Tatums, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Tatums is a town in Carter County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 172 at the 2000 census
. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma
Micropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 172 people, 67 households, and 46 families residing in the town. The population density
was 85.7 people per square mile (33.0/km2). There were 83 housing units at an average density of 41.4 per square mile (15.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 7.56% White, 78.49% African American, 4.65% Native American, and 9.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 67 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.3% were married couples
living together, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $11,146, and the median income for a family was $12,375. Males had a median income of $20,417 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $7,125. About 47.2% of families and 51.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 32.6% of those sixty five or over.
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. The Julius Rosenwald Fund helped build a brick school in 1936 and added a gymnasium in 1949; the building is still standing. Tatums's Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NR 94001519), was completed in 1919. In 1927 Norman Studios filmed a silent movie, Black Gold, in Tatums and enlisted Marshal L. B. Tatums to play a role. Although a copy of the film cannot be found and probably no longer exists, the script and camera are preserved at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in California. Like most rural towns, Tatums experienced the crippling effects of the Great Depression, and many residents migrated to urban areas. At the end of the twentieth century the population stood at 172, and the town awaited economic revival.
On October 4, 2007 acting Agriculture Secretary of the USDA Chuck Conner announced the selection of Wichita Online
, Inc. as a recipient of a Community Connect grant in the amount of $371,139. The grant will be used to provide Tatums with a community center to provide free high-speed internet to all of Tatum's citizens. The center will employ a local person and will offer 10 computers to be available to the public for 50 hours a week. Tatums was selected due to the lack of broadband in the community.
Carter County, Oklahoma
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 47,557. Its county seat is Ardmore.Carter County is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, 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 172 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...
. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Ardmore micropolitan area
The Ardmore Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in South Central Oklahoma, anchored by the city of Ardmore....
.
Geography
Tatums is located at 34.481919°N 97.464470°W.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 2 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.
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 172 people, 67 households, and 46 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 85.7 people per square mile (33.0/km2). There were 83 housing units at an average density of 41.4 per square mile (15.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 7.56% White, 78.49% African American, 4.65% Native American, and 9.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 67 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.3% 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, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $11,146, and the median income for a family was $12,375. Males had a median income of $20,417 versus $20,000 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 $7,125. About 47.2% of families and 51.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 32.6% of those sixty five or over.
History
Lee Tatum and his wife, Mary, applied for a post office designation in 1895, beginning the town of Tatums in Indian Territory. The town, located in Carter County four miles northeast of Ratliff City, is one of more than fifty All-Black towns of Oklahoma and one of only thirteen still existing. In addition to running the post office, the Tatums operated a small grocery in one corner of their house. Henry Taylor owned the community's largest home and offered overnight accommodations for travelers. In addition to his postal duties, Lee Tatum was appointed U.S. marshal. Tatums residents soon established a church and school.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. The Julius Rosenwald Fund helped build a brick school in 1936 and added a gymnasium in 1949; the building is still standing. Tatums's Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NR 94001519), was completed in 1919. In 1927 Norman Studios filmed a silent movie, Black Gold, in Tatums and enlisted Marshal L. B. Tatums to play a role. Although a copy of the film cannot be found and probably no longer exists, the script and camera are preserved at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in California. Like most rural towns, Tatums experienced the crippling effects of the Great Depression, and many residents migrated to urban areas. At the end of the twentieth century the population stood at 172, and the town awaited economic revival.
On October 4, 2007 acting Agriculture Secretary of the USDA Chuck Conner announced the selection of Wichita Online
Wichita Online
Wichita Online, Inc. is a high-speed wireless internet company based in Medicine Park, OK.In October 2007, Wichita Online was awarded a USDA RUS Community Connect Grant in the amount of $371,139 to provide free high-speed internet to the community of Tatums, OK...
, Inc. as a recipient of a Community Connect grant in the amount of $371,139. The grant will be used to provide Tatums with a community center to provide free high-speed internet to all of Tatum's citizens. The center will employ a local person and will offer 10 computers to be available to the public for 50 hours a week. Tatums was selected due to the lack of broadband in the community.