The rivalry between Kingston and Madill began in 1906 when the two towns fought for the right to be declared the county seat of the County of Overton, State of Sequoyah. That fight continued in 1907 and 1908 when the voters were asked to decide which town should bethecountyseatofMarshall County in the new State of Oklahoma. Following that election in 1908, Madill was declared the winner and made the permanent county seat. The rivalry continued to the fight over a bond issue for constructing the county courthouse. After four elections between1910and1913, the citizens of Kingston could fend off the citizens of Madill andpreventedtheissuanceof bonds and the construction of a courthouse.
The first election to issue bonds to construct a county courthouse was held on November 8, 1910. The citizens of Kingston strongly opposed the bond issue, which was defeated overwhelmingly. However,thecountyseatand courthouse rivalry were not the only rivalries between the two towns. In the fall of 1909, both the Madill and Kingston schools officially sanctioned football as a sport, and the firstmeetingbetweenthetwo towns occurred on October 14, 1910.
The game was played in Kingston at the 'Old Football Grounds' in the Ford Addition, on the south end of Kingston, south of the railroadtracksandsouthand west of 70B. The football field was located there from 1910 into the 20s.
In that game, Kingston defeated Madill by a score of 15 to 0. In a report on the game, the Kingston Messenger wrote, “KINGSTON STILL HOLDS THE LEAD. Takes a Game from Madill on The Score of 15 to 0. Last Friday afternoon a game of football was pulled off here between the Kingston High School team and the Madill team. Quite a delegation came over from Madill to witness the game. It was plain to be seen from the start that the Kingston team were the superior players, and easily kept the ball around their opponent’s goal, although the Madill boys did some good playing. In the first quarter Kingston played one man short, yet held its own and even crowded Madill's goal line until the whistle blew. The game resulted in a score of 15 to 0 to favor of Kingston. Our boys have never yet been scored against in a football game and think they have the strongest team they have yet had.”
The Marshall County News-Democrat also reported on the first football game between Madill and Kingston, writing,“Thursdayafternoon, the Madill School met Kingston High School in the great game of the season on the local gridiron. Although Kingston had considerable advantage in weight and Madill was weakened by the absence of three star players, yet it seemed at first that the two teams were about evenly matched. The ball seesawed back and forth across the field sometimes in the territory of one, sometimes in that of the other, and at the end of the first quarter neither side had scored and Madill seemed to have the better of the game. The second quarter was not so well balanced. In the first scrimmage Ables the star right end of the Madill team was put out of the game with a fractured collar bone. This further weakened the Madill team but they continued to put up a plucky fight and the half closed with the ball in Kingston's possession on Madill's 35 yard line score 0 to 0.”
“Early in the second half, Strain of the Kingston team secured possession of the ball onafumbledpassandmadea sensational run of sixty yards for a touchdown. Kingston forfeited the right at try for a goal by allowing the ball to touch the ground before they were ready to kick. The quarter closed with score of 5 to 0 in favor of Kingston. In the fourth quarter, Kingston got two other touchdowns and kicked a goal once. The final score was 16 to 0 in favor of Kingston. The Kingston team was accompanied by a large crowd of rooters who cheered them enthusiastically, andmanyofthemcould not be restrained from rushing upon the gridiron and loudly protesting the decisions of the referee. Their conduct in this regard was very disgusting, but the referee was firm and in no instance did he alter a decision. Kingston has a well-trained team. The star playersseemedtobethecourteous andgenteelCapt.Jones and fleet-footed touchdown Booth Strain.”
“For the Madill team, the starplayerwasMcNaughton. He is a good ground gainer anddoesnotneglecttousehis head. Capt. John Taliaferro did some excellent forward pass work, and Ed Sacra made many plucky tackles. Fulton, Marsh, Carter and Wall also played good ball. Taking into consideration the fact that Rollins, Bounds and Ables were out of the team, it must be conceded that Madill played a good game, and had these three men been in the game, there is no doubt that the result would have been different. The Thanksgiving game closes the High School football schedule. The boys must-no doubt with many regrets- bury the pig skin. No more football for another year, but athletics in other lines, viz. Basketball, Track Team and etc. will now be in order.”
On that day in mid-October 1910, the gridiron rivalry betweenKingstonandMadill was born, and it continues to this day. In fact, on August 30, 2024, Kingston defeated Madill by a score of 35-7.
Just four weeks after the first football game between Kingston and Madill, the citizens of Kingston went to the election polls and defeated the first of five courthouse bond issues.
Three years later, on May 16, 1913, a meeting was held that would etch the county courthouse rivalry between the two towns into the minds of every graduate of Kingston High School, a rivalry that continues to this day, 112 years later.
The meeting followed the last week of school, filled with various programs and other activities for the 1913 graduating class. The last day, the 16th, was called “Call Day.” The culmination of Class Day was a program featuring music, awards and presentations. The program started at 2:00 PM. The program for the meeting was printed on May 10, 1913, in the Kingston Messenger issue. The program listed “1. Piano Duet - Alice Wheeler and Anne Rene Murphy 2. Reveries of Life - May Flynt 3, There is Ever a Song Somewhere - Gladys Noble 4. Habit-Rosser Bell 5. Maryland, My Maryland- Boy's Quartette 6. The Waters of Life - Wayne McCorkle 7. Friendship - Paul Strange 8. Piano Solo - Helen Willie 9. AnAppealforNationalUnity - Guy Douglas 10, Sweet and Low - Girl's Quartette 11. Character - Oscar Williams 12, Hope - Frank Cox 13 Piano Quartette - Hattie Belle Steel, Ruby Jones, Fannie Lauchner and Ada Mutz 14. Awarding the Jones GeneralExcellence Medalfor High School. 15. Awarding of the First National Bank General Excellence Medal for the Grades, and 16. Delivery of Perfect Attendance Certificates.”
After the program, Superintendent John Vaughn gathered the seniors of the classes of 1911 and 1912 for a meeting at the high school. The meeting was to discuss the formation of the Kingston Alumni Association and the initiation of the Class of 1913 into it. Just two days later, the citizens of Marshall County were headed to the polls for the third courthouse bond election.
The following week, the Kingston Messenger reported on the meeting. In the May 24, 1913 edition of the Messenger, the editor wrote, “One of the closing and crowning events of school activities during the last week here was the organization of the Kingston High School Alumna.”
“On Friday afternoon, following the Class Day exercises, the members of the 1911 and 1912 classes met in Superintendent Vaughan's room and formed this 'Class of Classes.' A goodly representation of each class was present, several however, being kept away on account of being in other schools and in other work. After a few remarks from different members concerning the object of the 'reunion' and the immediate plans for future meetings, the following were elected officers: President Claude Click. Vice President, Omar Brewster, Secretaries, MissesMabelBaileyandBessie Flynt.”
“Committees were appointed to arrange for entertainment and 'initiation' of this year's graduates. Friday evening, May 23, was named as time for the reception of the 'Freshy Seniors.'
“As a means of better preparing for the work about to be entered into, Charles Kizziar gave a hearty invitation to the members of the new society to spend one week with him in his 'field of endeavor,' where practical lessons in cotton chopping would be given, without tuition. Invitation considered (uninviting); commented on (slightly and unfavorably); big inducement-appreciated, but not accepted at present; no final action; to be further considered at the winter session of Alumna. PROMISE OF A 'BIG EVENING.'
Oddly, in later years, newspaper reports claimed that the alumni association was formed in 1911. However, that was incorrect. The above article confirms that the alumni association was not formed until 1913. That can be seen from wording such as “One of the closing and crowning events of school activities during the last week here was the organization of the Kingston HighSchoolAlumna,”and“… CharlesKizziargaveahearty invitation to the members of the new society…”. It would seem that the graduates of 1911 and 1912 were grandfathered into the association.
Since 1913, the Kingston Alumni Association has met each May, inducted new members and held initiation ceremonies, culminating in the Saturday night banquet at which each neophyte is sworn in as a member. At each banquet, the most important part of the ceremony was the administration of the “Alumni Association Oath.” A neophyte was not admitted until the oath was administered.
In the early years, the identity of the member who administered the oath is unknown. However, from the early 1920s to the late 1960s, theoathwasadministeredby Bob Massey. Then from the late 1960s to 2015, the oath was administered by my father, George“Skippy”Henry.
Except for members of the association, little to nothing is known about the oath or its administration; however, in 1962, Virgie White gave us a little peek behind the curtain of this process. In an article she wrote for the May 28, 1962 edition of The Texoman newspaper, Virgie wrote,“WhenBobMasseyput the 1962 seniors through the oath while standing on one foot, raising their right hand, holding their right ear with left hand all 203 lodge guests laughed loud and long. The seniors were good sports.”
You may be wondering what the Kingston Alumni Association, its creation, and its oath have to do with the county seat and courthouse war, and that is a good question. But recently, I discovered the link between the association and the courthouse war.
As stated above, my father administered the oath to new members every year for almost 50 years. Following his passingin2016,Ifoundonhis computer a copy of the oath administered to new members since the association's formation in 1913. It appears that little has changed in the oath over the past 112 years.
The oath requires that new members swear or affirm five critical facts to be admitted. The third fact the prospective members must state is, “I Promise, Predicate, and Profess that I did not take part in and have no guilty knowledge of, nor do I have information about the dastardly and shameful stealing of the Marshall County Courthouse from its rightful location in Kingston, Oklahoma, formerly Helen, Indian Territory.”
It is doubtful that any new members of the Kingston Alumni Association fully understood the meaning of that third part of the oath. Still, for 112 years, each new member has had to promise, predicate and profess that they were not involved in the theft of the county courthouse from “its rightful location” in Kingston. But now, the Neophytes of 2026 will know why they are required to swear, “I did not take part in and have no guilty knowledge of, nor do I have information about the dastardlyandshamefulstealing of the Marshall County Courthouse from its rightful location in Kingston…” Old wounds never fully heal. Some grudges never go away. True rivalries never really die. And some never forget a wrong that has never been righted.
Long live the rivalry between Kingston and Madill. Never let them forget the courthouse wars of 19091914.