Monogrammed Brick Stories
Frank and Mahala Sypert
Submitted by Velma Echols Hutton
The Frank Sypert Family of Pottawatomie County was known pioneer spirit. Frank was born in Tennessee, the son of a former slave and her employer, a white attorney. He moved to a small town in Arkansas where he met and married Mahala Williams. Land in Oklahoma was the most direct route to independence so the couple settled on a 160 acre farm near Brooksville. At one time, they also owned a cotton gin. The youngest daughter, my mother, Grace, and her husband, Anthony Echols, taught in Brooksville and Shawnee schools and were active in community affairs. They remained on the farm until 1967, when they accepted positions in the San Jose, CA., school system. They continue to be honored by the former students and co-workers in both states.
