Norman in Cleveland County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

The Naming of Norman

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

1. The Naming of Norman Marker

Inscription. In the spring of 1871, Kentuckian Abner Ernest Norman was hired as a chainman for a government survey crew working its way from the Red River to north of the Canadian River. He later was placed in charge of the crew, having studied math and surveying at an academy near Louisville. While in the area of what we now know as Norman, his crew camped at a spring south of the present-day intersection of Lindsey Street and Classen Boulevard. Near the camp, the bark was scraped off one side of a large elm tree and the words “Norman's Camp” were burned into the trunk, likely in jest of their young supervisor. The railroad was completed in the spring of 1887 and the first passenger trains began rolling through central Oklahoma a few months later.

Railway officials assigned the name, Norman, to the stop and later said they based the name on what was burned in the tree by the survey crew. Norman left the survey crew in 1873 and returned to his home in Kentucky where he eventually operated a wholesale lumber business until his death in 1922.

Erected by City of Norman, Oklahoma.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.

Location. 35° 12.155′ N, 97° 25.818′ W. Marker is in Norman, Oklahoma, in Cleveland County. It is on Classen Boulevard 0.1 miles south of East Lindsey Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2100 Classen Blvd, Norman OK 73071, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country

and in Greater Oklahoma City.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Headington Hall (approx. 0.6 miles away); Headington College (approx. 0.7 miles away); Brooks Street (approx. 0.7 miles away); Schusterman Park (approx. 0.7 miles

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

2. The Naming of Norman Marker

away); The Roy T. Oliver Walk and Gardens (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (approx. ¾ mile away); Dunham College (approx. ¾ mile away); Henderson-Tolson Cultural Center (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norman.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The OU Field House (was approx. ¾ mile away but has been confirmed missing).

Abner Ernest Norman (1850-1922) image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of the Cleveland County Historical Society (Public Domain)

3. Abner Ernest Norman (1850-1922)

Made aware of the Oklahoma town that bore his name, he made plans to visit it during the summer of 1922. However, he died that spring and thus never set foot in his namesake town.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 197 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.