Bloomfield Academy (Oklahoma)

Rev. Carr married his third wife, S. J. Johnson, a teacher at the academy, in August 1865.[lower-alpha 2] In September 1866, the Indian Mission Annual Conference met at Bloomfield. Carr was appointed Presiding Elder of Choctaw and Chickasaw District.

The Carrs left Bloomfield in December 1867. They settled in Paris, Texas. No longer Presiding Elder, Carr served for a time as a supply (substitute minister) on the local circuit. Because of illnesses within his family, he was needed at home, and took a job at a local furniture store. Rev. Carr contracted pneumonia and died on December 29, 1876.[2]

In 1867 the Chickasaw government reopened Bloomfield Academy as a coeducational school, hiring Captain Frederic Young as superintendent the first year. Dr. and Mrs. H. F. Murray succeeded Young, serving for two years. Professor Robert Cole led the school from 1870 to 1875. Professor J. E. Wharton was superintendent from 1876 to 1880. He was followed by Robert Boyd, who served into 1882.[2]

In 1876, the Chickasaw legislature had authorized funding for the Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy, a school for Chickasaw boys. Bloomfield Academy was reserved again for girls only. Douglas H. Johnston and his wife completed Boyd's term, and received a new 5-year contract.{{efn|Douglas Johnston was an alumnus of the school, one of the first boys admitted as a student after Bloomfield became co-educational.[2] His wife died during this time, and Johnston remarried in 1885. The couple served at Bloomfield until 1895.

That year Johnston was elected as governor of the Chickasaw Nation. He used his office to promote formal education among the Chickasaw. Professor Elihu B. Hinshaw succeeded Johnston and served until 1906. Hinshaw is credited with obtaining a charter from the Chickasaw Legislature for Bloomfield Academy to confer diplomas on students who completed the school's curriculum. J. R. Hendricks served after Hinshaw. He was succeeded by Annie Ream Addington, who remained in charge until 1914, when the main building burned down. Instead of rebuilding there, Bloomfield Academy relocated to the larger town of Ardmore, Oklahoma.[4] The site of the former academy near Achille is now privately owned; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 for its significance in Chickasaw educational history.

After passage of the Curtis Act in 1898, which dismantled tribal governments in Indian Territory, control of the school was taken over by the federal government, namely, the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of Interior.

In the early 20th century, the curriculum was adapted to contemporary conditions. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the school's aim was "...to educate students to become leaders, to participate in both Indian and white communities, and to help Chickasaws transcend significant social and economic boundaries." Domestic training was eliminated, and religious training was de-emphasized. The academic training became more like that of a junior college. The school became known as the "Bryn Mawr of the West."[3]

After relocating to Ardmore, Bloomfield resumed operations. In 1934, it was renamed as Carter Seminary. The new name honored Charles D. Carter. In 1949, Carter Seminary became co-educational. It served as a boarding school for Native American children from all over the United States.[5] It necessarily offered a pan-Native American approach, rather than one focused on Chickasaw culture.

In 2002, plans were made to relocate the Seminary to a new facility and campus of 160 acres of land on Lake Texoma, near Kingston, Oklahoma. The Seminary became part of what is known as Chickasaw Children's Village there.[6] The new facility opened in 2004 and continues to operate.[7]