Avoca, Oklahoma

Avoca was a small town in Avoca Township, located in southeastern Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Territory. The post office was established in 1894 and closed permanently in 1906.

Avoca Township

Avoca should not be confused with Avoca Township, which covered a much larger area than the town itself. This section of the article will cover the entire township, with the remainder the town itself. Avoca township was located in southeastern Pottawatomie County, with Konawa Municipal Township (and the Seminole County line) to the east, St. Louis Township to the north and the South Canadian River to the south. The western boundary was about two and a half miles west of present-day Asher. The township encompassed about 75 square miles. [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 56, 213
url =
doi =
id = ] . Post offices in the Avoca Township area included [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 150
url =
doi =
id = ] :

*Sacred Heart. The school had a small enrollment.

Avoca (town) brief history

The village was established in the mid-1800s as Wewaukee Springs (Wewaukee is Seminole for "tumbling water") [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 165
url =
doi =
id = ] . It was located along the "Wagon Road" that traveled east to west across the territory. Early residents of the town included Seminole Indians as well as white persons. By 1910, most Seminoles had left the area Pottawatomi Indians populated the town [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 126
url =
doi =
id = ] .

Avoca School

The first Avoca school was established in the summer of 1892 near what is now the Avoca Cemetery. Early day teachers included J.C. Fisher, B.C. Klepper, A. Floyd, F.M. Forston, Nora Kidd, Minnie Synder (sic), A.C. Bray and Wheeler Hendon. [cite book
last = Fortson
first = John
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = POTT COUNTRY...
publisher = Herald Printing
date = 1936
location = Shawnee, OK
pages = 72
url =
doi =
id = ]

Post Office

The post office was established August 4, 1894. It was discontinued and moved to Asher twice, once temporarily on November 26, 1901 and again permanently on September 26, 1906 [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 166
url =
doi =
id = ] .

Postmasters

Other establishments

R. Perkins opened the first general store. A Rutherford and J.B. Buckler built a cotton gin. M.F. Merrill started a blacksmith shop. Establishment of the town was considered a natural development since the Wewoka Springs had been a stopping place for travelers before the opening of the territory. [cite book
last = Fortson
first = John
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = POTT COUNTRY...
publisher = Herald Printing
date = 1936
location = Shawnee, OK
pages = 72
url =
doi =
id = ]

Demise

In 1901, "Old Beck," a rail spur from Shawnee, was extended to the fledgling community of Asher, Oklahoma, a few miles south. This event spelled the demise of Avoca [cite book
last = Kennedy
first = Authur Ward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = They Came from Everywhere and Settled Here
publisher = Kennedy Library of Konawa
date = 1995
location = Konawa, OK
pages = 166
url =
doi =
id = ] . In the winter of that year, the postmaster, George A. McCurry, moved the Avoca post office and his store to the new community. The change officially took place on November 26, 1901 [cite web
last = Hammons Davis
first = Barbara
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Mary Lillian Gilpin
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~okbits/lilliangilpin.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-11-07] . This was done without permission from the government and left Avoca without a post office [cite news|title=People Worked for Town |publisher=Shawnee News-Star |date= 1990 |work=] . The post office was re-established on February 10, 1902 [cite web
last = Grant
first = Forman
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Chronicles of Oklahoma
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v007/v007p007.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-11-07] . However, many persons and businesses moved to the growing Asher community. An Asher paper reported "Avoca About Abandoned" on August 21, 1903 [cite news|title=Avoca About Abandoned |publisher=Asher Altruist |date= 21 August 1903 |work=] and the post office was discontinued again on October 31, 1906 [cite web
last = Grant
first = Forman
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Chronicles of Oklahoma
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v007/v007p007.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-11-07] . The upstart of Asher is often blamed for the demise of Avoca [cite web
last = Hammons Davis
first = Barbara
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Mary Lillian Gilpin
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~okbits/lilliangilpin.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-11-07] . Currently in the Avoca area is the Avoca Church of Christ, a cemetery, and a few homes.

References

External links

* [http://www.asherok.info Asher, Oklahoma]