Avoca | |
|---|---|
  Avoca Location within the state of Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: 35°0′50″N96°55′50″W / 35.01389°N 96.93056°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Pottawatomie |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Avoca was a small town in Avoca Township, located in southeastern Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Territory. The post office was established in 1894 and closed permanently in 1906.
Avoca should not be confused with Avoca Township, which covered a much larger area than the town itself. This section of the article will cover the entire township, with the remainder the town itself. Avoca township was located in southeastern Pottawatomie County, with Konawa Municipal Township (and the Seminole County line) to the east, St. Louis Township to the north and the South Canadian River to the south. The western boundary was about two and a half miles west of present-day Asher. The township encompassed about 75 square miles. [1] Post offices in the Avoca Township area included: [2]
| Town | Post Office Dates |
|---|---|
| Sacred Heart Mission | 1879–1949 |
| Osmit | 1884–1887 |
| Avoca (later Asher) | 1894–present |
| Meanko | 1896–1901 |
| Boyer | 1897–1900 |
| Violet | 1899–1905 |
The following table shows the population grown and then decline of Avoca Township. The population decline beginning in 1920 can be attributed to a growing interest in Shawnee, OK. [3]
| Year | Households | Individuals | Home owners | Home renters | Housing not specified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 390 | 2,156 | 178 | 212 | 0 |
| 1910 | 808 | 4,228 | 413 | 139 | 0 |
| 1920 | 628 | 3,204 | 288 | 272 | 68 |
Schools in the township, and what is known about them, include: [4]
| Teacher | Year |
|---|---|
| Miss Alice Shelton | 1895–1897 |
| Miss Mollie Ferrell | 1898 |
| Mr. Willis | 1898–1899 |
| J.G. Hudiburg | 1899 |
| No School | 1899–1900 |
| F. M. Forston | 1900–1903 |
The village was established in the mid-19th century as Wewaukee Springs (Wewaukee is Seminole for "tumbling water"). [5] It was located along the "Wagon Road" that traveled east to west across the territory. Early residents of the town included Seminole Indians as well as white persons. By 1910, most Seminoles had left the area Pottawatomi Indians populated the town. [6]
The first Avoca school was established in the summer of 1892 near what is now the Avoca Cemetery. Early day teachers included J.C. Fisher, B.C. Klepper, A. Floyd, F.M. Forston, Nora Kidd, Minnie Synder (sic), A.C. Bray and Wheeler Hendon. [7]
The post office was established August 4, 1894. It was discontinued and moved to Asher twice, once temporarily on November 26, 1901, and again permanently on September 26, 1906. [8]
| Postmaster/mistress | Dates Served |
|---|---|
| Sallie T. Bess | August 4, 1894 – August 7, 1898 |
| George A. McCurry | August 8, 1898 – November 25, 1901 |
| No Office (moved to Asher) | November 26, 1901 – February 9, 1902 |
| James K. Polk | February 10, 1902 – September 26, 1906 |
R. Perkins opened the first general store. A Rutherford and J.B. Buckler built a cotton gin. M.F. Merrill started a blacksmith shop. Establishment of the town was considered a natural development since the Wewoka Springs had been a stopping place for travelers before the opening of the territory. [7]
In 1901, "Old Beck", a rail spur from Shawnee, was extended to the fledgling community of Asher, Oklahoma, a few miles south. This event spelled the demise of Avoca. [8] In the winter of that year, the postmaster, George A. McCurry, moved the Avoca post office and his store to the new community. The change officially took place on November 26, 1901. [9] This was done without permission from the government and left Avoca without a post office. [10] The post office was re-established on February 10, 1902. [11] However, many people and businesses moved to the growing Asher community. An Asher paper reported "Avoca About Abandoned" on August 21, 1903 [12] and the post office was discontinued again on October 31, 1906. [11] The development of Asher is often blamed for the demise of Avoca. [9] Currently in the Avoca area are the Avoca Church of Christ, a cemetery, and a few homes.
Seminole County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,556. Its county seat is Wewoka. Most of the county was a reservation for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma which still retains jurisdiction over some land in the county. A small portion of land at the eastern end of the county belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,454. Its county seat is Shawnee.
Asher is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The population was 393 at the 2010 census, a decline of 6.2 percent from the figure of 419 in 2000.
McLoud is a city in northwestern Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Consolidated Metropolitan Area. The population was 4,044 at the 2010 census, a 14.0 percent increase from the figure of 3,548 in 2000. The city was founded in 1895 and named for John W. McLoud, attorney for the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad.
Pink is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The only town in the United States bearing this name, Pink lies within the boundaries of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The 2010 census population was 2,058, a 76.7 percent increase from the figure of 1,165 in 2000.
Shawnee is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
St. Louis is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 158 at the 2010 census, a 23.3 percent decline from the figure of 206 in 2000.
Tecumseh is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. Its population was 6,457 at the 2010 census, a 5.9% increase from 6,098 in 2000. It was named for the noted Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. It was designated as the county seat at Oklahoma's statehood, but a county-wide election moved the seat to Shawnee in 1930.
Konawa is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,298 at the 2010 census. Konawa is a Seminole word meaning, "string of beads."
Wewoka is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,271 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Seminole County.
Maud is a town on the boundary between Pottawatomie and Seminole counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census, a 7.8 percent decrease from the figure of 1,136 in 2000. The town was named for Maud Stearns, a sister to the wives of two men who owned the first general store.
Sacred Heart is a small unincorporated community in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. Established in 1879 by Father Isidore Robot as a Catholic mission on the old Pottawatomie reserve, it was originally named Sacred Heart Mission. The name was changed to Sacred Heart in 1888, shortly before the area was opened to settlement by non-Indians.
Meg Randall was an American film actress. She was active in motion pictures, radio, and television between 1946 and 1961, changing her name from Gene Roberts to Meg Randall in mid-1948.
State Highway 39, abbreviated as SH-39, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is 68.4 miles (110.1 km) in length. It runs east–west through the central part of the state, beginning at unincorporated Tabler, east of Chickasha, and ending east of Konawa. Along the way, SH-39 serves the counties of Grady, McClain, Cleveland, Pottawatomie, and Seminole. It currently has no lettered spurs.
State Highway 56 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The road serves Seminole County, Okfuskee County, and Okmulgee Counties in central and east-central Oklahoma. In Seminole County, it is also designated as the Seminole Nation Highway in honor of the contributions the Seminole Nation has made to the state of Oklahoma.
Avoca Township was located in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. It should not be confused with Avoca, which was a smaller community inside the township.
The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (CO&G), known informally as the "Choctaw Route," was an American railroad in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Keokuk Falls is a ghost town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The location is 4.5 miles north and 15 miles east of Shawnee, as well as one mile west of the Creek Nation and one mile north of the Seminole Nation across the North Canadian River. It was named after Chief Moses Keokuk (1821-1908). He is buried in Stroud, Oklahoma's Sac and Fox cemetery.
Vamoosa is a populated place in Seminole County, Oklahoma. It is east-northeast of Konawa Reservoir, and less than 6 miles east-northeast of the town of Konawa, Oklahoma. It is situated just east of US Route 377 on EW140 Road. It had a post office from May 19, 1906 to March 20, 1918.
Little is a populated place in Seminole County, Oklahoma at an elevation of 968 feet. It is north of the City of Seminole and east of Shawnee, Oklahoma, located at the intersection of US Route 377 and Oklahoma State Highway 99A, just south of Interstate 40. It had a post office from August 14, 1902 to November 30, 1916. It was named for Thomas Little, a prominent Seminole and second chief of the tribe.
Municipalities and communities of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |