Oldest houses in town

[Monty]

I recently found out that several of the original home sites in the City are being bought and demolished for a corridor improvement project. I am personally acquainted with the City official who is doing the demos and talked to him today. Not only did I get permission to detect, he told me he would supply me with a weekly list of acquisitions ....those bought pending demolition! I have two to start on this afternoon. Background: This area is approximately six blocks long and covers both sides of 3 streets. It was originally the first all black settlement within miles and had several prospering black businesses. It sits adjacent to what was the all black high school prior to integration and across the tracks was a cotton gin There was at one time nearly 600 residents of the area. Some of the store fronts still stand. The population now is less than 50 people. There are numerous vacant stores and homes, all of which will be demolished in the next year. The area became a blight mostly in disrepair because of integration and the black families moving out into the white community. I promised to donate any artifacts to the City museum but I keep any and alll coins and/or jewelry. Best deal going for me for a while!........Wish me luck, here I go! Monty

 

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[Monty]

Uh....those aren't my pictures.....D'oh! Stoney56 posted those. Those look like mansions compared to the ones I am working!..Monty

 

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[ZumbroKid]

Monty, that is good your houses look crappier. I've found the worse they look the better the finds. Big old houses in wealthy areas tend to have the fewest finds. They seem to manage their money better. Keep us posted on those finds. Also post some pictures of your house hunt site. I would love to do a potential reading on them.

 

[Monty]

The town was incorporated in the very early 1900s. There were families living in the area prior to 1907. The town was in fact two towns side by side with the stereotype railroad tracks running down the middle. This particular area was what is called "across the tracks". It was a black community that had enough people to support its own schools and Mom and Pop stores. The schools remained segregated until 1963! The town of Sand Springs was known as the town having the most industry for its size in the USA! Jobs were plentiful even for the black population and the two coexisted side by side with no strife for all those years. The town was pretty much integrated except for the schools. Over the years industries moved out or went out of business and the black population slowly was taken into the white part of town and the exclusively black community got smaller and smaller over the years. Right now there are several black families still living there but mostly old folks and many of the homes are now occupied by white or hispanic familes. The small community is now being taken by a Corridor Improvement District and soon will become a commercial and recreational area. It is being extended aplproximately a half mile all the way to the Arkansas River where the River will be developed for commercial and recreational uses also. So, in another year nothing or the original settlement will exist. Just a short history lesson. Monty

 

[bk]

Hey Z Kid, I have to agree with you about stately homes were the "Banker" lived. I never find anything good in those places.
They must have done all their entertaining indoors.
I think the place Monty describes sounds like a very good spot, especially when the dirt gets moved around.