From our TL&M Genealogy Magazine Archives: History of Carnes School on the Moseley Prairie in Oklahoma

CARNES SCHOOL, MOSELEY PRAIRIE, OKLAHOMA:

Carnes School was known to have been in existence in Indian Territory at least by 1904. The Carnes community was in the southwest part of what is now known as Delaware County, Oklahoma, on Moseley Prairie. Carnes School, District #52, was located on one acre of land that was in the northeast corner of Section 32, the northeast corner of a 50 acre Cherokee Nation allotment of Joseph E. Carnes (Dawes Roll#1306). The Joseph E. Carnes allotment was later sold to N.D. Sussmand, then to O.E. Thomason.

Carnes School, Moseley Prairie, Oklahoma

In all the transactions, the deeds read that one acre was reserved for schools. By the act of Congress, approved May 29, 1908, provisions were made whereby the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to sell, for use for school purposes to school districts of the State of Oklahoma, from the un-allotted land of the Five Civilized Tribes, not to exceed two acres in any one district. The School District #52 of Delaware County, Oklahoma had made application to acquire title to the tract of land.

The tract of land had been appraised by the board of appraisers, as required by the regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior under the act of May 29,1908.  School District #52 of Delaware County paid the sum of Five Dollars, the full amount of appraisement, into the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Cherokee tribe of Indians, with the United States Indian Superintendent at Muskogee, Oklahoma.  On December 30, 1910, W.E.Rogers, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation conveyed the land to School District #52, described as a square 12.66 rod located in the northeast corner of Section 32.

Carnes School was one of the Cherokee Nation Schools in the Goingsnake

District.  An existing structure located on the land was used for the school building at least through the school year 1911-12.Between the years 1912 and 1915 a new school building was constructed. The building had a flue exiting the roof on the NE corner for a wood burning stove. The bell tower was mounted on the front center of the roof with a rope extending down through the ceiling between the two single entrance doors on the east end of the building. The building had four 8 ft. double hung windows on each side.

On May 21,1929, an additional one acre of land was acquired (by gift or purchase from T.D. Palmer) to the south of the original acre. Two cobblestone toilets were constructed by the WPA on the south end of the new property. Trees and underbrush were cleared to make space for the children’s playground. A woodshed building was constructed on the south side of the school building about the same time. The school building was also extended 10 feet east and an additional full double hung window was installed on each side of the new addition. Interior arrangement in the addition provided for two separate rooms, one on the north and one on the south used for coat storage. The existing two entrance doors became the entrance to the two new coatrooms. The center of the addition consisted of a covered entrance porch. And the new entrance to the one-room school was at the rear of the porch.

In the 1940’s or 1950’s, the wood shed was modified and expanded to provide a kitchen and lunch room. Several recreational facilities were added for the students, such as a basketball court on the NW corner, swings, merry-go-round, teeter-totter, etc.

The school continued in operation through the school year 1966-67. On February 23, 1968, Carnes School was annexed to Moseley School District #34. According to the County Superintendent’s School District Boundary Ledger:

 “February 23, 1968, All of Carnes School District number D-15, Delaware County, annexed to Moseley School District, Number 34, Delaware County---W.C.Everett, County Superintendent”.

The Carnes School building was later sold by the Delaware County School system to the highest bidder from sealed bids, and thereafter privately owned. Thus, Carnes School was in existence for 64 years as a place of

learning and for community use. This historic building was destroyed by fire in 1983.

CARNES FAMILY, DELAWARE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA:

The name of the school came from a pioneer family who settled in the community, participated actively in community affairs and took an interest in education of their children.

Three well known Carnes families in the area were Jeff Carnes, who had two children, Angie and Aubry; Andrew Carnes who had a son Earl, and Joe Carnes, who lived at Kansas, I.T.(OK.) and operated the Kansas Post Office. They were descendents of Joseph H. Carnes and his Cherokee wife, Diana Welch Carnes.

Many descendents of this couple still live in the southwest Delaware County, Oklahoma area. Diana’s obituary appears in the Delaware Tribune, Kansas, OK, 2 September 1910 newspaper as (transcribed

by Virgil Talbot, 1984, from microfilm):

“It is with sadness and regret that we must record the death of Diana Carnes who died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fredonia Connor last Thursday morning between one and two o’clock. She was a native of Georgia, coming to Oklahoma twenty odd years ago. She has lived in Delaware County and in the vicinity of Kansas (OK) ever since coming to Oklahoma. Mrs. Carnes leaves four sons and four daughters to mourn her loss. Three sons and four daughters and their families are of the very best people of Delaware County and are a heritage that any person might feel good. The Tribune extends condolences to the bereaved relatives. 

Diana Welch was born 1831 in Georgia, the daughter of George Washington Welch and Margaret Jones and the granddaughter of David Welch and Elizabeth McSwain.

Elizabeth was the daughter of Nannie Downing and Mr. McSwain and granddaughter of Major Downing. Diana married Joseph Henry Carnes. He was born 1823 and died 1892. Both Diana and her husband are buried in the Johnson Cemetery on Moseley Prairie.”

Information compiled by Ray Stinchcomb, data previously published in the “Colcord Alumni Hornet Buzz Newsletter”, dated April 15, 2006. Additional information compiled by Donna Clark, from materials available at Talbot Library and Museum, Walkingstick Research Room.

This article is an excerpt from the TLM Genealogy Magazine, 2008 Volume XVI, #3. You can order your copy of TLM Genealogy Magazine, 2008 Volume XVI, #3 on our website (click on the link)!