Hennessey is a town in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hennessey had a population of 2,151.

History

thumb|left|[[U.S. Route 81 in Oklahoma|U.S. Route 81 in Hennessey, October 2016]]

Hennessey is named after Pat Hennessey, an Irish freighter who was killed at the present townsite in April 1874. He was said to have been burned on a wagon wheel, either by native Cheyenne tribesmen or White horse thieves.

The Pat Hennessey Memorial Park can be found at Iowa and Arapaho streets. The location of his body is another story. Pat Hennessey was originally buried next to the location of his death in a shallow grave. Rocks were placed over his body, and teamsters passing by would continue to place markers on his grave. At some point in history Hennessey's body was moved. It is possible his relatives came from Ireland and reclaimed his body. In any case, it is not at the marker site at Memorial Park: excavations there produced no remains.

The town was laid out by the Hennessey Townsite Company after the land run of April 22, 1889. The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway, which was owned by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, built a line from Kansas through the Cherokee Outlet, and the first train arrived in September 1889. The town was incorporated on June 10, 1890.

Climate

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Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Hennessey had a population of 2,151. The median age was 35.4 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 766 households in Hennessey, of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.5% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,368 || 63.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 15 || 0.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 67 || 3.1%

|-

| Asian || 9 || 0.4%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 390 || 18.1%

|-

| Two or more races || 302 || 14.0%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 798 || 37.1%

|}

High school athletics

Girls Cross Country State Champions

2011 Class 2A

Girls Track State Champions

1972 Class 2A

1989 Class 2A

1990 Class 2A

1991 Class A

2011 Class 2A

2012 Class 2A

Boys Track State Champions

2012 Class 2A

Football State Champions

2010 Class 2A

2011 Class 2A

Baseball State Champions

1987 Class 2A

Oklahoma Band Masters State Champions

2011 class 2A

2012 class 2A

Notable people

  • Nicki Aycox (1975–2022), actress, musician, born in Hennessey

See also

  • List of municipalities in Oklahoma

References

  • Hennessey Public Schools
  • Hennessey Public Library
  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Hennessey
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory