Mr. Redfearn and the Tulsa Race Massacre

Penny and Jeremy

Tudor Revival ~3,700 square feet, 

3 bedroom/1 bath/2 living space

three car garage and apartment full basement

*****

Penny and her son Jeremy bought the home in 2008.  They didn't know much about the history of the home and asked me to see what I might be able to find.

Let’s take a quick tour:

The front door opens to a formal living room with a fireplace and leaded glass windows with arches. To the left is a space that was once a screened patio but has been enclosed for an extra room. A dining room, bedroom, large bathroom, open kitchen and den make up the remainder of the first floor. Stairs in the kitchen descend into the full basement where huge steel beams support the house. Jeremy had heard the builder was in the steel industry. The second-floor space is primarily two garret rooms with built-in closets, one of which has a small ornate window inside. Besides these two bedrooms, there are several trimmed and finished doors. The doors don't give any clue to the fact that they hide unfinished garret spaces both large and small. (A garret space is an arched or lofted attic type space) These spaces are what I found most intriguing about the home. One of the areas is large and seems to be waiting for a large master suite. It even has plumbing, as if ready for a claw-foot tub. Other spaces are small with only bare peaked eaves. 

Above the second floor is an opening to a multi-level attic, almost as if there could be a small third story loft. A portion of what was a three-car garage is in the process of being converted to a small living space that holds a fold-way Murphy bed. Above the garage is an attic apartment, which was probably the original servants quarters.

Because, there isn’t any known history about the house, I decided to take you along on my research journey. I'm no expert, but together we’ll stumble our way through and hope to find something of interest.

Let's start here.

Oklahoma Historical Society

Hastain's Township Plats of the Creek Nation was published by E. Hastain in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1910. This publication shows the location of allotments given to members of the Creek Nation. This database includes notations taken directly from the printed book which lists the names of allottees, their roll number, and if the allotment was the location of the homestead.

With a bit of searching we see the original plats of the Creek Nation. It's hard to tell exactly where the home is located, but I know from previous research (See this post) that most of our subdivision was land allotted to a Native American Creek woman named Addie Perryman.

Image of the original Creek allotment plats of what is now Renaissance Neighborhood

Next, the Tulsa County Assessor’s office will have a little information.  The legal description of the property is provided:

Subdivision: CITY VIEW HILL ADDN
Legal: LTS 1 & 2 BLK 3
Section: 08 Township: 19 Range: 13

There are a few photos and basic outlines of the structures on the property:



I also notice that according to this, the home was built in 1936 but other information had suggested 1929 so that will be something to be sorted out.


The 1930 US Census data should help clear up if the house was actually present.

Handwritten page from the 1930 US Census

Detail of the 1930 US Census showing 1402 S. Birmingham Avenue

The Census shows that in January of 1930, there was a home on the site and it was owned and occupied by Mr. William Redfearn and his family. The family included 57-year-old William, head of household, 44-year-old Bertha, wife, 70-year-old widowed mother-in-law, Elizabeth Hart and 17-year-old maid, Sophia Lindsay. All are listed as 'white'. The home was valued at $15,000 at that time. William and Bertha were born in Illinois as were their parents. Elizabeth's mother and father were born in Germany.

By 1940 Redfearns no longer lived on the property. The 1940 Census shows that the house was being rented to the Wilkinson family for $68 per month.

Handwritten page from the 1940 US Census

Detail from the 1940 US Cenus showing the family who lives in the home.

Now it's time to get the abstract, an archival document that details the history of the land. Jeremy and Penny don't know where their abstract is held, so I call around. As luck would have it, the first place I contact, Guaranty Abstract has it! I order it and pick it up a few days later on my lunch hour.

This is what an abstract looks like

The first thing I notice is that the land is, in fact, Addie Perryman's allotment. Then the documents indicate that lots of things happen with the land as the natural resources are leased and sold off to numerous investors.

A 1921 document includes a paragraph that prohibits African Americans from owning or occupying the property except if they are employed as domestics. This clause is not unfamiliar, it is in other abstracts in our neighborhood.

Mr. W. P. Miles acquired a large parcel of the Perryman allotment in 1924. He subdivided the property and named it City View Hill Addition. Another house in the neighborhood told us more about that story.

In June 18, 1929 William and Bertha Redfearn took out a $7,000 mortgage. I believe this was to finance all or part of construction of the home, especially since by January of 1930 they are living there. Sadly, in November of 1930 William passes away at age 57. After his death, there are a number of creditors making claims against the home including a furnace company. In 1932 the property is auctioned at a sheriff's sale. The house then seems to pass through ownership of several mortgage lenders (Note: this is during 1940 Census when we see it is being rented out.)

Eighty-six years go by and the home is owned by six couples. All except one couple go through terrible divorces and bankruptcies. The house is foreclosed upon over and over again.

With a general understanding of the ownership over the years, I began searching Google for names. Lo and behold, the first name that I searched proved to be very important to the understanding of one of the darkest episodes in Tulsa history.

                                                                        *****

In 1921, Mr. William Redfearn owned and operated two businesses in Tulsa's Greenwood Neighborhood: The Dixie Theater located at about 120 N. Greenwood Avenue and the Red Wing Hotel located at 206 N. Greenwood Avenue.

How could I be sure it was the same William Redfearn? I searched and searched for verification and finally found several phone book listings for Wm and Bertha Redfearn. The first one is from 1921 and lists both William and Bertha with a Greenwood Avenue address and another from 1926 lists them as proprietor of the Dixie Theater (their son was assistant manager) and lists a Madison Avenue address which was their home at the time.

City of Tulsa Phone Directories from 1921 and 1926

On June 1st, 1921 both the Dixie Theater and the Red Wing Hotel burned to the ground in the Tulsa Race Massacre. Mr. Redfearn watched them burn. Both businesses were fully insured and the policies were up to date, however, his claims were denied. The insurance companies refused to cover the loss due it being a “riot.” Mr. Redfearn proceeded to sue the city of Tulsa, Tulsa County and the insurance companies. While there were many lawsuits filed in the aftermath of the Tulsa race massacre, this is one of the few that went to a jury trial. Mr. Redfearn produced 19 witnesses, white and Black, who provided testimony of the events that unfolded in Tulsa May 31-June 1st, 1921. Testimony included eye witness accounts of Tulsa police officers entering and exiting the empty Red Wing Hotel and other buildings with fire subsequently breaking out. It was alleged that setting buildings on fire was a tactic to flush out “negros” hiding indoors. Mr. Redfearn lost the case, but appealed it all the way to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. We can see transcripts here. Mr. Redfearn did not win his case, but as a result of the documented testimony, important historical information was preserved. Historians, scholars and writers have used the transcripts from the trials to piece together a time line of events and shine light on what occurred on those dark days.

Picture of a large exhibit at the Greenwood Cultural Center. Both the Red Wing Hotel and Dixie Theater would have been in this frame, on the left, or West side of Greenwood Avenue.

Greenwood Avenue Today-I took this picture on October 8th, 2018.

Much of Greenwood was rebuilt in the 1940's and now a highway overpass bifurcates the original district.

Brass plaques mark the areas where Mr. Redfearn’s businesses once stood.

Despite Mr. Redfearn’s financial setback during the Tulsa race riot, he managed to build a beautiful home. Did he and Bertha picture it as their dream home? Maybe they imagined holiday celebrations with their family and friends for years to come. Perhaps it was to be the home in which they hoped to pass their golden years together. Sadly, it was not to be. William and Bertha share a joint headstone in Tulsa at Memorial Park Cemetery.

William and Bertha are laid to rest in Tulsa's Memorial Cemetery

At the time of his death Mr. Redfearn owned multiple properties around Tulsa, but many were heavily mortgaged. Ultimately, the home was auctioned at a sheriff sale. Bertha and her mother moved to a modest bungalow in Swan Lake.

Learning all this my thoughts turned back to the house. Could Mr. Redfearn’s premature death be the reason that portions of the home were never fully finished? It stands to reason this might be the case and further, it seems possible that subsequent owners were too embattled and financially burdened to see the task through.

*****

In front of the Greenwood Cultural Center stands a black marble monument documenting the Tulsa Race Riot destruction damage claims. Mr. Redfearn's name is carved in stone with the unpaid claim figure of $104,618.85. The total of the claims is tallied beneath all the names: $2,719,745.61. Although these numbers are staggering, especially from a 1921 standpoint, I can’t help but think that we lost so, so, so much more over the course of those few days than numbers…or words can ever explain.

Monuments in front of the Greenwood Cultural Center

References:
Brophy, Alfred L. Reconstructing the Dreamland: The Tulsa Riot of 1921: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation. Oxford University Press. 2003.

Carlson, Marc. The Tulsa Race Riot: William Redfearn Brief. Retrieved from https://tulsaraceriot.wordpress.com/research-topics/accounts/william-redfearn-brief/

Carlson, Marc. (2012) Accounts of the Tulsa Race Riot. Retrieved from http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/riot/accounts.html

Ellsworth, Scott. Death in a Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. LSU Press; 8th Print edition. 1992.

Espinosa, Rik. Riot Suit Possible: Tulsa World. August 15, 1999. Retrieved from https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/riot-suit-possible/article_b2014ead-9d40-5e2a-be49-62f257428cc8.html

Greenwood Cultural Center. 322 N. Greenwood Avenue. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 74120.

Hirsch, James S. Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy. Houghton Mifflin, 2002.

Photography Credit: Carla Robinson, Arena Mueller, Beryl Ford Collection, Geenwood Cultural Center, Ancestry.com, County Assessors Office, Oklahoma Historical Society

Thanks to my editors: Walter Foddis and P. Casey Morgan