83778; -95.43917. It is about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Muskogee.

The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2). All of this area is land.

Population Information

In 2000, there were 106 people living in Tullahassee. There were 39 households and 24 families. The population density was about 200 people per square mile (77 people/km2).

Most of the people in 2000 were African American (66.98%). About 28.30% were White, and 0.94% were Native American. About 3.77% were from two or more races.

In 2022, a survey showed the racial makeup was 27.40% African American, 22.6% White, 6.16% Native American, and 43.84% from two or more races.

Education

Students in Tullahassee attend schools in the Porter Consolidated Schools district.

Tullahassee Manual Labor School

The Tullahassee Manual Labor School was in Tullahassee, Oklahoma. It started as a boarding school for Creek children. Later, it became a school for Creek Freedmen. It helped them get an education beyond elementary school. This school was one of the few places for Creek Freedmen to get more education. It operated for them from 1883 until 1914.

The Tullahassee Manual Labor School first opened in 1850. It served Creek children until a fire destroyed the building in 1880. After the fire, the Creek children moved to a different school. The damaged building and its 100 acres were then given to the Creek Freedmen. The Tullahassee Manual Labor School reopened in 1883. It mainly served Creek Freedmen in Tullahassee.

After Oklahoma became a state, the government owned the school. In 1914, it was sold to Wagoner County. It then became Flipper Key Davis College, a college mainly for African Americans. Flipper Key Davis College is no longer open today.

See also

In Spanish: Tullahassee (Oklahoma) para niños