Grady County Historical Society

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In 1949 Adda Mitchell Voigt wrote her Master's Thesis at OU on the "Silver City Commuinity and School in the Development of Public Education in Oklahoma; 1868-1895 and 1910-1922". The volume includes the location and description of Silver City the community, the people, the school and teachers of the Indian Territory Period from 1868 to 1895. The period from 1910 to 1922 covers the same topics. The volume includes twenty photographs, a bibliography, and an addendum. Photos of the classes of 1914-15 and fall 1921 are included in the book and the 1921 photo is attached. Mrs. Robertson was the teacher during the fall of 1921 and Miss Easter Goode taught the spring of 1922 classes. Anne Roeder Kern recently donated the volume.

The photograph is of the 1925 Agawam Girl's Basketball team. Notice the hair cuts and the shoes! Unfortunately we do not have a list of names for these young women. If anyone has a list or knows a member of the team, please let us know.

During WWII many young men and women entered the service before graduating from high school. A recently donated copy of The Brooder, the CHS newspaper, had a photograph of the 1947 graduating class of 147 students. That number included 24 ex-service men. Some of the group attended high school after being discharged while the rest had or would be taking the U.S. Armed Forces Institute's GED exam. The article included a list of the young men's names.

There was once a small commuinity three miles west of Rush Springs known as Wade Tank. Due to deposits of gysum, the community then became known as Acme for the Acme Cement and Poster Company that was located there with the products being transported on a railroad spur. That mill was in operaton from 1911 until some point in the 1930's. One hundred to one hundred twenty-five employees operated the mill. Local children had a school house from 1903 and it was called Washingt...on for a time. Within ten years the school had 3 rooms. In 1919, a $10,000 bond issue voted for an auditorium for 500. Next the students constructed a 36 x 70 foot gym. The gypsum beds were worked out; mill was torn down so that the large machinery could be removed; the school closed in 1954; and the school building was torn down and the community dissolved. The photos show school students in mid-1930's and Home Demonstration Club members preparing food for hot school lunches. See more

The northwest corner of the Chickasaw Territory, later Grady County, OK, developed quickly into a major center for agriculture, banking, natural resources, education, and business due to the early railroad connection between many of the towns and communities. Rock Island , the primary railroad operated a Depot, Hotel, and roundhouse for engine repairs. Today's existing Depot, constructed in 1912, was probably the third facility to be used for that purpose. The attached phot...o, dated 3-15-1901, arrived yesterday from B. Wiseman in TX and shows an office in what was probably the first building used after the box car. Chickasha "was a crew change point, so trains stopped here most likely to receive their 'orders' from the dispatching office before heading north to KS and south to TX". The names of the employees are on the back and the last 2 were listed in the 1902 directory. See more