Tatums, Oklahoma

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Tatums is a historic Freedmen's town in Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census, a decline of 12.2 percent from the figure of 172 in 2000.<ref>CensusViewer:Population of the City of Tatums, Oklahoma</ref> It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.

History

According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Tatums was founded in Indian Territory 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.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums">O'Dell, Larry. "Tatums," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed May 4, 2015.</ref><ref name="OK-Place-Names">Shirk, George H. Oklahoma Place Names, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965, p.203.</ref>

At the time of its founding, Tatums was located in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation.<ref>Charles Goins. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006), p. 105.</ref>

The town was one of more than fifty all-black towns founded in Oklahoma, and is one of thirteen still in existence.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> Lee Tatum was the first postmaster, ran a grocery store, and was a U.S. Marshal.<ref name="OK-Place-Names"/><ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> Travelers who came through Tatums could stay at the home of Henry Taylor, who owned the largest home in town.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> 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.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> In the 1920s, oil wells were drilled around Tatums, and several residents richly profited from them.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/>

A brick school funded by the Rosenwald Fund was completed in 1926.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> In 1927, Norman Studios filmed a silent movie, Black Gold, in Tatums.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Marshal L. B. Tatums played a role in the film.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> No copy of the film is known to exist, but the script and camera are held by the Autry National Center in California.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/>

The Great Depression greatly damaged Tatums' economy, so many residents migrated to urban areas.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/> Amid the Depression, the Works Progress Administration built a new brick school in 1936.<ref name="EOHC-Tatums"/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

2020 census

Tatums town, Oklahoma – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	13	7	10	7.56%	4.64%	9.01%
Black or African American alone (NH)	135	118	100	78.49%	78.15%	90.09%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	8	10	0	4.65%	6.62%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	14	11	0	8.14%	7.28%	0.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2	5	1	1.16%	3.31%	0.90%
Total	172	151	111	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 151 people, 68 households, and 45 families residing in the town.<ref name="DP-1-2010">"DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 - 2010 Demographic Profile Data," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015.</ref> The racial makeup of the town was 79.5% African American, 4.6% White, 8.6% Native American, and 7.3% from two or more races.<ref name="DP-1-2010"/> Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.<ref name="DP-1-2010"/>

There were 68 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families.<ref name="DP-1-2010"/> 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.<ref name="DP-1-2010"/> The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.64.<ref name="DP-1-2010"/>

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.<ref name="QT-P1-2010">"QT-P1 Age Groups and Sex: 2010 - 2010 Census Summary File 1," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015.</ref> The median age was 48.8 years.<ref name="QT-P1-2010"/> For every 100 females, there were 115.7 males.<ref name="QT-P1-2010"/> For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.<ref name="QT-P1-2010"/>

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, The median income for a household in the town was $21,083, and the median income for a family was $21,500.<ref name="DP03-ACS-2013">"DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics - 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau, Accessed May 4, 2015.</ref> The per capita income for the town was $10,509.<ref name="DP03-ACS-2013"/> About 25.0% of families and 37.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 77.8% of those under the age of 18 and 35.7% of those 65 or over.<ref name="DP03-ACS-2013"/>

See also

• Boley, Brooksville, Clearview, Grayson, Langston, Lima, Redbird, Rentiesville, Summit, Taft, Tullahassee, and Vernon, other "All-Black" settlements that were part of the Land Run of 1889.<ref name="EOHC-All-Black-Towns">O'Dell, Larry. "All-Black Towns," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed May 4, 2015.</ref>