Park Hill, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Park Hill is a census-designated place
(CDP) in southwestern Cherokee County
, Oklahoma
in the United States
. The population was 3,936 at the 2000 census
. It lies near Tahlequah
, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82
.
after coming from the East on the "Trail of Tears
". In 1829 the Park Hill Mission was established. The mission had one of the earliest presses in Oklahoma, the Park Hill Publishing House. The first post office was established at Park Hill on May 18, 1838, with Samuel Newton as postmaster. It was in Park Hill that Chief John Ross
made his home in 1839, as well as his brother-in-law George Murrell, whose home still stands. On May 6, 1847, the post office was moved to Tahlequah. The Cherokee Female Seminary
was also built here in 1849.
Park Hill was the center of culture for the Cherokees for many years and as such in 1940 the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
in Oklahoma erected a marker at Park Hill declaring it the "Center of Cherokee culture".
The post office at Park Hill was re-established April 22, 1892.
In and around Park Hill are several important sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, including the Murrell Home
, the Ross Cemetery, and the original Cherokee Female Seminary
. The Cherokee Heritage Center
is in Park Hill, on the grounds of the Female Seminary. Echota stomp dance
grounds are located on the north side of town.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 34.9 square miles (90.4 km²), of which, 34.5 square miles (89.4 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.95%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,936 people, 1,254 households, and 1,014 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 113.9 people per square mile (44.0/km²). There were 1,363 housing units at an average density of 39.5/sq mi (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 44.51% White, 0.76% African American, 45.20% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races
, and 7.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.83% of the population.
There were 1,254 households out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 35.3% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,099, and the median income for a family was $24,890. Males had a median income of $27,664 versus $21,419 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $11,802. About 29.7% of families and 35.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in southwestern Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,936 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It lies near Tahlequah
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82
Oklahoma State Highway 82
State Highway 82, abbreviated to SH-82 or OK-82, is a state highway in Oklahoma. It runs for 49.4 miles north–south during its southern segment; and 99.5 miles north–south during its northern segment....
.
History
Park Hill was the "home base" for many of the CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
after coming from the East on the "Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
". In 1829 the Park Hill Mission was established. The mission had one of the earliest presses in Oklahoma, the Park Hill Publishing House. The first post office was established at Park Hill on May 18, 1838, with Samuel Newton as postmaster. It was in Park Hill that Chief John Ross
John Ross (Cherokee chief)
John Ross , also known as Guwisguwi , was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation from 1828–1866...
made his home in 1839, as well as his brother-in-law George Murrell, whose home still stands. On May 6, 1847, the post office was moved to Tahlequah. The Cherokee Female Seminary
First Cherokee Female Seminary Site
The first Cherokee Female Seminary was a boarding school opened by the Cherokee Nation in 1851 in Park Hill. On Easter Sunday 1887, a fire burned the building, but the head of the school, Florence Wilson, made sure all the girls got out...
was also built here in 1849.
Park Hill was the center of culture for the Cherokees for many years and as such in 1940 the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1750, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Period." The national headquarters of the society is at...
in Oklahoma erected a marker at Park Hill declaring it the "Center of Cherokee culture".
The post office at Park Hill was re-established April 22, 1892.
In and around Park Hill are several important sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, including the Murrell Home
Murrell Home
The Murrell Home, also known as the George M. Murrell Home, is a historic home and museum in Park Hill, near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was built in 1845, the building starting in 1844, and was most likely constructed least in part by slaves. It is one of only a few antebellum houses that have...
, the Ross Cemetery, and the original Cherokee Female Seminary
First Cherokee Female Seminary Site
The first Cherokee Female Seminary was a boarding school opened by the Cherokee Nation in 1851 in Park Hill. On Easter Sunday 1887, a fire burned the building, but the head of the school, Florence Wilson, made sure all the girls got out...
. The Cherokee Heritage Center
Cherokee Heritage Center
The Cherokee Heritage Center is a non-profit historical society and museum campus that seeks to preserve the historical and cultural artifacts, language, and traditional crafts of the Cherokee. The Heritage center also hosts the central genealogy database and genealogy research center for the...
is in Park Hill, on the grounds of the Female Seminary. Echota stomp dance
Stomp dance
The Stomp Dance is performed by various Eastern Woodland tribes and Native American communities, including the Muscogee, Yuchi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Delaware, Miami, Caddo, Ottawa, Peoria, Shawnee, Seminole, Natchez, and Seneca-Cayuga tribes...
grounds are located on the north side of town.
Geography
Park Hill is located at 35°51′49"N 94°56′52"W (35.863727, -94.947829).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 34.9 square miles (90.4 km²), of which, 34.5 square miles (89.4 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.95%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,936 people, 1,254 households, and 1,014 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 113.9 people per square mile (44.0/km²). There were 1,363 housing units at an average density of 39.5/sq mi (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 44.51% White, 0.76% African American, 45.20% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 7.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.83% of the population.
There were 1,254 households out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 35.3% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,099, and the median income for a family was $24,890. Males had a median income of $27,664 versus $21,419 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $11,802. About 29.7% of families and 35.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people from Park Hill
- Alice Brown DavisAlice Brown DavisAlice Brown Davis was the first female Principal Chief of the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma, and served from 1922-1935, appointed by President Warren G. Harding. She was of Seminole and Scots descent...
, 1852–1935, Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of OklahomaSeminole Nation of OklahomaThe Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized Seminole tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the largest of the three federally recognized Seminole organizations, which include the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida... - Tommy WildcatTommy WildcatTommy Wildcat is a Native American flutist, storyteller, lecturer, and traditionalist. He is a fullblood Native American of Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, and Natchez ancestry.-Background:...
- Samuel WorcesterSamuel WorcesterSamuel Austin Worcester , was a missionary to the Cherokee, translator of the Bible, printer and defender of the Cherokee's sovereignty. He was a party in Worcester v...
, lived, died, and was buried in Park Hill.
Further reading
- Editors. "Historical Notes". Chronicles of Oklahoma 19:1 (March 1941) 99-103. (accessed March 8, 2007)
- Shirk, George H. Oklahoma Place Names. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8061-2028-2 .
- Wright, Murial. "Notes of the Life of Mrs. Hannah Worcester Hicks Hitchcock and the Park Hill Press". Chronicles of Oklahoma 19:4 (December 1941) 348-355. (accessed March 8, 2007)