Historical Marker Program

Tatums

Carter County
Location: at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tatums
Coordinates: 34.482406, -97.461651
Material: Other (Interpretive panel)
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Ethnic Diversity; Government; Law and Order; Petroleum; Settlement Patterns; Social/Culture; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Urban Development

Tatums 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 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. Tatums was established in 1895 and is named for Lee Tatum, the first postmaster and a US marshal. Oil wells were drilled in the vicinity during the 1920s. The silent movie Black Gold was filmed in Tatums in 1927.