Boley, Oklahoma

This area was settled by Creek Freedmen, whose ancestors had been held as slaves of the Creek at the time of Indian Removal in the 1830s. After the American Civil War, the United States negotiated new treaties with tribes that allied with the Confederacy. It required them to emancipate their slaves and give them membership in the tribes. Those formerly slaves were called the Creek Freedmen. At the time of allotments to individual households under the Dawes Commission, Creek Freedmen were registered as such on the Dawes Rolls (even if they were of mixed-race and also descended directly from Creek ancestors.) Creek Freedmen set up independent townships, of which Boley was one. The town was established on the land allotted to Abigail Barnett, daughter of James Barnett, a Creek freedman.[11]

The coming of the Fort Smith & Western Railroad allowed agricultural land to be more profitably used as a townsite. Property owned by the Barnett family, among other Creek Freedmen, was midway between Paden and Castle, and ideal for a station stop. With the approval of the railroad management, Boley, Creek Nation, Indian Territory was incorporated in 1905. It was named for J. B. Boley, an official of the railroad.[11] There were no other Negro towns nearby, it became a center of regional business. During the early part of the 20th century, Boley was one of the wealthiest Negro towns in the US. It boasted two banks,[12] including the first nationally chartered bank owned by blacks, three cotton gins,[12] and its own electric company.[13] The town had over 4,000 residents by 1911, and was the home of two colleges: Creek-Seminole College, and Methodist Episcopal College. The Masonic Lodge was called "the tallest building between Okmulgee and Oklahoma City," when it was built in 1912.[11] Booker T. Washington visited Boley in 1905, and was so impressed that he included Boley in his speeches.

Boley's development paralleled that of the railroad. After World War I, a fall in agricultural prices and the bankruptcy of the railroad caused Boley's failure. It went bankrupt in 1939 during the Great Depression. Before World War II, Boley's population had declined to about 700.[11] With the Second Great Migration underway, by 1960 most of the population had left for other urban areas.[14][15] So far the New Great Migration has not benefited Boley. However, Boley remains one of the state's few remaining historic African-American towns.[12]

• Cardell Camper, major league baseball player
• Pumpsie Green - baseball player, first African American to play for the Boston Red Sox
• Zenobia Powell Perry - composer[29]
• Nate Quinn-, Basketball Player and Coach, Inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame 2016 http://mosportshalloffame.com/inductees/nate-quinn/
• Nathaniel E. Quinn-Basketball Coach, Inducted into Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame 1981 http://www.oklahomacoaches.org/index.php/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-alphabetical/

Boley is located approximately 13 miles east of Prague and 11 miles west of Okemah on US Highway 62.[30] Boley is located at 35°29′34″N 96°28′54″W (35.492813, -96.481776).[31] The cemetery is located southwest of the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all land.

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,126 people, 136 households, and 79 families residing in the town. The population density was 684.6 people per square mile (265.1/km²). There were 153 housing units at an average density of 93.0 per square mile (36.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 35.61% White, 54.71% African American, 4.97% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 1.51% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.11% of the population.

There were 136 households, out of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 7.6% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 51.0% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 407.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 490.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $16,042, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $21,875 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,304. About 25.0% of families and 40.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.5% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.

• Boley Historic District
• Brooksville, Clearview, Grayson, Langston, Lima, Red Bird, Rentiesville, Summit, Taft, Tatums, Tullahassee, and Vernon, other "All-Black" settlements that were part of the Land Run of 1889.[33]

Decatur-Thomas, C. (1989) Boley: An all black pioneer town and the education of its children. [Dissertation] The University of Akron

• History of Boley on The African American Registry
• Black heritage sites, Boley Historic District, By Nancy C. Curtis
• Oklahoma Historical Society, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, Boley
• Boley cemetery index from rootsweb
• History of Boley published 1945 from rootsweb
• NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM including a history and inventory of historic buildings
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Boley
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - All-Black Towns

Decatur-Thomas, C. (1989) Boley: An all black pioneer town and the education of its children. [Dissertation] The University of Akron