Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium for Colored
| Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium for Colored | |
|---|---|
| Current Status | Active |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Boley, OK |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
During the early part of the 20th century, Boley Oklahoma was one of the wealthiest Negro towns in the US. It boasted the first nationally chartered bank owned by blacks, and its own electric company.[10] The town had over 4,000 residents by 1911, and was the home of two colleges: Creek-Seminole College, and Methodist Episcopal College. The Masonic Lodge was called "the tallest building between Okmulgee and Oklahoma City," when it was built in 1912.[9] Booker T. Washington visited Boley in 1905, and was so impressed that he included Boley in his speeches. Outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd was gunned down by officers here after trying to rob the African American owned Boley Bank.
Originally built on land donated by the town to the state, the sanatorium was completed in 1923. 2 years later in 1925, the sanatorium patients were transferred to a seperate building on the campus of Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Talihina. The sanatorium was converted into the State Training School for Negro Boys at that time and remained so until 1983 when it was again converted, this time into the present day John Lilley Correctional Center, holding more than 800 inmates.
