Lincoln Colored School

This one-room school house was built in 1929 to serve the African American population of Fairfax, in Osage County. Separate schools like this were prescribed by the Oklahoma Constitution to separate “colored” children from the white children. Though in poor condition, it is one of the only existing separate schools within the state. Once schools were integrated, Lincoln ceased to be used, and in the 1970s a local family, generations of which had attended the school, purchased it from the city. Family members all live out of state now and have few resources
to maintain the property. Without maintenance and constant care, this rare piece of a controversial but important part of Oklahoma’s history could soon be lost.