Jerusalem was a five-acre black settlement founded in the late 1800s. The land was given to freed slaves by the Chickasaws. The last residents of Jerusalem moved away long ago, but friends and relatives of those who lived there still gather once a year to celebrate the community’s history.
Only a cemetery and a 102-year-old building that was used as both a church and one-room school remained to mark the site. The church burned to the ground July 25, 2008, just days before the annual gathering.
Donations and savings were used to rebuild. A new steel building was completed this summer.
People have come together to make sure Jerusalem isn’t forgotten, and plenty of donations came in to help, said Joel Bradford, a former Jerusalem resident and caretaker of the property.
Bradford, 83, looks at the fire as a blessing in a way.
"I’ve met some of the finest people,” he said. "People I would have never met if this hadn’t happened.”
In a way, the fire ignited people’s interest in the community again, Bradford said.
Although he now lives in Oklahoma City, Bradford calls Jerusalem his home, and he’s glad people cared enough to rebuild there. The community center will be a place where future generations can come and learn about their past, he said.
The new building stands on the old church site. It was designed to look much like the old building.
Annie Hart, a resident of Cole, helped with the rebuilding process, tracking donations and taking bids from contractors for the new building.
"It took everything they had,” she said. The building cost about $18,000, which was paid for through donations and savings that had been collected to pay for maintenance and improvements to the property.
The site has such a rich history, Hart said she wanted to make sure that it wasn’t forgotten. Bradford’s love for his community also touched her, she said.
He’s replaced tomb stones, installed a veteran’s memorial plaque, and established a walking trail and park.
"He’s done so much to keep his community alive,” Hart said. "That effort is just so admirable to me, and he’s such a great man.”
Hart plans to help with future improvements at the site, including improving the gardens and walking trail around the acreage.
1 Kings 2:11
And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.