| City/Town: • Spencer |
| Location Class: • School |
| Built: • 1947 | Abandoned: • 2004 |
| Historic Designation: • African American Heritage Site |
| Status: • Burned Down • Endangered |
| Photojournalist: • AbandonedOK Team • Michael Schwarz |
Dunjee All-School-Association or Dunjee Negro School System began in 1947. The area was known as Green Pastures at this time and had an elementary school, middle school, high school, and a large field house shared by all three schools. The residents of the Dunjee area had long suffered at the hand of segregation in Oklahoma. Before 1963 it was part of the Choctaw school system. After years of substandard support from the City of Choctaw, they fought to be integrated into the Oklahoma City school system and won. However, in 1972 the school board closed all Dunjee schools and began bussing as part of the mandated laws of de-segregation. The community was stunned. Having suffered for years, they had yet suffered another blow. A noted civil rights activist Theotis Payne sought to purchase the Dunjee school in 1998. He opened the school as Dunjee Academy. a charter school. Because the OKCPS had re-opened the former Dunjee elementary, the academy served only grades 6-12 and had an enrollment of 30-50 students at one time. Their hope was to help at-risk students. Those who had behavior, truancy problems, and those considered “high risk” by the OKCPS. They operated on a contract one-semester basis. Amid complaints that educators employed at the school were not certified. The OKCPS placed the school on a 5-month notice. Meaning that if they did not improve the conditions at the academy the OKCPS would withdraw funding and force the school to close. Complaints began to arise about the school’s administrator, Theotis Payne. After several DUI’s the OKCPS forced closure of the academy. Dunjee remains as yet another testament to the segregation of Oklahoma City, and the black eye it has put on this community. Open to the elements Dunjee’s halls are only filled with memories. Residents can only hope for the day when it will once again be a functioning community.
Dunjee burnt down on 1/3/2012. There’s no telling how much longer this building will be around.
There are a couple of videos on Youtube that show the fire. Click the links below to see.
Fire Video One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rurOdjLD6B8
Fire Video Two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NytMrmf3q90
Dunjee Gym
Gallery Below
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An interesting post. Must visit place.
[…] fence. From there, once I crossed Hiwasee Road I was in the old Dunjee neighborhood. They once had a very nice school, but now it’s just an abandoned building still visible from quite a distance as it sits on […]
How do you get info on this property? I want to see about remodeling this building for a non profit. Please contact me at gracerehabilitationcenter@yahoo.com.
i worked with mr payne moore redoing the school alls i can say i enjoyed helping
Saw on the news today (01/03/12) that this school burned down. The report talked about how bad the fire was.
I hate to see it go like that… yes it was sad… Dunjee School – After Fire AOK
This is what it looks like now.
sad to say part of the buidlinbg burned today – http://newsok.com/article/3637224
growing up on the edge of MWC, close to spencer & going to willow Brook, Parker , Rogers & then SSHS, I remember hearing certian teachers talk about dunjee, this was in the 80's, nothing spefic that i can recall, just remember hearing them talk about it in passing, alwasy seemed to be in a wistful tone if I remember right
Ah. My older brother married a girl from Spencer, who graduated from Dungee. Back then, they walked to school, church, and the country store, all located within a 1 mile radius. I remember being in a talent show there. Had to be around 1968 or 69. Sold the whole town boxes of Girl Scout cookies, and won a bike for having the most cookie sales.
Is this place guarded at all? I'd like to visit and take some pictures ^^
No not at all the school is completely open and we go there all the time to get group pics of our bikes in the auditorium
when deciding to become an urban explorer, there is one thing you learn very quickly and it is if the fridge is closed, leave it closed. Festering old food is never a pleasant smell, plus the hear, and then the closed, boxed up concentrated death stench within…. so just don't let it out.
Haha, yeah, I cant tell you the number of times I have opened up the wrong door or container only to expose myself to some God awful smell. I'm much more cautious now thanks to experience.
hey I was wondering if you had the coordinates to Dunjee school
Yeah, but the orange soda looked ok…haha.
It was so sick! It was stocked up with stuff. I know better, but opening an old fridge is kind of cool but extremely disgusting when there is stuff in there.
Ha! pic #69 the Ice box looked especialy tasty!
I love that knife in the corkboard that was awesome too!