Spencer is a city in

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, United States, and a part of the

Oklahoma City metropolitan area The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is an urban region in the Southern United States. It is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Oklahoma and contains the state capital and principal city, Oklahoma City. It is often known as the Okla ...

. The population was 3,912 at the 2010 census. Established in 1903, the City of Spencer is a historic community located just east of the North Canadian River.City of Spencer
(accessed January 20, 2010) Spencer is approximately ten miles from downtown

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

and borders the cities of Nicoma Park to the east and

Midwest City Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,371, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The city was developed in re ...

to the south. Contributing to the cultural fabric of Spencer are the Spencer Chamber of Commerce, the Facebook page-Whats going on in Spencer Oklahoma, Spencer Senior Center, Spencer Parks Board and the Spencer Historical Society.

History

The region where Spencer was developed was opened to settlement in the Land Run of 1889.Everett, Dianna
Spencer
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. (accessed January 20, 2010) Louis F. and Henry W. Kramer, businessmen originally from Spencer County, Indiana, first arrived in Guthrie in 1889 and then moved to

. Originally an agricultural area, Spencer grew after World War II with the nearby General Motors Assembly Plant and Tinker Air Force Base offering employment. CPT Riley L. Pitts, the first black commissioned officer to receive the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

, is buried in Spencer's Hillcrest Memory Gardens. Captain Pitts was a graduate of Wichita University (now Wichita State University.)

Geography

Spencer is located at (35.507760, -97.370662). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 3,746 people, 1,420 households, and 1,002 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 701.0 people per square mile (270.9/km). There were 1,567 housing units at an average density of 293.3 per square mile (113.3/km). The racial makeup of the city was 39.94%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 51.82%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.83% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.51% from other races, and 4.51% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population. There were 1,420 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,116, and the median income for a family was $37,470. Males had a median income of $30,199 versus $21,153 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,242. About 15.0% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Dunjee School

Dundjee School was all-Black school that was built in 1934 and opened as a segregated school in 1935 serving black students in Spencer. The school is named after Black Oklahoma City civil rights leader

Roscoe Dunjee Roscoe Dunjee (1883–1965) was an American civil rights activist, journalist, and editor in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He founded the '' Black Dispatch'' in 1915, the first black newspaper in Oklahoma City, and used it as a platform to support civ ...

. The school served 1st through 12th-grade students and according to Dr. Donnie Nero the school was nurturing, and enriching, but also tough. “Those teachers those educators made sure that we focused on being the best that we possibly could be so there wasn't a lot of time for foolishness or time to waste,” said Nero. The school featured some of the best and brightest black teachers, such as civil rights leader

Clara Luper Clara Shepard Luper (born Clara Mae Shepard May 3, 1923 – June 8, 2011) was a civic leader, schoolteacher, and pioneering leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. She is best known for her leadership role in the 1958 Oklahoma City si ...

, and the Rev. W.B. Parker, pastor of nearby St. James Baptist Church. Dunjee school closed in 1972, devastating the community of Spencer.

The residents of the Dunjee area had long suffered at the hand of segregation in Oklahoma. Before 1963 it was part of the Choctaw school system. After years of substandard support from the City of Choctaw, they fought to be integrated into the Oklahoma City school system and won. However, in 1972 the school board closed all Dunjee schools and began bussing as part of the mandated laws of de-segregation. The community was stunned.

Because of de-segregation Dunjee closed its doors in 1972, a move that in many eyes damaged the Spencer community. When the school's doors shut for good, "it devastated this community," said Theotis Payne. In 2012 a fire causing $250,000 in damage made the school uninhabitable.

Controversy

In 2013, the City of Spencer came under fire after several officials affiliated with the city were accused of embezzling funds; this was perpetrated by three previous employees of the city. An estimated $6,200 in funds were missing from the payroll system, and the three employees were shortly charged with embezzlement

References

External links

City of Spencer official website
{{authority control Cities in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Oklahoma City metropolitan area