A remnant of the past is slowly being encroached upon in south Tulsa, near 81st and Harvard. Founded by Stephen Rentie, Rentie Grove was established on a land allotment for Freedmen from the Muskogee (Creek) Nation after the Civil War. Here, a small farming community thrived. Although never incorporated, Rentie Grove had a post office, two churches, a community school, and a general store with a Masonic Lodge above it.
The small community maintained a presence for decades and the last official resident passed in 1983. Only this church building (the former Baptist Church) and a community cemetery remain. Structurally, the building is in great shape, but the property is for sale. The sale includes the land around the church and a home on the same property built in 1998.
Citizens are concerned that the building could be razed to make way for housing or other development. We hope a buyer pledges to preserve the site as a reminder of this early all-black community in Oklahoma.