Brooksville, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Brooksville is a town in Pottawatomie County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 90 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
One of more than fifty All-Black towns of Oklahoma, Brooksville is one of only thirteen still existing at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Located in Pottawatomie County four miles southwest of Tecumseh, Brooksville was established in 1903. Originally the town was named Sewell, after a white doctor who owned much of the surrounding land and attended the residents. In 1912 the name changed to Brooksville in honor of the first African American in the area, A. R. Brooks, a cotton buyer and farmer. His son, W. M. Brooks, became the first postmaster. In 1906 Rev. Jedson White organized St. John's Baptist Church. Soon afterward, the congregation built a church that still exists. White also promoted the town throughout the South, urging African Americans to settle in Brooksville. Brooksville had a Santa Fe Railroad station, three hotels, two doctors, and two mills.
In 1924, with the aid of the Rosenwald Fund, a new school was built. Banneker School, under management of W. T. McKenzie, was a rock building of four large rooms, a three-hundred-seat auditorium, a small library, and a well-equipped domestic science room. George W. McLaurin, the first African American graduate student at the University of Oklahoma, taught at the school. After a fire, the original building was replaced by a wooden one that served students until the school closed in 1968. The building then became a community center for the town and stands next to the new city hall. A declining cotton market and the Great Depression made life difficult in Brooksville, as in many Oklahoma communities. Most of the residents departed, but the town survived. At the beginning of the twenty-first century Brooksville was steadily increasing in population.
of 2000, there were 90 people, 32 households, and 23 families residing in the town. The population density
was 30.4 people per square mile (11.7/km²). There were 42 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 35.56% White, 38.89% African American, 12.22% Native American, and 13.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.33% of the population.
There were 32 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 38.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,667. There were 18.5% of families and 15.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 30.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 65,521 as of the 2000 census. Its county seat is Shawnee...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 90 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Brooksville is located at 35°12′53"N 96°58′9"W (35.214609, -96.969304).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
One of more than fifty All-Black towns of Oklahoma, Brooksville is one of only thirteen still existing at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Located in Pottawatomie County four miles southwest of Tecumseh, Brooksville was established in 1903. Originally the town was named Sewell, after a white doctor who owned much of the surrounding land and attended the residents. In 1912 the name changed to Brooksville in honor of the first African American in the area, A. R. Brooks, a cotton buyer and farmer. His son, W. M. Brooks, became the first postmaster. In 1906 Rev. Jedson White organized St. John's Baptist Church. Soon afterward, the congregation built a church that still exists. White also promoted the town throughout the South, urging African Americans to settle in Brooksville. Brooksville had a Santa Fe Railroad station, three hotels, two doctors, and two mills.
In 1924, with the aid of the Rosenwald Fund, a new school was built. Banneker School, under management of W. T. McKenzie, was a rock building of four large rooms, a three-hundred-seat auditorium, a small library, and a well-equipped domestic science room. George W. McLaurin, the first African American graduate student at the University of Oklahoma, taught at the school. After a fire, the original building was replaced by a wooden one that served students until the school closed in 1968. The building then became a community center for the town and stands next to the new city hall. A declining cotton market and the Great Depression made life difficult in Brooksville, as in many Oklahoma communities. Most of the residents departed, but the town survived. At the beginning of the twenty-first century Brooksville was steadily increasing in population.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 90 people, 32 households, and 23 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 30.4 people per square mile (11.7/km²). There were 42 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 35.56% White, 38.89% African American, 12.22% Native American, and 13.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.33% of the population.
There were 32 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 38.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,667. There were 18.5% of families and 15.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 30.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.