wheelock academy

Who has heard of Wheelock Academy, much less know where Millerton, Oklahoma is? I didn't until we visited Beaver's Bend and saw the sign for Wheelock. Wheelock Academy is a female boarding school founded in 1832 by the Choctaws who were removed to Oklahoma via the Trail of Tears. There are surviving buildings from the original academy. In the most recently built part of the academy, there are many, many pictures of the former residents of the academy. Seeing the life of these girls and reading the letters from family, requesting admission of their children brought tears to my eyes. The last Native American girls were moved in 1955. Since 1993, Wheelock has appeared on the list of Oklahoma's Most Endangered Historic properties. In 2000, the Academy was lised as one of America's Eleven most endangered historic places.