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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
LDS Microfiche #6016976
Volume 111 - Cemeteries

Cemetery - Creek
Date: May 12, 1937
Burial ground: Creek Agency Cemetery
Founded: about 1858 by Agency Community
Abandoned: recent years
Present Owner: public property
Number of graves: 1000
Marked graves: 250
Inscriptions: 12
Condition: Neglected
Legal location: Muskogee County, Sec 9, T15N, R18E
Field Workers: James S. Buchanan and Carl R. SHERWOOD

Prior to 1870 each of the Five Civilized Tribes had its separate agency and a Federal official in charge. At the time of the consolidation of the agencies, the Creek agency was located at the foot of Fern Mountain three miles northwest of Muskogee where it was established when removed from north of the Arkansas river about 1857. 

Quite a settlement grew up around the agency and several stores were located there and the little town was always known as "Agency". It became quite a trading place for the settlers for a while as it was the only town this side of the river until after the Katy railroad was built in 1871 and Muskogee was started. 

Soon after the Creek agency was established at Fern Mountain in 1857, the agency burial ground was started on the hill one and a half miles east of the agency on the first road between the agency and Ft. Gibson, and the deeply worn road that winds its way through the old cemetery today is a part of that same old Agency-Ft. Gibson trail. 

Fannie RENTY, Creek freedman, born and reared in the vicinity gave the information contained in the preceding paragraph.

It would be difficult to estimate the number of graves in this old cemetery with any degree of accuracy as none of the older graves have markers with inscriptions and many of them have a heavy growth of brush and briers over them, indicating many years of neglect. Some of the later graves have expensive and beautiful monuments and tombs, but sadly neglected and several have fallen down.

Native sandstone slab with the following inscription:
Rev. Jno. KERNELL, born 1825, died July 16, 1897
   Man is like vanity, his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

A slab crudely sculptured from native sandstone about three feet high, two feet wide and three inches thick. Three stars about four inches across cut above the crudely engraved inscription on the front of the stone as follows:
     "Secret memory of Rody Stros. Departet this life July the 11 1891"
  
On the opposite of the stone in the same crude work is the following inscription:
    "Prays glory to the O Lord aur Father.  Besset ar the that enter the kingdom of heaven"

Regardless of the crudeness of the work and the misspelled words there is the most earnest effort and much work on the part of the person that did it to create a perpetual memorial for the loved on that rests beneath it.

granite slab with the following inscription:
Harry ISLAND, died August 15, 1872, aged 60 yrs

granite stone, following inscription:
Pinkey NEWMAN, died March 21, 1884, aged 72

A beautiful gray granite tomb with large marble monument about five feet high with the following inscription:
"In memory of Rev. SUGARGEORGE. Died July 31, 1900. Aged 82 years. The day is past and gone the evening shadows appear. O may we all remember well the night of death draws near."

granite stone, following inscription:
"Mary, wife of Picket RENTY. Died May 29, 1889, aged 58 years"

marble stone, following inscription:
Aaron GRASON, died October 7, 1883, age 85

Grave of Patsey MCINTOSH covered with gray granite vault and an expensive and beautiful monument about ten feet high at head of vault with the following inscription:
"Patsey MCINTOSH, born Ft. Smith, January 10, 1843, died in Muskogee June 11, 1908"

granite slab, following inscription:
Sarah DAVIS, born 1799, died November 15, 1886

granite slab, following inscription:
"Gensey MAHARDY, born March 1828, died January 13, 1891"

marble slab, following inscription:
"H.C. LEWIS, 1866-1903. Katie MCINTOSH, 1871-1903"
Samson STIDHAM, died 1881, age 69

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Gay Wall walltribe@earthlink.net Jan 2000.