Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen History(30)
- Jonathan Elmore
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 7
When I was in school, we of course had history books and history classes. I learned so much about Oklahoma history, US history, and world history. It was fascinating to delve into the past to see what people did, who they were, and how their decisions effect us now. It wasn't until I was a senior in high school that I learned our history books weren't telling the whole story. And man, is there a lot that didn't get covered! That year I was watching a show like 60 Minutes or 20/20 and a person they were interviewing mentioned the Buffalo Soldiers as part of the Civil War. I thought, "The who?" If any of my books in school had mentioned them, it was so quick that it didn't stick in my brain. So off again to the Enid Library to see what I could dig up. The card catalog got me to a couple of books about the Buffalo Soldiers which was cool. But those books would reference the Freedmen and I didn't know who that was either. So, back to the card catalog. Back in the late 80's, I didn't find much at my favorite library. So I put that thought on a shelf to be researched at a later date. When the internet became a thing, I looked up Freedmen and discovered a whole group of people that I had no idea existed. I was amazed at how small my world view had been up to that point, but I knew I was expanding my horizons. I have to get points for that, right?
When I started this museum journey, I looked up the Oklahoma Museum Association's list of museums and one that really piqued my interest was the Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen History. That little bit of information I found out back in the day had me excited to see what else I could learn about the Freedmen. And this museum has a lot of great things to educate you and me about their history.
To say that the history of the Freedmen is complicated would be a bit of an understatment. My shortened version is that some of the Africans who were brought to America as slaves ended up living among the Creek Nation and working in servitude since before the Revolutionary War. When slavery ended after the Civil War, the Treaty of 1866 between the U.S. and the Muscogee/Creek Nation required the tribe to emancipate the enslaved people and grant them full citizenship into the tribe. These newly liberated individuals were placed on the Creek Freedmen Roll by the Dawes Commission, the agency in charge of registering all Natives and allotting lands to them. They recorded the Creek Freedmen separately from those that were "Indian by blood" and this would prove to be a sore point for years. For quite a while, the Tribe and the Freedmen have been battling in court about who has rights to citizenship and tribal recognition. On a positive note, the Freedmen have won their court case to be included as citizens. It's been a long time coming. The long version of this history is far more in depth and that's why it's important to have a museum like this one. I had a great conversation with Rhonda Grayson while I took in all the displays in this small museum. Rhonda told me she wished they had a bigger space because they have a lot of things in storage that need to be on display, but there's just not enough room. Even though the space isn't huge, there's still a lot of impressive information, photographs, and art that can be seen most every Saturday. Since the museum is volunteer based, that's the only time it can be open. Nothing wrong with that. Their philosophy is the same as mine, you have to start somewhere. So, if this museum is of interest to you, someone you know, or a corporation that needs a worthwhile project to sponsor, consider donating time, funds, artifacts, or display items to help them out. They are gaining advances here and there like being part of the African American Civil Rights Network and the prestigious Reconstuction Era National Historic Network. Pretty cool! (Links Below) Every little connection makes it possible for this great place to exist.
I had a wonderful time getting to know the Freedmen better. Even though I knew a little bit about the them, I certainly walked out with a lot more knowledge. And I have an even deeper respect for the men and women that lived that life and were able to pass down stories to their kids so we can have something like this museum today. Take a Saturday and go visit! You may also see a traveling display of their museum from time to time. If you do get to experience it, you'll love it.
8625 S. Walker, Oklahoma City
405-458-0823
Jonathan Elmore ©2025
