Historical Marker Program

Lima

Seminole County
Location: on the grounds of Rosenwald Hall in Lima
Coordinates: 35.173979, -96.598470
Material: Other (Interpretive panel)
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Education; Ethnic Diversity; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Urban Development

Lima is one of 13 All-Black towns, out of more than 50 that once existed, remaining in Oklahoma. While Tullahassee is reportedly the oldest, most were established between 1889 and 1907 as African Americans sought security and control of their own destiny in a segregated world. Most of the towns began to decline in the 1920s and 1930s as rural African Americans faced economic hardships and began to move to urban areas. Named for the once abundant limestone quarries in the area, Lima was founded in 1904 and maintained a post office. It is the site of Rosenwald Hall, which was constructed in 1921 with funding from Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company and trustee of the Tuskegee Institute.