The Tullahassee Mission was founded on March 1, 1850 by Rev. Robert Loughridge

Robert McGill Loughridge

Robert McGill Loughridge was an American Presbyterian missionary who served among the Creek Indians in Indian Territory. He attended Miami University, Ohio, and graduated in 1837; Loughridge was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in October 1842. In 1843 Loughridge entered Indian Territory and...

. The mission was originally built for the Creek Indians, but after a devastating fire the Creeks left Tullahassee and the mission and gave it to their former African slaves.

History

The Creek Indians were initially opposed to all missionaries and the establishment of schools, but after seeing the works of the Koweta Mission

Koweta Mission Site

Koweta Mission Site is a NRHP site.In 1843, white missionaries arrived in Coweta to teach the Indian children. Reverend Robert Loughridge and his wife, Olivia, bought an empty cabin for ten dollars and began teaching. He named the mission "Koweta"....

 the Creeks to allow the creation of another mission northwest of Muskogee

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....

. The Creeks said they would pay one-fifth while the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions would pay the rest of the cost. Rev. Loughridge chose the site for Tullahassee Mission and purchased 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) of land from Thomas Marshall. On this site was constructed a brick building that was three stories and housed eighty students.