Agawam, Oklahoma

Ghost town in Oklahoma, United States

34°52′24″N 97°56′46″W / 34.87333°N 97.94611°W / 34.87333; -97.94611CountryUnited StatesStateOklahomaCountyGradyElevation

^[2]

1,240 ft (380 m)Population

(1960)

• Total35^[1]Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)GNIS feature ID1093811^[2]

Agawam is a ghost town in Grady County, Oklahoma.

History

Agawam was founded around 1909, when its post office was built; the post office closed in 1918.^[3]

On 19 October 1915, two Rock Island Railroad trains collided head-on here, a southbound passenger train and a northbound freight train, resulting in seven fatalities and numerous injuries; engineer William Powell was blamed for the accident.^[4]

In October 1922, it was announced that Agawam, located on the main line of the Rock Island Railroad, would become a shipping point for a gas field in Grady County, due to its location: four miles from the Oklahoma Gas Company's pumping station.^[5] Agawam was described as a "new oil town" in 1923, when an auction of town lots was held.^[6]

A gymnasium was completed in 1935. In 1955, Agawam had a grade school with a "small enrollment", but it was large enough to field a very good girls' basketball team that, over the course of three years, had amassed 90 wins against four losses, despite usually only having seven players.^[7]

References

^ "Oklahoma". World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. N–O. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. 1960. p. 544.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Agawam, Oklahoma
^ "Grady County, Oklahoma Genealogy Trails Towns and Townships". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
^ "Seven Killed When R.I. Trains Meet". Waco Morning News. October 20, 1915 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Agawam Will Be Shipping Point". The Chickasha Daily Express. October 5, 1922. p. 8. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "N/A". The Chickasha Daily Express. January 31, 1923. p. 8. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
^ "Agawam Girls Season Good". Chickasaw Daily Express. March 17, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.