Piney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 115 at the 2010 census.[4] Piney was the "head town" of the first wave of relocated Cherokee people (the "Old Settlers") who relocated there from their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States.
Piney, Oklahoma | |
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Census-designated place | |
![]() Location within Adair County and the state of Oklahoma | |
Coordinates: 35°53′4″N 94°32′29″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oklahoma |
County | Adair |
Area | |
• Total | 4.58 sq mi (11.86 km2) |
• Land | 4.52 sq mi (11.70 km2) |
• Water | 0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2) |
Elevation | 1,160 ft (350 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 101 |
• Density | 22.36/sq mi (8.63/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
FIPS code | 40-59100[2] |
GNIS feature ID | 2584389[3] |
Piney was established in 1824 as the Cherokee head town, serving as the council seat (informal capital) of the Cherokee Nation–West from 1824 to 1828. The town was part of what was then Arkansaw Territory.[5] In 1828, the western borders of the future state of Arkansas were finally drawn (running just one mile east of the settlement), and the old Arkansaw Territory was split into two. The Cherokee Nation capital city was created in the more centrally located Tahlonteeskee in Sequoyah County, located in the western side of the split (the new Indian Territory). Most of the Cherokee residents migrated further west into their designated districts in the Indian Territory following the territorial split. A Baptist missionary, Duncan O'Bryant, who had served in Piney for a time, remained behind. He died in 1834 and his grave is located there.[5]
Piney had a post office from November 24, 1913 to August 20, 1921. The town reached its largest size circa 1916. It had a general store (where the post office was located); a gristmill; a blacksmith's shop; and a school, which is now used as a community building. The incorporated town continued until 1940.[5] The original settlement of Piney is now considered a ghost town, although some residents still live in the area (2011).[5]
Piney is located at 35°53′4″N 94°32′29″W in eastern Adair County, 1 mile (2 km) west of the Arkansas border. The Piney CDP has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km2), of which 4.5 square miles (11.7 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 1.32%, is water.[4] No major roads run through the community.
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
2020 | 101 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census[6] |
Municipalities and communities of Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | ||
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County seat: Stilwell | ||
City | ![]() | |
Towns | ||
CDPs | ||
Other communities |
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Indian reservation |
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Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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