Tobucksy County Court House

Tobucksy County Court House. . When J.J. McAlester arrived in Indian Territory, this area was known as Tobucksy County, C.N. (Coal County, Choctaw Nation), This structure, which is the oldest surviving building in what is now known as Pittsburg County, was built in 1876 by Dr. D.M. Hailey for his sister-in-law, the Widow Chunn. The home allowed Chunn to move to town where it would be possible for her children to attend school., In 1881 the home was given to the Choctaw Nation for a courthouse. It was given to the City of McAlester in 1969 and moved to its' current location. The building's location in 1934 was listed as 2315 North Main., One of the duties of a county judge at this courthouse was to approve applications for permits to remain in the Choctaw Nation. A white farmer was required to pay $5 per year; a laborer, $2.60; a blacksmith, $5; and a lawyer, $10. The county judge also approved the sale of all stray animals by the sheriff., For those who committed crimes, punishments were harsh. At the original site there was a large tree to which guilty offenders were tied and whipped. The Choctaws had no prisons, so punishments were carried out just outside the courthouse doors. Outlaw Bible Wade was tried for attempted rape and was given thirty-nine lashes on his back by Sheriff Sampson Cole., Lawyers who practiced here ranged from Alex Durant, who codified the Choctaw Laws into one book known as "The Choctaw Code" to Joe Gardner. Gardner was considered one of the sharpest minds around despite the fact he could neither read nor write., The Choctaw Courthouse was shut down in 1907 when Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state in the union, but for twenty-six years it was the site of all legal disputes in the Choctaw Nation. All court records from this old courthouse now reside at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee.