Langston Historic Town

Langston is one of Oklahoma's most historically important Black towns and is closely associated with Langston University, the state's only historically Black college or university. The town was founded in the late nineteenth century during a period of organized Black settlement and was named for African American educator and politician John Mercer Langston. Supporters envisioned a community where Black residents could own land, govern locally and build institutions outside the direct control of segregationist white communities. Education quickly became central, leading to the creation of the institution that became Langston University. The town and university should be viewed together. Campus buildings, local streets, churches and community history illustrate the close relationship between higher education and Black town-building in Oklahoma. Langston's continued existence gives visitors a living connection to a movement that once produced dozens of all-Black communities across the state. Unlike some historic towns that survive mainly as ruins, Langston remains an active center of education and community life.