Nebo School - Nebo, OK
N 34° 21.701 W 096° 57.620
14S E 687571 N 3804145
The old Nebo schoolhouse stands at 520 Nebo-Big Canyon Rd in the Nebo community, south of Sulphur, OK.
Waymark Code: WM11WYM
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/01/2020
Views: 3
Of Nebo there is not much left, and this is basically a scattered rural community today. The school building probably has a caretaker, as it is in very good shape despite its no longer being used. Notably, Cyrus Harris, the first elected governor of the Chickasaw Nation, is buried in the Drake-Nebo Cemetery west of here. He was originally buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery to the east in Johnston County, but in 1960, flooding encroached upon that cemetery, which had fallen into a state of neglect. In 1961, he was one of several (including his wife and one daughter) who were relocated to Drake-Nebo. There appears to have been an Oklahoma Historical Marker out on US 177 at one time, noting him and his burial here, but the marker is no longer anywhere to be found.
The Roadside History of Oklahoma," by Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate, notes that Nebo originated as a trading post in 1887. The self-appointed postmaster, Hardel Wells, operated from his home, and when the railroad came through, Wells applied for a commissioned post office. His suggestion of "Mount Nebo", from the Book of Deuteronomy, was shortened to "Nebo." In its heyday, Nebo also had three general stores, a pool hall and gambling house, two cotton gins, and two blacksmiths.
As to the school itself, there are two storm shelters on the grounds, and the water pump stands in the back, no longer operational. Out front, there are two "WPA 1937" stamps in the sidewalk, but there is no indication as to what exactly the WPA did here, i.e. just the sidewalks, or the school, too? Presumably, the school building was constructed in 1937, given the hand-etched identification in the sidewalk, "Nebo - Dist - 17", "Aug 1937".
Address:
520 Big Caynon Rd
Nebo, OK USA
73086
Web Site: Not listed
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