America, Oklahoma

America is a ghost town[1] in southeastern McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. It was located 7 miles southeast of Haworth.[2] The town was named after America Stewart, wife of Tom Stewart, a local resident.[2]

History

America grew around a sawmill built by William Spencer and his three brothers in 1907. The Spencer family built 40 houses to lease to sawmill workers,[3] and by 1910 there were 200 people living in America. In 1911, after all the timber had been cut, Spencer opened a cotton gin and general store and became a cotton buyer.[3] Cotton grown on the cleared land was shipped out by the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway (a predecessor of the Frisco)[4] that ran through the town.[3] After cotton production declined in the 1920s, most residents moved out. The cotton gin closed in 1933,[3] around the time when the Great Depression was at its worst. Buck and Blanche Barrow, associates of Bonnie & Clyde were married in America on July 3, 1931. The post office, established since July 24, 1903, was disestablished on February 15, 1944. [2][3] The general store closed the next year, completing the decline.[3]

Today, part of the former townsite of America is in the Ouachita National Forest. Only two old houses and a railroad marker remain.[3]

References
  1. Etter, Jim (May 1, 1996). Ghost-Town Tales of Oklahoma: Unforgettable Stories of Nearly Forgotten Places. Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America: New Forums Press. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-913507-74-2.
  2. Shirk, George; Wright, Muriel H (1987). Oklahoma Place Names. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-8061-2028-7.
  3. Morris, John (1977). Ghost Towns of Oklahoma. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-8061-1420-0.
  4. "Railroad Era Resources Of Southwest Arkansas, 1870-1945". Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (a National Park Service “National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form” filing), 1996, p.19. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.