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Wheelock Academy Near Millerton, in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, you will find the major, surviving components of the once flourishing Wheelock Academy, a unique symbol of almost two centuries of the Choctaw Nation’s commitment to education. A missionary, the Reverend Alfred Wright with his wife who came west with the Choctaws, moved into a small log cabin which later became a church and in 1833 became a school. In 1839, the Wrights began a boarding school for girls and in 1842 it was absorbed into the Choctaw National school system. In 1883 the Choctaws constructed a new academy which opened in 1884 and operated until 1955. In 1966, Congressman Carl Albert was instrumental in having it declared a “National Historic Landmark.” One of the seven remaining buildings, the charming LeFlore Hall has become a museum where the history of Wheelock Academy is being preserved and interpreted. The academy is a tourist destination on the Choctaw/Chickasaw Heritage Corridor being developed across southeast Oklahoma. Since 1993 Wheelock has appeared on the list of Oklahoma’s “most endangered historic properties” issued by preservation Oklahoma. Since the year 2000 it has been listed as one of America’s “eleven most endangered historic places” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is included in the federal “Save America’s Treasures” program. For more information: Wheelock Academy
Talimena National Scenic Byway
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