Wheelock Academy Laundry - Millerton, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 33° 59.569 W 094° 59.306
15S E 316343 N 3763141
This chimney is all that is left of the laundry building at the campus of Wheelock Academy.
Waymark Code: WMX0R1
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/09/2017
Views: 2
Wheelock Academy was first started in 1832 as a mission to the Choctaws. Over the years, it educated many young girls in culture, religious, academic, domestic skills and was overseen as a Choctaw Nation school.
An historical marker in front of this building tells its history. The building appears to have been built in 1922. A weathered photo of the building from the marker is in the photo gallery.
The historical marker reads: "One of the first buildings on the campus was a laundry where students and staff clothing was washed and ironed using the crude methods available at the time. This included heating water in outside pots and then placing it in tubs where the clothing was scrubbed by hand.
There was no "wash and wear" clothing in those days and all items had to be ironed with flat irons heated on wood fired stove in the building. Although help was hired to operate the laundry with more than fifty students and a dozen staff members, a large amount of work was involved and students helped in the process.
In 1922 a new laundry building was constructed on this site with large basins and running hot water for the washing process. In 1927 modern machines were installed.
The clean clothing was then carried to the second floor of the dormitory where it was further processed, stored and folded, to be issues tot he students as needed.
In 1953, the laundry was closed and the services were contracted to a commercial firm."
The school closed in 1955. Neglect and fires have reduced several buildings to rubble and severe deterioration.