Agawam, Oklahoma

Agawam, Oklahoma
Ghost town
Old Houses at Agawam in March 2025
Old Houses at Agawam in March 2025
Agawam, Oklahoma is located in Oklahoma
Agawam, Oklahoma
Agawam, Oklahoma
Agawam, Oklahoma is located in the United States
Agawam, Oklahoma
Agawam, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°52′24″N 97°56′46″W / 34.87333°N 97.94611°W / 34.87333; -97.94611
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountyGrady
Elevation
[2]
1,240 ft (380 m)
Population
 (1960)
 • Total
35[1]
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID1093811[2]

Agawam is a ghost town in Grady County, Oklahoma.[3] Multiple abandoned houses remain in the town.

Geography

Agawam is located adjacent to US Highway 81,[4] near the junction with County Road 1490.[5]

History

Agawam was founded around 1909, when its post office was built.[6] Agawam was named after a Native American village in New England.[7] The community was located on the main line of the Rock Island Railroad.[8]

On 19 October 1915, two Rock Island Railroad trains collided head-on here, a southbound passenger train and a northbound freight train, resulting in seven fatalities and numerous injuries; engineer William Powell was blamed for the accident.[9] The Agawam post office closed in 1918.[6]

In October 1922, it was announced that Agawam, located on the main line of the Rock Island Railroad, would become a shipping point for a gas field in Grady County, due to its location: four miles from the Oklahoma Gas Company's pumping station.[8] Agawam was described as a "new oil town" in 1923, when an auction of town lots was held.[10]

A gymnasium was completed in 1935.[a] In 1955, Agawam had a grade school with a "small enrollment", but it was large enough to field a very good girls' basketball team that, over the course of three years, had amassed 90 wins against four losses, despite usually only having seven players.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Oklahoma". World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. N–O. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. 1960. p. 544.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Agawam, Oklahoma
  3. ^ "Ghost towns in Grady County". Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Oklahoma: Index to Topographic and Other Map Coverage". USGS. 1992. p. 23. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  5. ^ Google Maps (Map). 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Grady County, Oklahoma Genealogy Trails Towns and Townships". genealogytrails.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Heim, Michael (2006). Exploring Oklahoma Highways: Trip Trivia. Wabasha, MN: Travel Organization Network Exchange, Inc. p. 83. ISBN 0-9777301-2-3.
  8. ^ a b "Agawam Will Be Shipping Point". The Chickasha Daily Express. October 5, 1922. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "Seven Killed When R.I. Trains Meet". Waco Morning News. October 20, 1915. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ "N/A". The Chickasha Daily Express. January 31, 1923. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "School Gymansium - Agawam OK". Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  12. ^ "Agawam Girls Season Good". Chickasaw Daily Express. March 17, 1955. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Notes

  1. ^ The gymnasium is still in existence.[11]
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