Berryhill, Oklahoma

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Berryhill is a small community in West Tulsa, Oklahoma, about four square miles (10 km²) in area. It is located south of the Arkansas River and north of W. 41st St. S., and between S. 71st W. Ave. and S. 47th W. Ave.,

Berryhill has nine or ten churches, a store, a business or two, several creeks, and many hills. The creeks tend to flow into Berryhill Creek before emptying into the Arkansas River near the railroad tracks off W. 21st St. near S. 57th W. Ave., in an area which will soon become part of the Gilcrease Expressway. Most of the homes directly east of S. 57th W. Ave and west of S. 55th W. Ave. have already been demolished and the first phase, the Gilcrease Expressway Extension, has been finished for several years.

The most important (for residents) and recognizable hill in the valley is Victory Hill, located just east and towering over the Berryhill Football Field. This hill is said to have some significance to the earliest inhabitants of Berryhill. Other hills have equal cultural significance to those from Berryhill. Cowbell Hill has been the scene of repeated fatal car accidents for travellers on S. 49th W. Ave.

The most famous hill in Berryhill is Chandler Park. Located in Berryhill and next to Chandler Park was a Superfund clean-up site. The United States Environmental Protection Agency set up monitors to record exposure atop school buildings at Berryhill. The old refinery and the trash-to-energy plant between downtown Tulsa and Berryhill contribute as sources of pollution, although improved technologies promise less destruction to the environment of Berryhill than in the past.

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[edit] History

At first, the area was called Happy Hollow. Much of the land in Berryhill was originally owned by a Native American named Ryan Berryhill. The old, original parts of Berryhill, although containing some affluent members, were mainly working class, blue-collar families with high hopes for their children.

Both economic classes were attracted by the comparatively rural culture of Berryhill as opposed to the urbanization going on in Tulsa, as well as the fact that there was an abundance of manufacturing jobs in nearby West Tulsa.

Berryhill's rural culture is best described as the 1950s. This quality of Berryhill insulates one from the more stark reality of the modern world. Serious violent crime is very rare, like in many other small towns. The rural ethnic of the Ozarks and Boomer/Sooner spirit predominates the cultural orientation for most residents. Many have a great deal of pride in Native American heritage and culture as well.

Berryhill wasn't able to generate enough mail to establish a post office, and certain laws governing the geography of townships in Oklahoma prevent the community from ever becoming a town. This meant that the independent school district became the focus of the community.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, echoing cultural changes across the country, a marginalized drug culture grew among some of the families in Berryhill. Drinking was long a normal part of the local culture, usually reserved for the men who would slip over to the bars on Southwest Boulevard. Other drugs, especially marijuana, gained acceptance, especially with rebellious youth who wanted to strike out against the rigid class system at Berryhill.

In the 1980s, drug use seemed to leap across the traditional class structure. Parents desperate to save troubled youths transfer their student to Berryhill Schools, hoping the rural atmosphere would help. In fact, the new students from the city served to introduce new ideas of what was cool to the social elite, including rap music, trendy apparel, and drug use.

[edit] Post Rolling Oaks

The development of the Rolling Oaks area in the 1980s and 1990s, enabled affluent families to enjoy Sand Springs sanitary system, as opposed to the septic system used by most of the residents of Berryhill. Also, many parents sought the more-individualized attention to students the Berryhill school district offered.

Eventually, the increase of well-to-do families on the hills over S. 65th W. Ave. led to other developments in Berryhill. Recent developments include an expansion of W. 41st St. into four lanes between S. 57th W. Ave. to SH-97 in Prattville, Oklahoma (Sand Springs), and construction of several new commercial buildings including a Tulsa Community College campus, National Guard facility, a bank, and a carwash.

Tulsa has started an initiative to annex Berryhill into Tulsa city limits before current laws governing annexation change which will make it more difficult for Tulsa to do in the future.

[edit] Berryhill schools

Berryhill School District is an independent school district. Classes are offered for students in Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten,elementary school, middle school and high school. Student population is nearly 1,150 as of 2004.

Berryhill High School serves grades 10-12. Behind the high school is the library. South of the high school is Berryhill Junior High School. Next to the junior high is the C.C. Ogilvie Fieldhouse which features the basketball court for the high school, and the concession where Berryhill High School students have the option of having lunch. Behind the junior high building and the fieldhouse is a building for the 14 time State and Grand Championship Band class, The Blue and Gold Brigade. South of the fieldhouse is the wrestling room. An additional athletics facility has been constructed on S. 65th W. Ave. across the street from Berryhill Fire Department's fire station.

The elementary grades are split between Berryhill North Elementary and Berryhill South Elementary.

[edit] School history

At one time, the South Elementary building served as both high school and junior high school, and elementary. After the school board built an elementary school, the building served as the high school and junior high school. Later, Berryhill built the high school, and the old building became Berryhill Junior High for grades 7-9. In 1988, a new junior high was built near the new high school and the building became the Upper Elementary building. In 2004, the north wing of the original build was demolished and a new building was constructed in its place and now the building is called Berryhill South Elementary School.

[edit] Culture

One thing some appreciate about Berryhill is that there is a chance to truly connect with a community like much of the United States in the 1950s. Strangers and neighbors were not to be feared and the subtle pleasures and beauty of life have a chance to be enjoyed.

[edit] Religion

Berryhill is a Bible Belt community. On S. 57th W. Ave. is 1st Pentecostal Church of Tulsa, a member of the United Pentecostal Church International, pastored by Rev. Don Martin. Many of the churches in Berryhill are Baptist. Berryhill Baptist is on W. 41st St. View Acres Baptist church is the voting location for Oklahoma State District 64 and is located on S. 65th W. Ave.. The Freewill Baptist church is located near the school.

[edit] Evidence of racism

One of the first African-American students, Teshieria Williams,and her sisters, Williecia and Mary Monique, with their Brother, Mario James Williams, first attended school in Berryhill in 1989. Stories tell of early attempts by blacks to move to Berryhill which resulted in retaliation by the Ku Klux Klan. Even at the start of the 21st century, a Ku Klux Klan rally site overlooked the southern range of Berryhill. Teshieria was also the first African-American female to participate in the noted Berryhill Annual Queen Contest. She was escorted by the one of the key players of the High School varisity football team, the Berryhill Chiefs. Mario went on to play football for the Chiefs as a varsity running back, #22, starting in 9th grade. He was followed by the Tulsa World newspaper and voted MVP on several occasions. Mario Williams started at a time when the Berryhill football team had little community support due to continual losing streaks. That quickly changed as many in the community came out to watch "Little Emmitt Smith," as he was called. The team played in the playoffs during his senior year.

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