Adamson is classified as a

Census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

per the GNIS. Adamson is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

in Pittsburg County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was located between McAlester and

Wilburton Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely. While nominally an agricultural village, many residents work in Cambridge, Ely or London. History Wilburton i ...

. The town contained 15 coal mines. Four mines were major producers. A post office was established at Adamson, Indian Territory on March 1, 1906. The town was named for Peter Adamson, a mine owner. It was a prosperous coal mining town before and during World War I, especially during 1913 to 1919. On September 4, 1914, Adamson was the site of one of the worst coal mine disasters in the United States. The town never recovered economically, and is now considered a ghost town. It has since been largely engulfed by

Eufaula Lake Lake Eufaula, sometimes referred to as Eufaula Lake, is a reservoir in Oklahoma. It is located on the Canadian River, upstream from its confluence with the Arkansas River and near the town of Eufaula, Oklahoma, Eufaula. The lake covers parts of ...

History

At the time of its founding, Adamson was located in

Gaines County Gaines County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,598. The county seat is Seminole. It gained national attention in 2025 for a major outbreak of measles. History The county is named for James ...

, a part of the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three provinces, or districts, comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is spel ...

of the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

. Adamson began as a coal-mining camp about the turn of the 20th century. Its population peaked at about 3,500 during World War I, when it had 15 operating mines. The Rock Island and Katy railroads both built spurs ito ship the coal. The Rock Island line was abandoned in 1902, while the Katy remained in service until 1950. One of the worst mining disasters in Oklahoma occurred at Mine No. 1 on September 4, 1914. It began to collapse. One of the miners reported a cracking sound about 3:30 p.m., and the mine workers were immediately ordered to evacuate. Nearly all of the miners quickly ascended to the surface, but fourteen were trapped at the lowest level, They were buried when the entire mine collapsed. Neither rescue nor recovery of bodies was possible. The surface of the ground sank dropped between and . The last man to come out of the mine before it completely collapsed was Anthony Benedict. He created a monument to honor the deceased miners on his farm off of the Hartshorne-Adamson Road."Oklahoma Ghost Towns." TravelOK.
Accessed December 3, 2016. A 1957 publication reported that Adamson then had about ten houses and two small grocery stores, which catered mostly to people visiting nearby

. As of 2014, Anna Benedict reported that there were many families thriving in Adamson. The post office and grocery was no longer there, but a church was flourishing. A few of the original families that used to work in the mines still reside in Adamson with their families. The mines had all been closed and had filled with water.

Geography

Adamson is located at . It is east of McAlester and north of Hartshorne. The elevation of Adamson is .

Education

It is zoned to

Hartshorne Public Schools Hartshorne Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Hartshorne, Oklahoma. It includes an elementary school and a middle-high school. It serves Hartsthorne, Adamson, and a portion of Haileyville. Boarders in grades 7–12 at Jone ...

References

External links

Mining Towns - Oklahoma Encyclopedia of History and Culture
{{Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Ghost towns in Oklahoma Populated places in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Populated places established in 1906 1906 establishments in Indian Territory Coal towns in Oklahoma Coal mining disasters in Oklahoma