Oakman

Town of Oakman
Incorporated	1895
Population	771
Mayor	Joyce Todd
School district	Walker County Schools
Government	Oakman Town Council Oakman Fire Department Oakman Police Department
Web site	facebook.com
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Oakman is a town of 771 occupying a circular area of 3.1 square miles in western Walker County. The Town of Oakman was incorporated in 1895 and is the 7th largest town in the county.

History

The area of present-day Oakman was first settled in the 1820s by Hugh Lollar and Reason Courington at Providence Church, John Key on Lost Creek, and Tinson Shepherd near Cane Creek. A post office was established in the area in 1860, at which time the community was called York. William Byrd Day settled at what became known as Day's Gap between Propst Mountain and Clemments Mountain. That gap was used as the route of the Georgia Pacific Railroad, which extended a line to the community from Columbus, Mississippi in 1884, transforming Day's Gap into a hub for farmers in the area. Spurs from the railroad led to newly-opened coal mines, such as T. J. Dunn & Co.'s Coal Valley Mine.

The Oakman Land Co. was incorporated in December 1893 "to build a town to be called Oakman". Officers included William Day, William Day Jr, T. J. Estes, George Masterson and W. E. Leake, who had bought up much of the property in Day's Gap and made plans to open a cotton mill and bank to capture business from the growing mine activity in the area. The venture was named in honor of Richmond and Danville Railroad president Walter George Oakland of New York, who was expected to invest in the development of the town. The name was ratified in a public election on March 25, 1894.

As the town grew, saloons and stores opened. James Corry hoped to improve the community by donating land for churches. The town's population peaked at 1,083 in the 1920 U.S. Census. Alabama State Route 69 runs through Oakman on its route between Jasper and Tuscaloosa.

The Stephenson residence in Oakman was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Tubbs Cemetery, originally adjoining a community house built by Daniel Tubbs and later sold to the Tubbs Church of Christ is on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Old York Farms is a privately-owned attraction and event venue surrounding the Joseph Corry residence off of School Street. It was developed beginning in 1992 by Harold Corry and is presently operated by his son, Richard. The town also celebrates its history with an annual Day's Gap Fest in October.

On December 20, 2011 Patton Hill Baptist Church in Oakman was destroyed by arson.

Government

Oakman City Hall is located at 10250 Market Street.

The town houses Oakman High School and Oakman Middle School, which are operated by Walker County Schools. The first high school building was constructed in 1935 with Works Progress Administration labor. It moved into a new building in 2006. In 2011 the 7th and 8th grades moved to a new Oakman Middle School, which was built as a replacement for the older Oakman Elementary School, which was destroyed by a tornado.

Mayors

• Bull Corry
• Joyce Todd

Demographics

The 2020 U.S. Census counted 771 people in the Town of Oakman, making up 382 households. 28% of them were over age 65 and 28% were under 18 years old. 572 residents were White and 156 were Black. 14 residents were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.5% of Oakman residents were employed, primarily in education, health-care, manufacturing, transportation and utilities. Median annual household income was $24,578.

References

• "On A Boom" (December 20, 1893) Daily Mountain Eagle, p. 2
• "Around Alabama" (March 3, 1894) The Birmingham News, p. 5
• Baker, Ruth Teaford (n.d) "History of Oakman" at algenweb.org - accessed August 10, 2024
• Phillips, James (February 3, 2019) "Hollywood comes to Oakman." Daily Mountain Eagle
• Kaetz, James P. (January 24, 2024) "Oakman". Encyclopedia of Alabama - accessed August 10, 2024

External links

• Oakman town, Alabama at data.census.gov