Armstrong Academy of Bryan County
| Armstrong Academy of Bryan County | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1844 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | near Doaksville, OK in Pushmathaha District of Choctaw Nation |
| Alternate Names | |
History
Armstrong Academy was founded as a school for Choctaw boys in 1844. The school was named for Captain William Armstrong, a popular US agent to the Choctaws. “The institution is located two miles south of the road leading from Fort Towson to Fort Washita, fifty-five miles west of the former and thirty east of the latter. It is near the dividing ridge of the waters of Boggy and Blue Rivers, and twenty miles northwest of the nearest point of Red River.” In modern terms the academy was located about one mile east and two miles north from the town of Bokchito in Bryan County, Oklahoma. Funding for the school was provided by the Choctaw national treasury and The American Indian Mission Association (a Baptist organization) which agreed to donate $1000 yearly.
The first classroom buildings and dormitories were built of logs from the area. Classes began on December 1, 1845 with 33 boys in attendance. The first superintendent was Ramsey D. Potts, who had been part of the selection committee for the site. He had been in the Choctaw Nation since 1835 as a Baptist missionary in charge of a mission station and therefore believed the school should be conducted on religious principles. In 1846 the American Indian Mission Association sent Rev P.P. Brown to fill the position as teacher. The school also hired a farmer. Potts noted in 1845 that his students knew almost no English but bragged that by 1847 all of their conversation at school or at home was held in English. (It is well known that many boarding schools forbid the students' native language - with stories about punishment for not speaking English ranging from mouths washed out with soap to lashings.)
The students had a regular routine to follow each day. The Reverend P. P. Brown wrote a letter in which he described how a day went for the fifty-five boys in attendance: During the fall and winter, the first bell rang at 4 o’clock, A.M. for the boys to rise, whose duty was to build fires and sweep out the sitting room. At 5 o’clock all rose, and fifteen minutes after the roll was called. Breakfast took place at 6, after which the boys went to work. At 8 o’clock the bell called the boys together to wash themselves and prepare for school, which convened at half past 8. At 11, fifteen minutes recess was given for rest and recreation. From 12 to 1 an intermission took place for dinner. At 3 o’clock another recess of fifteen minutes occurred, the same as in the morning. At 4 school closed, and the boys went to work until supper, which generally took place a little before sunset. After supper the boys assembled in the school room to prepare the morning lessons.”
By 1855 a letter was sent stating Academy was in need of repairs - the fences were falling and unable to contain the cattle, and that the classrooms, dormitory and teachers houses were dilapidated. The school was closed in the winter of 1954 to make repairs. However, it must not have been enough because in 1857 the Choctaw Council appointed $8121 for the construction of a stone building to replace the log schoolhouse. The new schoolhouse opened in 1859 and reportedly cost $10,000 more than was appropriated.
As a school the average attendance was about 65 students, though in 1859 it had about 100 students. In 1954, the sponsoring American Indian Mission Association was 2 years behind in their $1000/yearly donation. Rev Potts retired in 1954 and a line of superintendents followed: A.S. Dennison only stayed a few months due to an illness, Andrew G Moffat who was a teacher at the Academy became superintendent in 1854, and in 1855 Allen Wright was superintendent until William R Baker was appointed on Christmas day 1855.
The Baptist Missionary Society of Louisville, Kentucky directed activities until 1857 when the organization collapsed. The Southern Baptist Convention promised to uphold the $1000/yearly donation but no record exists of this happening. Feb 1, 1857 it was turned over to the Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Foreign and Domestic Missions who directed it until the school closed in 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War.
During the Civil War the academy closed. Part of the building was used as a Confederate Hospital. Reportedly the Academy was a principle hospital camp for Confederates in Indian Territory, and wounded and sick were carried there from locations as far as Fort Smith. 250 of the dead soldiers were buried in shallow graves in a neglected cemetery that existed nearby at the time. The campus served as state capitol for 20 years, beginning in 1863. The Choctaw Council met there in 1863, & The United Nations of Indian Territory delegates (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw, Seminole, and Caddo) met here with the Confederacy to plan war strategy.
In 1884 the buildings served as a Choctaw orphanage for boys aged 6-12. Although only accepting Choctaw orphans, the Academy still operated as a source of English/Americanised education for the boys. The Foreign Missions Committee of the Presbyterian Church send William James Beard Lloyd to be superintendent, who was to teach the boys how to far "as civilised people farm". Two teachers were also appointed. In late 1889, the Council called for Lloyds resignation for reasons unknown. Reportedly, there was mismanaged funds at the school during Lloyds supervision that may have influenced the Council in their decision, as well as a desire to see native Choctaw in the position. However, the Foreign Missions Committee of the Presbyterian Church did not approve of the Council's chosen successor to Lloyd and asked him return. (Most likely because their candidate was not a Presbyterian minister, or white.) Lloyd refused.
In 1890, Rev Calvin J Ralston was appointed to replace LLoyd. That same year the school boasted a 130 acre farm however crops for the 1890 school year were a total failure because the fences around the land was in such bad shape that cattle were able to come in and trample the crops. The farm at this time had 200 head of cattle, 130 hogs, and many mules and horses. During this period, not all boys were attending the school by choice. Some were brought to the school by law enforcement officials, and some boys ran away. 1889 attendance records reflect a loss of 4 runaways - while 2 returned another ran away soon after. Regulations were made that any student who ran away and was found would be escorted back to the school by law enforcement.
Whether operating as a school or an orphanage, the school was operated by the Presbyterian church until the Tribe operations in 1890. When the ten-year contract with the Presbyterians ended the Choctaws decided to discontinue management of their boarding schools by religious organizations and the Choctaw Board of Education was formed. The Board appointed Thomas W Hunter, whose father was full-blooded Choctaw, as superintendent. This year, the Board had more applications by Choctaw boys to attend the Academy than they could accommodate. The Choctaw Council passed a law in November 1890 for the purpose of repairing and enlarging the building so that it could accommodate one hundred boys, so it was not long after the 1890 law was passed that it could house more boys.
With the passage of the Curtis Act passed by US Congress, dissolved tribal governments, abolished tribal courts and made all laws of the nations invalid. The secretary of interior gained control over the schools of the tribes. After this takeover, John D Benedict was appointed superintendent and the Academy became much more strict. Benedict was from Illinois and had never taught native students. Benedict appointed Samuel L Morley as head teacher, a man who had taught military tactics at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He taught the boys military drills and the students faced stern corporal punishment for the infraction of any rule. Morley's military training was spread to ALL of the Choctaw male academies by 1906.
Current
The Armstrong Academy was destroyed by fire in February 1921. The Federal government refused to rebuild it, and today the area has reverted to its original state as a deserted pasture. Nothing remains of the town but rubble from the Armstrong Academy and the cemetery attached.
