Park Hill is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

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 ...

(CDP) in southwestern Cherokee 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 population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. It lies near

Tahlequah Tahlequah ( ; , ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as par ...

, east of the junction of

U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) is an east–west United States Highway in the southern and northeastern United States. It runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian b ...

and State Highway 82. Founded in 1838, Park Hill became the home of many important

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

leaders, including John Ross after their removal from the

southeastern U.S. The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and the southern portion of the Eastern Uni ...

It has been called "the center of Cherokee culture."

History

Park Hill was a pre-established hamlet that became the home for many of the Cherokee after coming from the East on the "

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...

". In 1829 the Park Hill Mission was established. The mission had one of the earliest presses in Oklahoma, the Park Hill Mission Press. The first post office was established at Park Hill on May 18, 1838. It was in Park Hill that Chief John Ross made his home in 1839, as well as his nephew-in-law George Murrell, whose home still stands. On May 6, 1847, the post office was moved to Tahlequah. The

Cherokee Female Seminary The Cherokee Female Seminary was built by the Cherokee Nation in 1889 near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Tahlequah, Indian Territory. It replaced their original girls' seminary, the First Cherokee Female Seminary Site, first Cherokee Female Seminary, that ...

was built here in 1849. Park Hill was the center of culture for the Cherokees for many years, and as such in 1940

the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America (often abbreviated as NSCDA) is an American lineage society composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services wer ...

in Oklahoma erected a marker at Park Hill declaring it the "Center of Cherokee culture". The post office at Park Hill was re-established April 22, 1892. In and around Park Hill are several important sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, including the Murrell Home, the Park Hill Mission Cemetery (also known as the Worcester cemetery), /ref> the original Cherokee Female Seminary. The Cherokee Heritage Center">Ross Cemetery">/ref> the Ross Cemetery, and the First Cherokee Female Seminary Site">original Cherokee Female Seminary. The Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, was built on the former grounds of the Female Seminary. The Stomp Dance#Dance grounds">Echota Ceremonial Ground has been located in Park Hill since 2001, on the north side of town. Park Hill Mission, which antedated the community, was founded in 1829. The first person buried in Park Hill Mission Cemetery was Elias Boudinot, founder of the ''Cherokee Phoenix'' newspaper, who was assassinated in Park Hill on June 23, 1839. Samuel Worcester and his two wives were also interred here. The last burial in this cemetery was a Worcester daughter, Ann Eliza Worcester Robertson. in 1905. This cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2006.

Geography

Park Hill is located south of the center of Cherokee County and is bordered to the north by

, the county seat.

leads north to Tahlequah and southwest to Muskogee, while

Oklahoma State Highway 82 State Highway 82, abbreviated to SH-82 or OK-82, is a state highway in Oklahoma. It runs for north–south during its southern segment; and north–south during its northern segment. Route description Southern section The southern S ...

leads south to Vian. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the Park Hills CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.48%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,909 people, 1,260 households, and 986 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,437 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 43.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 40.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 4% from other races, and 10.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population. There were 1,254 households, out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.28. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,135, and the median income for a family was $37,299. Males had a median income of $32,308 versus $29,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $11,816. About 37.8% of families and 40.8% 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 ...

, including 64.0% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The zoned school districts that include parts of the Park Hill CDP include Tahlequah Public Schools, Keys Public School, and Woodall Public School. Sequoyah High School and

Cherokee Immersion School The Cherokee Immersion School (, ''Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi'') is a Cherokee language immersion school in Park Hill, Oklahoma, with a Tahlequah post office address. It is for children during pre-school to grade 8. It was founded by the Cherok ...

are in Park Hill CDP. - Compare the address to the CDP maps.

Parks and recreation

The tribal softball fields are in Park Hill.

Notable people from Park Hill

Elias Boudinot Elias Boudinot ( ; May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, statesman, and early abolitionist and women's rights advocate. During the Revolutionary War, Boudinot was an intelligence officer and prisoner-of-wa ...

(1802-1839), editor of ''Cherokee Phoenix'', assassinated in Park Hill *

Elias Cornelius Boudinot Elias Cornelius Boudinot (August 1, 1835September 27, 1890) was an American politician, lawyer, newspaper editor, and co-founder of the ''Arkansan'' who served as the delegate to the Confederate States House of Representatives representing th ...

(1835-1890), son of Elias Boudinot, lived in Park Hill until his father's death *

Alice Brown Davis Alice Brown Davis (September 10, 1852 – June 21, 1935) was the first female Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, and served from 1922 to 1935, appointed by President Warren G. Harding.Waldowski, Paula"Alice Brown Davis: A Leader Of ...

(1852–1935), Principal Chief of the

Seminole Nation of Oklahoma The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized b ...

* John Ross (1790-1866), Principal Chief of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

* Mary G. Ross (1908-2008), the first Native American female engineer * Tommy Wildcat (b. May 3, 1967), Native American flutist, storyteller, lecturer, and traditionalist *

Samuel Worcester Samuel Austin Worcester (January 19, 1798 – April 20, 1859) was an American missionary to the Cherokee, translator of the Bible, printer, and defender of the Cherokee sovereignty. He collaborated with Elias Boudinot (Cherokee) in Georgia to ...

(1798–1859),

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

to the Cherokee. Lived, died, and was buried in Park Hill.

Gallery

File:Murrell home.jpg, File:Hocheenee chapel.jpg, File:Tender mercy church park hill ok.jpg,

References

External links

* {{authority control Census-designated places in Cherokee County, Oklahoma Census-designated places in Oklahoma Cherokee towns in Oklahoma