Historical Marker Program

Vernon

McIntosh County
Location: in community of Vernon
Coordinates: 35.216608, -95.926825
Material: Other (Interpretive panel)
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Ethnic Diversity; Government; Settlement Patterns; Urban Development

Vernon 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. Vernon, established in March 1912, is named for William T. Vernon, a minister and bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who also served as registrar of the United States Treasury from 1906 to 1912 under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.