Tatums is a historic Freedmen's town in Carter 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 151 at the 2010 census, a decline of 12.2 percent from the figure of 172 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. It is part of the

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 24,725 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 1.8% increase over the 2010 census figure of 24,283. The Ardmo ...

, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

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 town has a total area of , all land.

History

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

Indian Territory 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 States, ...

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 ter ...

. 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 ...

was completed in 1926. In 1927,

Norman Studios Norman Studios, also known as Norman Film Manufacturing Company is a former American film studio in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded by Richard Edward Norman, the studio produced silent films featuring African-American casts from 1919 to 1928. The ...

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 (Autry National Center) 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 pub ...

in California. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

built a new brick school in 1936. The Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, completed in 1919, is an historic Baptist church in Tatums, and is included on the NRHP listings for Carter County.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 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 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 ...

, 4.6%

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 ...

, 8.6% Native American, and 7.3% 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 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 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, 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 an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, 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 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 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 ...

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

References