Tatums is a historic

Freedmen's town In the United States, a freedmen's town was an African American municipality or community built by freedmen, former slaves who were emancipated during and after the American Civil War. These towns emerged in a number of states, most notably Texas ...

in Carter County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census, a decline of 12.2 percent from the figure of 172 in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. It is part of the

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,283, with an estimated population of 24,698 in 2019. The Ardmore micropolitan statistical area had an estimated ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Tatums is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

History

According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Tatums was founded in

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

in 1895 by Lee and Mary Tatum, though ''Oklahoma Place Names'' states that the town was not incorporated until May 9, 1896, And a hotel was built in 1899, a blacksmith shop in 1900,a cotton gin and sawmill in 1910, and a motor garage in 1918.Oil wells were drilled in the area in the 1920s,bringing wealth to several of Tatums's farmers and landowners.O'Dell, Larry
"Tatums,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed May 4, 2015.Shirk, George H. ''Oklahoma Place Names'', Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965, p.203. At the time of its founding, Tatums was located in

Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation Pickens County was a political subdivision of the Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory from 1855, prior to Oklahoma being admitted as a state in 1907. The county was one of four that comprised the Chickasaw Nation. Following statehood, its terr ...

. The town was one of more than fifty all-black towns founded in Oklahoma, and is one of thirteen still in existence. Lee Tatum was the first postmaster, ran a grocery store, and was a U.S. Marshal. Travelers who came through Tatums could stay at the home of Henry Taylor, who owned the largest home in town. Over the next few decades, other businesses were added to the town, including a church, school, hotel, blacksmith shop, a cotton gin and sawmill, and a motor garage. In the 1920s, oil wells were drilled around Tatums, and several residents richly profited from them. A brick school funded by the

Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

was completed in 1926. In 1927, Norman Studios filmed a silent movie, ''Black Gold'', in Tatums. Marshal L. B. Tatums played a role in the film. No copy of the film is known to exist, but the script and camera are held by the

Autry National Center The Autry Museum of the American West is a museum in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West. Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including le ...

in California. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

greatly damaged Tatums' economy, so many residents migrated to urban areas. Amid the Depression, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

built a new brick school in 1936. The

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church Bethel Missionary Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church building at the junction of Webster and Lane Streets on the southeast corner in Tatums, Oklahoma. The church building was completed in 1919.O'Dell, Larry"Tatums,"''Encyclopedia of Ok ...

, completed in 1919, is an historic Baptist church in Tatums, and is included on the NRHP listings for Carter County.

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 151 people, 68 households, and 45 families residing in the town."DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 - 2010 Demographic Profile Data,"
''American Fact Finder'', United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015. The racial makeup of the town was 79.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 4.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 8.6% Native American, and 7.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.3% of the population. There were 68 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 32.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.64. The population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 37.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older."QT-P1 Age Groups and Sex: 2010 - 2010 Census Summary File 1,"
''American Fact Finder'', United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015. The median age was 48.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. According to the 2013

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, The median income for a household in the town was $21,083, and the median income for a family was $21,500."DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics - 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates,"
''American Fact Finder'', United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $10,509. About 25.0% of families and 37.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 77.8% of those under the age of 18 and 35.7% of those 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Towns in Carter County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Ardmore, Oklahoma micropolitan area Populated places in Oklahoma established by African Americans African-American history Pre-statehood history of Oklahoma

Geography

History

Demographics

See also

References