 In
1910 Louisa McGuire was living in Garner, Johnston Co., Oklahoma in the
household of her uncle and aunt, Richmond & Lila Tyabby; Louisa was
13 years of age. Four years later she was a student at Bloomfield
Academy. ACADEMY BURNED BY GIRL DESIRING TO LEAVE SCHOOL ______ Indian Maid Confesses Setting Fire to Bloomfield Building. ______ PERMISSION TO GO HOME WAS REFUSED ______ Miss Louise McGuire Now Awaits Action of Federal Grand Jury. ______ ATOKA, Okla., Jan. 31. -- (Special.) -- Because she wanted to go home, Miss Louise McGuire, Chickasaw Indian girl, 18 years of age, set fire to the Bloomfield Indian academy for girls near Achille, Bryan county, last Saturday afternoon. This was the substance of a confession made by the girl before United States Commissioner Winfield S. Farmer here Saturday when the girl was arraigned on a charge of incendiarism. She was bound over to await the action of the federal grand jury. Miss McGuire was brought to Atoka by Mrs. J. Addington, superintendent of the academy, Miss Reed, teacher of domestic science, and John R. Brown, federal supervisor of Indian schools, to whom she previously admitted setting fire to the building. The structure was completely destroyed, the lives of eighty girls endangered and their clothing and other personal property burned. The loss totals $20,000. The school was forced to suspend until a new location can be secured. The girl stated to Commissioner Farmer that when permission was refused her to go home, she took the only method of which she could think to get away, burned the building so there would be no chance to retain her there. When the girls, whose conduct was closely regulated in the school, reported for their Saturday afternoon baths, and Miss McGuire was called, she was strangely missing. She was found in the attic, but no fire was discovered. Later the top of the building was discovered in flames and the girls barely had time to rush out, leaving their clothing behind. But when Miss McGuire left the building she had all her clothes and other effects wrapped up and close questioning brought from her the fact that she had started the fire. Miss McGuire was not placed in jail, but was placed in the custody of Mrs. Addington. Authorities of the school do not rate the girl as above average intelligence. She is a fullblood Chickasaw Indian, an orphan, and was sent to the school from Berwyn by former Governor Guy of the Chickasaw tribe. She also had lived at Mannsville with her stepfather. Little was known of Louise at the Academy of Louise or her life before coming to the school. She seemed to have no home and was extremely poor, coming to the school with only her clothing in a small sack, about a foot or 2 long. While at the school, Mrs. Addington clothes her from her own means. (The Denison Daily Herald, Monday, February 2, 1914, pg. 1) The Bloomfield academy was established before the civil war and had suffered the loss of its building by fire three times. The last structure was fairly modern and housed eighty girls at the time of the fire. The library, it is said, was the best and oldest in any school of the Five Civilized tribes. It was completely destroyed. The Bloomfield academy and Collins institute for boys at Stonewall are the only government schools for Indians left in the Chickasaw nation. ______ From The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), Vol. 25, No. 228, Sunday, February 1, 1914, page 1. Bygimie Parker, a student at Bloomfield Academy in 1914, recalled the day the school burned, Saturday, January 24, 1914. She said the fire happened that afternoon when all the girls and staff were expected to be outside except for two or three sick girls. Bygimie's sister stayed behind with one of the sick students. The two girls saw a Native American girl coming out of the attic, a place where the students were not allowed to go. Soon they smelled smoke and later learned that the girl had taken all of her clothing outside before she started the fire with old newspapers in the attic. The girl confessed when questioned, admitting that she was mad because everyone had gone home for the Christmas vacation but she had no place to go and had had to stay at the school. Everyone worked hard to save what they could from destruction by the fire; they threw clothing and furniture out windows and and even slid down the staircase. When word circulated that the school had burned, people living in the area arrived in wagons, buggies and even a few motor cars to take students home with them for overnight; the next morning the girls were taken to the train station so they could go home. (Colbert, 1845-1982; c1982) From: Donna Hunt: Bloomfield Was Early Chickasaw School, for The Herald Democrat, posted March 27, 2018. Viewed January 11, 2019, https://www.heralddemocrat.com/news/20180327/bloomfield-academy-was-early-chickasaw-school. The Daily Ardmoreite Monday, January 26, 1914 pg. 8 HISTORIC SCHOOL IS IN ASHES Bloomfield Seminary Burned Saturday Evening. May Be Moved Here Historic old Bloomfield Seminary is in ashes. Only 2 or 3 stores remain. All the main buildings were swept away Saturday evening about 5 o'clock by fire. No loss of life occurred but many of the young ladies lost their personal effects in the fire. There are more than 80 pupils with no place to go and Superintendent, Mrs. Annie G. Addington, who was here to attend the funeral if L.N. Turman, would like to see the school continued for the remainder of the year. Hargrove College is the only vacant school property in this section of the state, and Mrs. Addington will work through Congressman Carter to have the school located here in Hargrove College until the Interior Department decides which steps shall be taken to restore the school. The school is for the education of girls, it has a farm of 160 acres, but it is of little use to the school for the reason that it must be operated by hired help, as none of the pupils have anything to do with the farm. Many of the brightest young women of the state were educated at Bloomfield; it has always been conducted on a high plane, and has done useful work. Elihu H. Hinshaw had charge of the school for many years, and when the government sent P.W. Horn, Superintendent of the schools of Houston, Texas, to Indian Territory to investigate educational conditions, Prof. Horn made an adverse report on the Indian system, but said that in spite of the defects of the system, that Prof. Hinshaw had maintained a great school. Governor Johnston and his wife in the early days had charge of the institution and in later years Prof. J.R. Hendrix, who was superintendent of the Ardmore schools, was superintendent at Bloomfield for a time. The Ardmore Commercial Club held a meeting this morning at which a plan of campaign was begun to offer the school to use Hargrove College, provided the owners would agree to it. As far as Ardmore is concerned, this city would be very glad to have the school located permanently here, but in the event the Interior Department should not like to place the school here, Ardmore still rejoices that it can offer Bloomfield temporary quarters so the work of the year can be continued without interruption. The school is supported by funds belonging to the Indians, and is maintained without being a burden upon the people like many of the other educational institutions of the state. In mid-February 1914 a letter to J.M. Webb from Congressman Charlie Carter "...concerning the schooling of the Indians and the rebuilding of Bloomfield Academy..." was printed in The Durant Weekly News that at that time no action to rebuild the Academy had been made. His belief was that educational assistance needed to be given to full-blooded Indian children but felt that the public schools was the solution to the issue as well as industrial schools. (The Durant Weekly News, Friday, February 13, 1914, pg. 5)   Louise Mdguire was placed in the federal prison in Columbus, Ohio and was freed on parole in early October 1915. "I'm leaving civilization forever," she said as she left Columbus alone for her Indian tribe in Olkahoma. "I'm going back to God's country."... (Evansville (IN) Press, Saturday, October 9, 1915, pg. 1)  In
April 1930, Louisa/Louiza is again living in Garner, Johnston Co.,
Oklahoma; she is 35 years of age. Louisa and her younger sister,
Eliza Russell, 28, are both divorced; living in the house is Azella,
8-year-old daughter of Eliza. All three are listed as "full-blood
Chickasaw". In August 1939 Myatt Alexander, residing in Tishimingo, Johnston Co., Oklahoma applied for a marriage license in Carter Co., Oklahoma to marry "Mrs. Louise McGuire, aged 43, residing in Troy, Johnston Co., Oklahoma. Myatt Alexander was 49 years of age and full-blood Chicksaw (U.S. Native Citizens and Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes, 1895-1914 - Chickasaw Roll, Citizens by Blood). Myatt Alexander was the son of Gilham Alexander and June Ned and step-son of Dixson James. (Chickasaw Roll, Conner, Pontotoc Co., Indian Territory, dated December 12, 1902) In April 1940 newlyweds are living at Ratliff, Johnston Co., Oklahoma where Myatt's occupation is farmer.  Bloomfield Academy History  Chickasaw Roots Native American Roots Schools Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message.  |