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Saturday December 28, 2002 T&T Weekly Vol 6 Issue 297
Two weeks ago I told about the Christmas lights I’d heard about at the Phillips place 1 1/2 miles south on Jay Norman Road from Highway 70. Jay Norman Road is the city limits signs between Ardmore and Lone Grove. I got out there this week and the Travis Phillips family has a super nice Christmas display and it will be available for viewing until the 1st. That guitar is neat! https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/phillipsa.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/phillipsb.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/phillipsc.jpg Here is a closeup of that lighted guitar. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/phillipsd.jpg
I received a Christmas card email this season from an friend who grew up near me in the northeast back in the 60s. Tommy Elmore lived at 214 “G” NE here in Ardmore. I didn’t know he was a water color artist until he sent me a painting he did back in 1993 of a Frisco train. By the way, Tom is a railroad buff too! https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/elmore93.jpg
I was needing to look at a perpetual calendar this week and found one on the Net that works great. Just type in the search box the month and year you want, then hit Enter. Example: 9/1971 would bring up the month of September 1971. http://www.earth.com/calendar Here’s another that works good. Just enter the year first, then click then start clicking on “next month” or “previous month”. http://www.wiskit.com/calendar.html
I’ve been busy working on a new history CD, and thanks to the help of Governor Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation, I should have it ready soon. Back around 1969 the Chickasaw Historical Society published a book titled “Pages of History”. The book is comprised of the History Pages from the Ardmore Shrine Club Rodeo Programs from 1965 to 1969, over 50 pages of pure Ardmore and southern Oklahoma history. Governor Anoatubby has granted me permission to digitize the book’s 53 pages and burn them to CD. In order to cover my expenses, the cost will be $4 each which includes postage paid delivery to your door. Hopefully I will have the CD ready next weekend.
Engine 1108 at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum was 100 years old last July. Next year will make the 50 year since her donation to the City of Ardmore. Somebody got off with her whistle years ago. https://oklahomahistory.net/locomo.html
Ardmore’s streetcars operated from 1905 to 1922. The line ran along Main Street from the Santa Fe depot west to “C” Street, then north along “C” Street to 8th Avenue, west along 8th Avenue to Wolverton, north along Wolverton all the way to the car barn and Lorena Park at Dornick Hills.
Looks like our little history group is going to close out December with over 10,000 minutes of long distance calls…. saving money while calling family and friends this holiday season. Five cents a minute, anytime anywhere, is hard to beat. http://www.worldxchange.com/agent/228072
“The old jail. I sold the Ardmoreite on the streets in the late forties and always stopped by the jail to sell one to the Indian trusty/cook. The jailer got to read it first, I am not sure that the cook ever read it. I am pretty sure his name was Cooper but I will think on it and his whole name will eventually come up. He was not locked up but had the freedom of the jail and often the main jail door to the front office was not closed. The story I was told was that he got a monthly check and when it came he paid off his fine and other debts. He then gave the jailer some money to hold for him and went on a toot, got arrested and was soon back in jail. He was always very gracious to me.”
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“To the person who wanted to know id anyone remembered some things way back there at Ardmore. I certainly do. I worked my first public job at Duke & Ayres, went to Reavis Drug a lot, Berniece made the best barbecue sandwiches I still have ever had there at Reavis and it was a good hang out for some of us, including the young Fly Boys from the Airbase. I don’t remember the meat market but patronized the old Hamburger Inn as often as I could (way back) as well as the A & P Grocery on Main street, that must have been in the ’40’s. It is good to hear some of these things mentioned again.”
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“I’m sitting here with a grin on my face, remembering the animated display in Daube’s window during the Christmas season. Several readers have commented on it, and we all agree that it was a highlight of our childhood holiday memories. I have just one question….Where are the animated figures today? They should be in the local museum! (Southwest Historical Museum) Speaking of the museum….I was there a few weeks ago, and one of the volunteers told me they are working on a display about the big railroad explosion and the fire that nearly destroyed Ardmore. I’m sure they would welcome any pictures that anyone might have. If you don’t want to donate the actual pictures, they will make copies of them and return the originals to the owner. Personally, I’d rather give them originals since I know they will probably be safer there than in my own files. I’m sure there are many readers out there who could really help make this display an outstanding addition to our museum. I’m off to make gingerbread men with some of that good Grandma’s molasses. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without gingerbread men! HO x 3!”
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“Hi Butch, I just finished reading this week’s T&T and noticed a letter from the mailbag written by a reader from Dougherty..Brought back some memories..From 1950 until 1963, I was an employee of Dolese Bros Co at their crushed stone quarry at Big Canyon, located about 4 miles south of Dougherty on the Santa Fe Railroad. During this time, we were loading and shipping from 50 to 100 railroad cars of crushed limestone per day.. These cars were billed to destination at the Dougherty Depot.. The freight agent at that time was L.R, Mitchell and he told me that at earlier times Dougherty was the highest revenue point on the Santa Fe system. This was due to the many carloads of construction materials shipped through the depot daily. Besides Dolese, Makins Sand and Gravel had a sand and gravel plant just north of Dougherty from which they also shipped many cars per day..A couple of miles north of Makins was Southern Rock Asphalt Company which also shipped out of Dougherty. All three of these plants are closed now and the Dougherty Depot has been moved to Sulphur and made into a tea room. Dolese still has the plant at Big Canyon but it has not been running for many years. The old foundations of the Makins and Southern Rock operations can be seen by driving north of Dougherty toward the downstream side of the Arbuckle Lake Dam..There is a lot more history I can share about this area in future letters if any of your readers would be interested.. Heres wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY ROSE BOWL.” -Roy Miller, Oklahoma City
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“Butch, I also wanted to comment on where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated. My mother had been downtown Dallas that morning for a doctor appointment, and was east of Dallas on her way to her grandmother’s house in East Texas when she heard the news. At her appointment she had learned that after 9 years of waiting, she was pregnant! Where was I? Right there with her – I was the baby she was waiting for. So, that day brings back two sets of memories and emotions for our family.”
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“This is a link to TrainCams.” http://166.82.18.119/index.html
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“Here is a map that is very interesting. It show the immigration to the west in America from colonial times.” http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Animation/us.gif
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“Butch, just wanted to brag a little about my family. I have 7 brothers and 1 sister and as you can see, some of the boys made a career serving our country. Each person in our family has made a contribution to mankind in some way.” https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/williamsmem.jpg
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“I sent an answer to the person who asked the question about the IOOF homes. The person to contact for IOOF information is Floyd Dobbs. He is the Oklahoma IOOF Historian, and has the records for both homes and most all of the 60 plus lodges in the state, some dating into the 1880’s. His email “working” email (Monday thru Thursday) is [email protected], and his home email is [email protected] Floyd is in the process of building an Oklahoma IOOF history site, and I will pass the url along to you when it is ready to be seen.” -Bob Chada
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“Butch, I have been using a Sony MVC FD 90 Sony digital camera and have found it to be very simple to use – yet it only has 1.6 megapixel and I decided to try to move up on the quality by purchasing a MVC CD 400 CD MAVICA. because it has 4 megapixel. I just received the new camera but since it uses the CD Disk there are many features that are different from the MVC FD 90 and I have had a little problem in following the the operating instructions that are in the book. The person that wrote to you in this past weeks T&T sent you some pictures he has taken and they are excellent. I would appreciate having the opportunity to communicate with him so that I may ask him to help me understand just how to take pictures with it. I would appreciate it if he would contact me. Thanks.” -Ernest Martin [email protected]
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“Seeing the note about Coleman Jones made me wonder if anyone remembers the great photo of him that was in the Ardmoreite one time. He was on his bicycle and it was a really great photo. Wish I could remember the exact timeframe, and wish I would have cut out and kept the picture. Does anyone remember when that might have been or have a copy of the picture to share with everyone? He was a very interesting man.”
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“Hello. My name is Susan McCoy, I am searching for my Great- Grandfather. I found a site called 4ll.com and they listed that a Solomon Goss was buried in Higgins, OK . I am having trouble searching for this. I hope that you can help me. Thank You.” [email protected]
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“Dear Mr. Butch Bridges, I came across your name by typing “History of Grocery Stores” in MSN’s “Search” line. I am doing a research essay paper for our local Museum on “Neighborhood Grocery Stores” and thought perhaps your Readers might have something to contribute. I am obviously not asking for information on my own local places but on the whole sociological and economic environment that neighborhood grocery stores operated in. I am hoping someone could steer me toward some studies and other printed matter about this subject. Thank you.” Terry Sveine in New Ulm, Minnesota [email protected]
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================================================Another year is coming to a close in a few days. The year went by so fast. I remember a friend on 3rd Northeast who has since passed on, told me back around 1970, “no matter how old you live to be, the years still seemed to have gone by so quickly”. I know what he meant now, though I was just barely out of my teens when he told me. Each year at this time I look back and reflect on all the things we’ve shared here. I even have thoughts of ending my T&Ts at year’s end, but you people keep inviting me back into your homes each weekend. And so many of you keep sharing history, history that might have been lost someday, if not for this little ezine. I think back how some started this year with us and now they are no longer here. My emails to them come back “return to sender”. Even as I type right now I have friends who have passed away at this Christmas time. I know the sadness the family members are going through. My grandfather, Stanley Carmon, was the only dad I knew since my mother and father were divorced when I was 6 months old. Three days before Christmas in 1969 we buried him at Rosehill Cemetery. That’s one of the worst Christmases I ever knew. Now here we are at the threshold of 2003 and all its uncertainties. But we have to have faith and believe in the future. Let’s all believe this simple dream…. a better 2003.
“The Magic of Christmas Day” by Celine Dion
“On the streets there’s children laughing
People smile as they are passing
Christmas time is here, our waiting is done
Wishing it could last forever
Not just twelve days in December
Through the year let’s try to remember
That special way
That everyone feels
It’s the magic of Christmas daySo fill your heart with love and joy
And through the eyes of girls and boys
Share their wonder, live through their joy
It’s easy to do, just open your heart
The spirit will come to youOh and God bless us everyone
The good and the bad
The happy; the sad
Oh and God bless us everyone
Here’s to family and friends
It’s good to be here again.”Have a safe News Years Eve, the best New Year, and I’ll see you all next year!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday December 21, 2002 T&T Weekly Vol 6 Issue 296
Last Tuesday, December 17th, a big crane pulled on the west side the First Presbyterian Church here in Ardmore and preparations started to remove the bells from atop the belfry. The bells have been in place above the church since 1920 thanks to a generous gift of Ardmore banker Perry Maxwell. But through the years the wood beams that held the bells in place deteriorated, so the decision was made to remove them for repair. The eleven bells will be shipped to The Netherlands for tuning, before being place back atop the church. Bill Lumpkin, a local architect, had me notified Tuesday about the bells coming down. Here are some pics from that morning. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell2.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell3.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell4.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell5.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell5a.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell5b.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell5c.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell5d.jpg
This is the chiming console that was used years ago to “pull” the cables and chains to ring the bells, and play the music. When new these were highly polished oak wood handles. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell6.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell6b.jpg
This is looking up through the hatch that goes to the outside where the bells are located. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/presbell7.jpg
This is the spiral stairway that leads to the belfry. It was made by Duvinage Spiral Stair Company of Hagerstown, MD. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/presbell8.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/presbell8b.jpg http://www.duvinage.com/
This is a pic of Bill Lumpkin standing beside the Grand Bell. Bill was instrumental in seeing the crates made for shipping the bells overseas. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell9c.jpg
Here are the eleven bells laying on the ground beside the church. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell9d.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell9e.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell9f.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/presbell9h.jpg
The chimes still can be heard over downtown Ardmore but they are electronic coming though speakers since 1955. A “chime of bells” consists of 9 to 22 bells. A “carillon of bells” is 23 or more bells. The Presbyterian church is a chime of bells. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/presbell9k.jpg http://www.organtek.com/bellz.htm
I saw Buddy Simon the other day and he’s having his Budro’s Rib Joint “Annual Christmas Feast” again this year at the old Civic Auditorium (Heritage Hall). He does this event each year for the less fortunate in the area who might not have a Christmas Dinner at home. Many area adults and children won’t have much Christmas this year, with the economy and all, and this may be the highlight of their Christmas. Santa will be on hand to make sure all the children get some kind of gift, and Buddy makes sure everyone leaves with a full stomach. Buddy needs some volunteers to help this year too, so if you don’t have anything going on that afternoon, come on down. Also he is accepting gifts of $5 or less to be given away to the children. Last year they served over 600 people. The Christmas Feast will be Sunday afternoon Dec 22nd from 4pm to 7pm at 200 West Broadway here in Ardmore. If you can help in any way, give Buddy Simon a call at 580-223-2272. This Christmas Feast is open to anyone who needs a little Christmas cheer this year, so pass the word around!
An x-Ardmoreite now living in Colorado left me a Christmas gift this week. It was all wrapped up in a fancy sack and I couldn’t imagine what was in it. When I opened it, there was a bottle of Grapette! You people are sure starting to spoil me. Over a month ago Ardmoreite Jerry Landrum brought me a case of 4 Grapettes and I limited myself to drinking one a week. After finishing my T&T on Friday evening and hitting the SEND button, that’s when I’d get a bottle out of the fridge, sit down and relax, sipping on that Grapette soda. Kind of like it was my time to drift back in time.
This time of year I always think back years ago, and to the man we all called “santa claus” because he had a full beard just like the real Santa. One time in the early 70s he was riding his bicycle down my street and stopped, knocked on my door, and said I didn’t have a tag on my 1971 Buick Skylark. I told him I did, and it was in the back window. He looked, and said, “Well I’ll be, you do.” I liked that old man, he was an interesting character to talk to. His name was Coleman R. Jones (1905-1981), at night clerk at the Whittington Hotel who lived at 803 Douglas Blvd. (Douglas Blvd was C Street SE before 1949.) He was the nephew of Jewel Whittington (1890-1979), who’s father Wiley Francis Whittington (1848-1926) started the old Whittington Hotel the same year his daughter Jewel was born. It was located in the southwest corner of East Main and Caddo where Cooks Laundry is today. The Whittington was destroyed by the Big Explosion of 1915, but Mr. Whittington rebuilt. Whittington Park in the SE part of Ardmore was named after the Whittington family.
Someone asked me this week if that bullet hole is still in the door facing of the DAs Office at the Carter County Courthouse. So I took a pic for everyone to see. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/dabullet.jpg
Bonnie Scott is back at work at the Court Clerks Office after having some surgery. Most of you will remember Bonnie is our Number One Elvis memorabilia collector at the courthouse. Everyone sure missed her smile and laugh, and glad she is back and doing fine! https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/bonnie2.jpg
“O Tanenbaum O Tanenbaum, How steadfast are your branches! Your boughs are green in summer’s clime, And through the snows of wintertime. O Tanenbaum O Tanenbaum, How steadfast are your branches!” I went throughout the courthouse complex this week taking photos of the Christmas trees the different offices had in place to celebrate the Season. I found 14 tanenbaums. You can see each one at the link below, and I even put a Poll at the end of the webpage where you can vote on your favorite Christmas tree! https://oklahomahistory.net/christmastree.html
I used my Olympus digital camera to take a nighttime shot of the courthouse Christmas lights around the outside of the building. This is the first time I tried the “nighttime mode” and it worked pretty good. This photo was taken at 7am before the sun was up. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/chouselights.jpg
A big thank you to everyone who has sent me Christmas greetings, either by email or snailmail. And thanks to those of you who brought me Christmas gifts, I’ll never forget you.
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“I am surprised that with all the remarks about horse apples, no one has mentioned kids who threatened to give another kid a horse apple (a bump on an arm or shoulder caused by a sharp blow from the other kid’s fist)!”
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“Well, Butch, you brought back some old memories for me again. I well remember the old jail; when I was reporting for the Ardmoreite back in 1954-55, Sheriff Enoch Watterson gave me a key to the jail so I could stop by any time I felt like it and visit with the dispatcher/jailer. At that time there was an older Indian fellow whose name has slipped my mind, who pretty much lived in the jail and was a trusty. He was an excellent cook, and many evenings I’d “just happen” to stop by the jail around supper time and have a meal of his beans and biscuits!”
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“Butch-This picture of Cub Scouts was taken at the Ardmore Air Force Base. I have put numbers on each individual hoping some of your readers can help with identification by emailing me the name and number. I think the boys are from Ardmore but there is a chance they may have been from Texas. A special train was run from Dallas, April 12, 1958, bringing 1,200 Cub Scouts to the base so this could have been part of that group. This was the largest special Santa Fe train group to have been assembled at Dallas to that date. I’m trying to get as much data as possible while people who know are still around and kicking. Thanks!” [email protected] https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/scouts58.jpg
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“I don’t know much about your bells, but I saw one in a yard of an house here in Fletcher, Oklahoma. I do not know any info on it but by the looks of it, it is been around a while.”
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“Good Morning Butch, Just in case I forget in the last minute frenzy of the Holi-day, I want to wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Peaceful New Year to you, your family, and all your great subscribers. I can’t say enough good things about the terrific T&T, and all the memories it brings each Saturday. My best wishes to you all, y’all.” -Bob Elliston [email protected]
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“Seasons greetings wishing you a joyous Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.” -Wil, Iryna and Nina Tifft in Pennsylvania. The image is of the Boyim Chapel in the Ukraine built in 1621. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/boyme.jpg http://www.tifft.com/
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“Hi, Butch, Thanks for the wonderful memories you let us enjoy through T and T…..Great job; keep it up. Enjoyed this last one about the jail in its early days…. (Was born in Ardmore-1947) I would love to read about the jail in Dougherty!!!! (My husband and I live here in Dougherty 6 months a year, the other 6 in the Great Smoky Mountains.) I was told that this tiny one room jail was donated with the land it sits on by THE ONLY MAN EVER DETAINED THEREIN…for drunkenness.. The jail is still here, just off Main Street…. Sure hope that guy was not there in winter! It is very “open”….Also, wish you would take a picture of the old pickup truck between the new post office and the old buildings which remain on Main Street….. The movie, Dillinger, was partly filmed on Main Street in front of these old buildings in Dougherty…. Finally, got to see the movie a few weeks ago!!!! Caught a glimpse of MY VERY HOUSE through the pecan grove next to it!!!! (I lived in Detroit then, but my mother and sister got to watch the movie being filmed.) There is a gorgeous painting of the old pickup truck in the Main Street Cafe in Davis; (owned by Diddle and Judy Hale of Dougherty) painted by the famous artist Don Pinkston. Am told he still lives in a remote area around Dougherty. If you really look at that old pickup truck, then view the painting in Judy and Diddle’s cafe…IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! No words can describe its beauty!!! If I were only rich enough, I WOULD OWN IT!!! Truly hope you will write a lot about, and delve into the history of Dougherty….it’s a fascinating place…..and, living just 2 blocks from the railroad tracks make me believe that the railways are STILL a thriving business.” -Susan B. Nance: [email protected]
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“Hey man, Great job as usual. This one brought good memories to me, because of the pix of the ‘Dillinger’ actors and extras. You didn’t i.d. the man on the far left or right, but the one on the left looks like Bob McQueen who was a police detective at the time. I was an obscure extra in the movie at Chickasaw lake club, but my main assignment was bodyguard for Ben Johnson while at the lake club. He was a class act. Take care Butch, till next week” -Jerry Landrum
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“I was in study hall when President Kennedy was shot. It was Comstock Jr High, Dallas, Texas. I will never forget it. They announced over the PA that he had been shot and that we would get information as it came. The teacher burst out in tears. A little while later they announced he was dead and let school out early. I moved away a couple of years later and for years people would find out I was from Dallas and ask me if I was there. Although no one ever said anything, I always felt they blamed us Texans for that horrible day.” -Brenda Cupples
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“Thanks so much for writing the story on the Jail. It brought a lot of Memories. I remember escorting a lot of people to that Jail. When I was working early mornings, that was the local law enforcement hang out for coffee breaks (Except for Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings) we were all pretty busy at that time area. But I remember having coffee with Sheriff Denny, Trooper Dickson, Trooper Hudson, and the Jailers. We would always talk about something other than law Enforcement. Thanks for showing the pictures. Oh, By the way, I finally found the movie Dillinger, and I have been able to pick out the Ardmoreites, and the locations. Everyone needs to see that movie.”
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“Great TnT this week, Butch: Does ANYONE remember: The old Butcher’s hamburger joint next to the old post office on Washington where the Hamburger Inn is now? Mr. Fedler’s drugstore with the soda fountain? The old Reavis drugstore with the soda fountain? The wonderful animated Christmas windows in Daube’s Dept. Store windows? The Barber Shop and Shoe Shine place just behind the old Steele drugstore at the corner of Washington and Main? The Beauty Shop above the old drugstore? I’m going way back on some of them. Just wondering…………”
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“If I don’t get around to it between now and the actual days, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – this is just not for you Cuz but for all your readers as well.” -Ralph Leon Ford
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“Dear Butch: The last issue of T&T with comments about the old jail sure got my attention. I spent much of my life there during ’59 through ’62. Thankfully I wasn’t behind the bars. One of my first “guests” was a deposed county commissioner. He got sentenced to a short stay for past indiscretions. When he checked in his only comment was “if I had of known that I would be spending any time in this thing when I built it I would have sure included air conditioning”.”
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“Hi Butch, I would like to thank you for giving us a chance to contribute to your mailbag section. I was pleasantly surprised by a wonderful e-mail I received from one of your readers who was originally from the Chickasha area but now resides in Ardmore. He had attended one of the Rural Schools I had attended but had graduated years before. I would like to take this opportunity to invite anyone else from the Chickasha area to email me. I saw one response also to the JFK’s assassination from some who said they were in a high school art class at Chickasha. Although I graduated from Ninnekah Highschool, in 1966 I worked at Shannon Springs Park as a life guard the Summers of 65 and 66, I used to know quite a few people who also attended HS at Chickasha, I also attended school at Pioneer which just went to the 8th grade at the time I attended there. I had classmates from Pioneer who also went to Chickasha, Verden, Ninnekah, and Cement High Schools after graduating from the 8th grade at Pioneer. I would certainly enjoy hearing from any one from Chickasha, and Surrounding areas. My email address is [email protected] please drop me a note if your interested in sharing a few Chickasha memories. Sincerely, Mike Jones.”
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“Butch, I have been reading This And That for quite a while now. I enjoy all the things that you share, even though I live in Calera, Bryan Co. and have now real association with the Ardmore area. I find the history and articles that you share are very interesting. I have been watching the transformation of your photo’s as you have went from a conventional camera to a digital, and then to another digital if I am correct. Wow, the picture quality is so much better. It is like going from a VHS format to DVD. The difference is night and day. I finally bit the bullet and bought one for me. I have made a few shots and I am very pleased with the outcome. I bought a Sony CD Mavica, Model MVC-CD400 4.0 mega-pixel with the Carl Zeiss lens, 3X optical and 2X digital. I would like to buy one of the History CD’s that used to be on the weekly drawing. I really looked forward to that each week, to see if I was the lucky one. Thanks for your hard work. This is our cat, Murry Pepper, as you can tell he has an attitude. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/murrypepper.jpg This is a view of the sunset from my front yard. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/sunsetyard.jpg Last is a close-up of one of my wife’s Christmas decorations, (In Movement while photographing) that I shot. It really shows the detail that a digital camera will capture.” https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/wifedecor.jpg
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“I’ve been sleuthing today at Carmen, Okla. concerning the Masonic Home for Children that was built April 27, 1907. It was closed down … maybe sometime in the ’40s… not sure of that date…. BUT… the Odd Fellows or Masonic headquarters would probably have more info in Checotah, Okla., wouldn’t they? You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone in that area, would you. I’ve had a couple inquiries from granddaughters whose grandmother’s were residence of the Children’s Home when they were younger. It wasn’t an orphanage and they were not orphans cause they had at least one parent. In Carmen they went by the “Home Kids”. Would any of your readers have any info concerning the Carmen (Oklahoma) Masonic / Odd Fellows Home for Children? If so, would you have them Email me at [email protected]
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“Dear Butch, I was a brand new A&P mechanic and worked for AFA. I had actually left the company about two months prior to the crash. I had worked on that airplane, and as I recall one of the mechanics told me it was the the one the Beetles had chartered. I don’t know if that was a true story or not but he did tell me just that. He said they had all but destroyed the interior. I did know one of AFA’s pilots, Merle J. Simpson. He later founded his own company and I received most of my pilot training from him. While I was there we had the two Electras, at least four Lockheed Constellations, and I believe two DC 3’s. As I recall Mr. Pigman’s personal airplane was a 580 Aero Commander. I can’t determine where the memorial is located. Is it on the air park itself or at the crash site? I would like to go to the memorial. I would appreciate it if you would e-mail the location. Thanks.” -H.V. (Scotty) Boggs email: [email protected]
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“Dillinger. A high moment in a lot of peoples’ lives around here. When American International’s producer got the funds to go ahead with this film, somehow he got in touch with Gov. Geo. Nigh who promoted Oklahoma. Virtually all of the film was filmed in Oklahoma with exception of a few stock images that were spliced in. About 6 weeks before the filming started, an advance crew came here and notified Lil Williams of the Ardmore Little Theater that they wanted to have some of our local actors “read lines.” Well, a group of them appeared and “read lines.” Looking back 30+ years I’m convinced that some of them felt that the bright lights of Hollywood were only a phone call away. Further, the crew announced that they needed about l2-l5 “extra’s” who would be guaranteed that they’d be in the background, would not get any lines, and who would be paid $5.00 per day plus a can of Schlitz beer. So, we wound up with two distinct Ardmore bunches, the first one being accomplished actors who sincerely felt that their moments in the sun had arrived, and the other crew that were under no such illusions. Ronnie Roberts, Wayne Warthen, Charles Gilmore, Merle Salthouse, Lester Priest, Bill Wofford and I were in the second group. Trust me, none of us felt that we’d be standing on the stage on Oscar night thanking the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Artists for anything.Well, the filming started and I never had such fun in my life. Ben Johnson was without a doubt the finest man I have ever met. My all time hero. Roy Jensen was next. In my one scene that had a speaking line “It’s Dillinger’s girl!” Michelle Phillips of the Mammas and the Pappas got mad at me and said some nasty things. I said some nasty things back to her. That was my moment in the sun. Richard Dreyfous was superb, and it was apparent that he was going to be a great one. Warren Oates was wonderful, and seemed to be the type of guy that everyone liked. Steve Kanally (“Ben” of Dallas fame) played Pretty Boy Floyd and impressed me a great deal.
I’ll never forget the producer and director (John Milius was the director who did a lot of great films over the years and still does) gave us a little pep talk at the Chickasaw Lake Club and reminded us that when the filming was done, that the film would be seven hours long. “You’ve never been to a 7 hour movie,” one said, “So fully expect the part where you were in the movie to wind up on the cutting room floor.” Salthouse, Roberts, Gilmore and the rest of the crew, including me, looked at each other and well knew that our parts would definitely wind up on the cutting room floor. The local actors, however, gave each other knowing looks that once again smacked of Oscar fever. Their parts would certainly be left in……
Well, guess what happened. The final film left most, if not all of the shots of the Grimy Seven or so and all of the Ardmore Little Theatre group shots wound up…..you guessed it….on the cutting room floor. Some of those people wouldn’t speak to the guys named above, and myself for quite a while. In fact I still recall one of the guys who’d worked the hardest to get a speaking line and had his shot cut commenting that “……it (Dillinger) was the nastiest film I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t let my grandchildren watch it.” (I wonder if he’d had a change of heart if his scene under the tree had been left in.)
Gotta go. I would like to send you some more stuff about Dillinger. I saw a definite slice of Americana when that film crew hit town. The guys and gals from Hollywood loved Ardmore and Southern Oklahoma, and only complained about our stupid Open Saloon laws that were in force at that time. (My son Michael knows John Milius and Milius commented to him that his all time dream and desire was to move to Ardmore, buy the Chickasaw Lake Lodge and retire. He was saddened to hear that the old building (Little Bohemia Lodge) had burned.” -james clark
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“Please add my name to your email newsletter. My name is Fredrica Horn Van Sant. I was born in Ardmore in 1930. My dad was Carl Horn, of long standing business Horn Brother’s Tailors, at 118 Main Street. He arrived in Ardmore to join his brother, Fred Horn in 1917. My mother was Helen Brown Horn. She was the eldest child of Harry Brown, who managed the California Cafe and was manager at the time of the Dow Braziel shooting. Legend in our family had it that Harry Brown hid behind the steel safe during the shooting. We have had a difficult time tracing any information about Harry Poe Brown. Also, Louis Dudley Rickey (“Dude” Rickey) was our closest family friend. I was practically raised by him. He was the most marvelous character. I would love to know what info you have about him and perhaps I could add some, though from the eyes and ears of a child, as he died in 1938; I was eight years old. He was the “special person” in my life, as all children need and few are fortunate enough to have. I will enjoy receiving Ardmore information. My roots go deep there.” -Fredrica Horn Van Sant, Prescott, AZ
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“As I read the news article about the Presbyterian Church bells, as it often happens with newspeople, there are several things that are close enough to being correct that they are misleading. 1) “brass” bells (they are really bronze) 2) The bells didn’t “go out of tune” in 80 years; they still sound just the way they did when they came from the foundry. But in 1919 the Watervliet foundry was still learning how to tune (and no other American bellfoundry ever even attempted that). The present work will bring the original tuning up to modern standards.” Carl S. Zimmerman, St Louis, Missouri
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“Well I was reading about the new airpark and I remember when I was 16 yrs of age I had a bad wreck going to the base, it involved one car, an ambulance was hit by ardmore police car, which made it a 3 car wreck. I also worked at Stromberg Carlson in 1974. I remember the knox hotel, they had the TVs. Hullabaloo, where the teenagers could dance and have bands there, I was a gogo girl there (haha), it was under the Knox hotel, the old people had it closed down, which put us riding around the sonic again and down main street. There was nothing for the teens back then other than hanging out in the parking lots or going to the lake at the slab and having keg parties.”
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“Butch, Great job on the newsletter. I was wondering if you readers might be able to help me out. I am looking for information on my Great Great Grandfather Francis Asberry Miller. He was married to Alie Jane “Jennie” Hobbs. I know he was on the 1900 Chickasaw Nation census and the 1910 Marshall County census. He died in 1916. Alie is on the 1920 Marshall County census as head of house hold. I don’t know where he is buried but someone in my family thinks maybe Aylesworth. I know they moved some of the cemetery when they built Lake Texoma. Does anyone have a list of graves in Aylesworth cemetery either before or after or both? Francis had a sons named Ruff Green Miller, Henry A. Miller, Columbus Miller. Bert W. Miller, and James A. Miller. They all show up on the 1920 Marshall County census. Ruff was married to Ellen Snider. She died in a gas stove explosion in Kingston in 1946. Ruff Green’ s sons were the first 2 people to drown in Lake Texoma in 1945. Their names were Alvie and Volney Miller. I have attached the newspaper story. Ruff died in 1956 and all are buried in Woodberry Forest cemetery in Madill. Any information on this family would be appreciated. My email is [email protected]. Thanks.”
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===============================================BUCK GARRETT HOST TO COUNTY SHUT-INS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
The Daily Ardmoreite, Sunday, December 28, 1919. Ardmore, OklahomaAt the county jail, following his usual custom, Sheriff Buck Garrett was host to the prisoners on Christmas Day. And the sheriff lived up to his policy of not doing things by halves and put on a highly appreciated “spread”. There was turkey and cranberry sauce and pies and all the “fixings” attendant at a Christmas feast. Besides all the good things at the dinner table, the “shut-ins” received candies, fruits, nuts, tobacco, etc., all of which helped materially to lighten the burden of feeling that they were denied the freedom of the average American citizen.
Fast forward….. December 25, 2002. The tradition continues with Sheriff Harvey Burkhart of Carter County ensuring the inmates receive a meal appropriate for Christmas Day. Nancy Porter retired from Dickson Schools cafeteria and is now the Kitchen Supervisor in charge of the jail’s kitchen and food preparation. This Christmas Day the inmates will be eating turkey and dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/porter4.jpg
Have a safe and Merry Christmas everyone, send in your New Year’s Resolutions, see you all next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday December 14, 2002 T&T Weekly Vol 6 Issue 295
The present Carter County Detention Center was opened in January 1990 at 101 South Washington. But the old jail was located next door to the courthouse at 106 Hinkle Street above the present Election Board offices. It had lots of solid steel in its walls and doors, along with old fashioned steel bars around the parameter of the cells. There was bullet proof glass in the door’s windows but after some ‘accidents’ the glass didn’t seem bullet proof. Here is a pic of one of those doors and the bullet hole. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/jailcc4.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/jailcc5.jpg
The jail was divided into areas for Men and Women and even a cell for Juveniles before laws were enacted that pretty much prevented holding Juveniles in adult lockups. Then there was that infamous “drunk tank”. It was just bare steel walls and a concrete floor where the drunk was placed for up to 6 hours until he was sober enough to be put with the male population or bond out. The old jail would hold a maximum of 50 prisoners and that was pushing it.
There was also a cell in the old jail with padded walls to hold the person arrested who had mental problems, and likely to hurt himself. I remember in the 70s one inmate who just ran head first against the steel door and literally fractured his scull in several places. I had to take him to Oklahoma City’s University Hospital that night in the ambulance. Back in those days there were no laws requiring an attendant with the patient, and a deputy was all that went with me that evening. Through a miracle the inmate did not die enroute.
When I look at the elevator at the old jail I remember a man OHP Trooper Terry Dickson brought in one afternoon. I happened to be upstairs in the jail and volunteered to bring the elevator down to the first floor for Terry. Terry and I went back a long way. He lived just four blocks north of me on “H” Street NE when we were growing up. Anyway, the elevator stopped on the first floor, I pulled back that inside safety gate, and then the second door, holding both doors back. The young man and Terry Dickson was standing there, Terry motioned with his hand to the man to step inside. The red haired young man looked at me, then looked back at Terry, then looked back inside the elevator, then looked back at me, then back to Terry and said, “I’m not taking the mark of the beast.” Oh the things that must go through people’s minds when they are about to lose their freedoms.
Here is a couple of pics of that old Otis elevator. It was manufactured in 1949. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/jailcc2.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/jailcc3.jpg
Here is a photo of one of those brass keys that was used in the old Carter County Jail to lock the steel cell doors. The jail keys were made by Folger Adams Company in Joliet, IL. The stories this key could tell. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/jailkey.jpg
Maybe someone out there has some photos of the old Carter county jail, taken when it was in operation. If you do, maybe you will share them. It’s all history now.
The fist sheriff of Carter county was Holmes Akers.
The first Town Marshal of Dickson, Oklahoma was Roger Barraza, 1973.
The first FBI agent assigned to Carter county was E. Alden Matthews in 1944. In 1963 the FBI office was at the Adams Building, 314 West Main.
But in November 1971 we had a lot of G-Men here… let’s see, there was Bill Coburn, Ronnie Roberts, Bill Wofford, James Clark, Ben Johnson, Lester Priest, Roy Jensen, Merle Salthouse, Wayne Warthen and John Cox. These were all actors in the movie Dillinger being made in Ardmore and surrounding areas. Part of it was shot at the Carter County courthouse. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/dillgang.jpg
But they are not the ones who put the bullet hole in the door facing at the DAs office. Those bullet markings on the door facing was the result of a shoot-out between an old time county attorney known as Big Jimmy Mathers and a murder suspect. Mathers grabbed the gun from the man on the second floor, returned fire and killed the defendant. Wobbling Willie Ballew was one of the two defendants that day at court. Maybe a particular someone will tell us the story of this piece of Carter county history? I know you know.
I was over at Rick Feiler’s Bail Bonds office at #6 A Street SW the other day and he had just put on the wall some old Indian arrowheads he had collected over the years. He started collecting them in 1965 searching mainly Carter, Love and Marshall counties. He has the date he found each arrowhead printed on the sides of each one. Really an impressive collection. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/feilerhd2.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/feilerhd3.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/feilerhd4.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/feilerhd5.jpg
Gary Simmons was out at the Ardmore Airpark this week looking over the new Ardmore Air Base Memorial. It was set this week by Wilson Monuments. The memorial is in memory of those killed in training activities at the Airpark during WWII and the Korean War. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/newmem2.jpg
OG&E crews were at the courthouse Thurday morning Dec 12th hooking up the new electricity to the buildings. Electricians have been busy running new wiring throughout the complex bringing our available amperage from 400 amps before the retrofitting to 1,000 amps in the Annex Building and 1,200 amps for the courthouse. Plenty of power for the years to come. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/oge121202.jpg
I havn’t got out to the Travis Phillips’ place to see his Christmas lights yet, but plan to do it soon. Someone told me this week he has a splendid Christmas display. The Phillips place is located a mile or so south of Highway 70 on Jay Norman Road. Jay Norman Road is at west City Limits of Ardmore where Lone Grove begins. If anyone gets out there with a digital camera, take some photos and send them in!
I had a typo in last week’s T&T regarding the Pauls Valley Museum display, the link was wrong….. “The museum also had an authentic Indian headdress that was presented to Mr. Jack L. Grimmett in 1960 at Apache, Oklahoma. The headdress is made of eagle feathers.” https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvdressa.jpg
A friend reminded me this week how years ago, great grandmas would give potash mixed in water to gargle with, to cure a sore throat. He found a potash mine in Nevada that is mailing him a box of potash. I’ll try to get a photo when it arrives. Some of you probably gargled with potash! I dont think I ever did, did potash really work?
Have you ever tried to download a program and found out the file was one of those blasted Zip files? Nothing can be more frustrating then trying to unzip a zipped file when you don’t do it but once a year. When I started in computers, no Windows or nice programs and everything done at the DOS prompt, we had to unzip files all the time, so it is no task for me. But I can sympathize with the average PC user over the Zip file frustration. There are several programs out there to help unzip a file, some free, some you pay for. I have tried them all. But I found one a few months ago that works flawlessly and easily. Its called FreeZip and you can download it here. And unlike a similar program with the same name by Braxio which is laden with spyware, this one does not. http://freezip.cjb.net/
Our little history group has made over 4,200 minutes of long distance calls this month. Looks like many of you are enjoying those low per minute rates to call loved ones. http://www.worldxchange.com/agent/228072
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Just finished reading this weeks newsletter and couldn’t help but laugh when reading about bloody Caddo back then. I had just gotten out of the Navy in Sept. of 1952 and was working in the state of Virginia where I met a sure enough southern belle from North Carolina. We were married in Jan. of 1953 and decided to move back to Ardmore. We got here about 10:30 on a Saturday night and she was asleep so I thought what the heck. I woke her up about 5th.Ave. N.E. and told her that we were getting ready to go down Main Street of Ardmore. Big mistake, had to stop 3 or 4 times because of fights in the street. She was ready to turn around and go back to her home right now. I had heard how good the tamales were down on Caddo but never did get around to trying them. Yes, I do remember the Knox Hotel. I worked at the B.F. Goodrich Tire Store on the corner of Bdwy. and Washington and saw some of the folks that “stayed” there a lot. Just a few doors North of the store on Washington Street was the Lutz Cafe. We could also smell those great fried-onion burgers at Hamburger Inn when Mr Brown had it across the street from where it is now. Those were the good old days for sure.”
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“Hi Butch, and other subscribers, This is a wonderful, newsletter, the topics stir memories, and its nice to read the input by other kindred souls out there who comment and share their memories and experiences. Like most of you I remember where I was when JFK was killed that November Day, in 1963. I was in Study Hall at Ninnekah High School. Our School library was also incorporated with the Study Hall, and in the front of the room hanging prominently was the Picture of JFK, this was where all the pictures of current US Presidents, were displayed at Ninnekah, H.S. Our High School Superintendent, Almon Underwood, came in briefly, pointed to the picture of JFK, and said, He just got shot. He had an unnatural looking smile on his face, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth. We all sat there stunned and looking at each other just for an instant. Then some of the girls in Study Hall retrieved transistor radios from their purses and began searching for news of this event. A few years earlier I had went to school at Pioneer. We visited the museum at Fort Sill when I was in the 7th grade, there at the museum was the caisson that had carried the casket of FDR. Ironically the next time I visited this museum, was in 1969, when I was in medical holding at Fort Sill after being medi vac’d home from Vietnam. This Caisson was still at the museum, but the caption, on the display read, “this is the caisson that bore the caskets of FDR and JFK. JFK had just been sworn in as our President a few months earlier the first time I saw this caisson.I would also like to add my two cents worth about “horse apples.” I grew up in Farming and Ranching areas of both Texas and Oklahoma, and during all this time, I only heard these things called horse apples. One of the subscribers from Mo,. said they were called “hedge apples,” where they were from and horse apples were horse droppings. Its interesting to learn about the various colloquialisms. I am afraid in most areas I lived in people called horse manure by a less glamorous term. I do think I have heard them referred to as horse biscuits a few times but mostly by a more crude name. It was interesting however to hear about the term hedge apples, from one of our neighboring States.” [email protected]
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“It was good seeing ya at the Chickasaw Motor Lodge the other day. Just thought I would drop ya a line and let you know what I was doing when JFK was murdered. I was in my art class at Chickasha Highschool. I was drawing a still life of some fruit in a basket. I never finished my project. Matter of fact my tears stained the artwork I was trying to accomplish. That was one of the saddest days in my life. A great man was murdered by an absolute idiot.”
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“Butch, I was in Jewel Sampleys 8th grade at Gene Autry elementary school. We were having history class when the Superintendent Walter Hughes came to the door and pulled her out in the hall. We saw him tell her something and her head fell down, she came in the room and told us that Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and that school was letting out. In just a little while we all herd of his death. Quite a shock to a 13 year old boy from Gene Autry, Oklahoma, now I have lived thought the world trade center disaster, I hope this is the last history problem that I have to endure. My heart now knows what the people that lived through Pearl Harbor endured.” -Doug Williams
———————————————————————— https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/daviswest.jpg “Iron, probably not by C.S. Bell but an anonymous knockoff–notice the curve of the yoke around the shoulders. But I could be wrong–if it really is a 44″ bell, that’s almost as large as C.S. Bell ever made, and the yoke shape could have been changed a bit. I wonder what the other side of the yoke says.”https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/davismethbell3.jpg “This one is nicely readable–iron, from the second period of the foundry’s history.” Thanks! -Carl Zimmerman, St Louis, MO
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“Hello Butch, I received your T&T from a friend and found it a wealth of information and history. Thank you for maintaining such a wonderful site! I am researching the history of Medicine Park, Oklahoma. I would like to hear from your readers if they have any personal or family history, photos, stories and other information about Medicine Park. I am presently working on a Medicine Park history and visitor center that will operate in one of our early 1900 cobblestone house, called the “Sander’s/Saunder’s Home”; currently being restored and renovated. There will be displays of Medicine Park and surrounding area history as well as information for travelers visiting our community and state. Any historical information and help from you and readers is gratefully appreciated, in the establishing of Medicine Park history for this center.”
M. Lillian Standfield P.O.Box 195 Medicine Park, Ok. 73557 580 – 529 – 3205 [email protected]
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“Didn’t get to tell you.. your ‘series’ on the Bodark was really good. You could really bean something with one of those horse apples. They were too big for “Green Plum Fights.” This brings to mind something else. Remember the Wild Plum Jellies when we were kids? I noticed this summer that there are still some little plum groves. That is how I could always tell where the little plums were, they grew in small groves (sort of like the ‘persimmon trees) out in the middle of fields, they were full of worms, but nothing could touch the taste of that wild plum jelly.”
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“Another great T&T – you do a great job. Have a couple of remarks for this weeks edition:1) Bidder Enders – there are a number of caves in the area that have been called this name – one of the entrances is on top of the falls, one is closer to the falls near the top, and then the one we from Davis used to call the Bidder Enders was just southwest of Hennepin – county line road just to the west and then left for about one mile – then you had to walk out about100 to 150 yards.
2) My Grandpa Prater used to stay at the Mulkey after he retired from the railroad and they would no longer allow him to live in the shanty house he owned just off Caddo.
3) Would like to know if any of your readers happen to have a picture of Small’s Bakery? Remember it fondly when growing up in the Ardmore/Davis area and we use to visit our relatives.”
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“I was wondering if the Larry A. Bunch who had written on the 12/6 T&T was the same Aaron Bunch that I went to school with in Wickes, Arkansas. Also I remember the Mulkey Hotel that Luther Wooley had written about. I remember the old Ardmore Hotel also inasmuch as I worked in the newsstand there for Betty and Scotta back in 1943-44. I also worked as a waitress at Puny’s and The Oasis restaurants. A dime tip was a lot at that time. I have many fond memories of when I lived in Ardmore. I was married in Marietta (1944) by a man names Love, and had a drunk Justice of the Peace for a witness, and his name was luck. When I got my divorce, my lawyer’s name of love. Of course, I thought at that time that I was through with ‘love.’ ” -Janice Brasher of Copperas Cove, TX
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“The elderly man gentleman who rode a horse to work on the old Tom Cooper Farms was R.H. Odell. His grandson?greatgrandson, James lives near Lone Grove, Oklahoma, does custom hay bailing.”
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“Hey Butch, Your quote, “God bless us, everyone,” from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the most recognizable line in all of British fiction. The second most recognizable is, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” also by Dickens in his Tale of Two Cities. The third most recognizable line in all of British fiction is, “Please sir, I want some more,” also by Dickens in Oliver Twist. It puts Shakespeare to shame, doesn’t it?”
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“Hey Butch: A preacher friend of mine (Pastor Ed McCoun, a retired minister who does prison ministries) wants to know if you or any of your readers remembers the story of Jack Underwood who was killed in a boating accident several years ago, the early 1960s? When he began to ask me to contact you on this, I was startled because I had an uncle by that name who was a navy lawyer during WWII and helped conduct the briefing of the men who flew the second plane during the bombing (atomic) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thanks for any information you can provide on this.” [email protected]
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“Phil Henderson owns the Pig Shop in Pauls Valley. He also does catering. Catered my husband’s 75th birthday this past summer. Did a fantastic job and the food was super delicious with cobbler and home made ice cream for desert.”
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“I’m having trouble with the server who has been hosting my web site on www.lantrip.net. So, for now, please use: http://www.brightok.net/~ironsides to reach it. I’ll let everyone know when I get new hosting.” -Bob Lantrip
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Try these for US and International phone numbers: http://www.phonedirectorysearch.com/internat.htm http://www.infobel.com http://www.teldir.com http://www.escapeartist.com/global/telephone.htm These are free and have links to any listed phone in the world.
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“I was wondering, back in the 1860 to 1900 would the Pharmacy/Dry Goods entrepreneurs have needed doctors school, and where might that have been located. Back east? There have been several of these type of career people, and store founders in my various research, and I am wondering how they all came into this, were qualification more lax, or would they have needed money and influence. Its hard to believe I have all these “first drug store” people in different villages.” http://get1now.tripod.com/ff.gif
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===============================================Christmas Day is quickly approaching and I hope everyone is getting those last minute gifts bought and making Holiday plans. Christmas time is one of the best times of the year. A time to be with family and friends, and gift giving and fellowshiping around all that good food. Also a time to remember who’s birthday we honor, Jesus Christ.
“Somebody’s just made it. Made what? Every time you hear a bell ring it means that some angel’s just got his wings.” -Clarence, Its a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, 1946 http://www.robinsweb.com/interesting/holiday/iawl/links.html
If you want to email Christmas cards with a “Its a Wonderful Life” theme, you can do so here… http://www.ozcraft.com/scifidu/wndrlife.html
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday December 7, 2002 T&T Weekly Vol 6 Issue 294
Last week as I was traveling up old Highway 77 in McClain county, between Purcell and Noble, Oklahoma and I saw a sign that read: Canadian River Vineyards and Winery. This business establishment is located at the edge of Slaughterville, Oklahoma. Being the curious type I had to stop and check it out. It was a real interesting place to see first hand. I had never visited a real winery before, and the Cliftons, were great tour guides! The stainless steel vats were awesome looking, and the wine press, well, it just took me back in time. I thought back how before statehood Ardmore had a vineyard in northeast Ardmore where the old Washington school used to stand. If you are really into the Christmas “spirits”, then stop by Canadian River Winery! And ask the Cliftons for a tour! https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery2.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery3.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery4.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery5.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery6.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/winery7.jpg
Stratford is just a small rural town in northeast Garvin county. But they have one very unique old building. It’s the old First National bank building in Stratford, Oklahoma. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/stratbank.jpg
This bell is south of Main street in Davis, Oklahoma at the Methodist Church. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/davismethbell2.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/davismethbell3.jpg
In December 1999 I visited a Choctaw Indian lady just east of Davis, Oklahoma who has the original bell from the old Presbyterian church of Davis in her front yard. How she came upon the bell, was the church and property belonged to her and when the church closed down many years ago, she moved the bell to her house north of Camp Classen. I stopped by there last week and she still has that big bell in her yard…. pretty as ever! https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/daviswest.jpg
There are a couple of wall clocks at the Carter County courthouse with Strasmicks Jewelers printed across the face of the clocks. One clock is in the basement and the other at the Court Clerks Office on the second floor. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/strasclock.jpg
Last week I was traveling up old Highway 77 and when I passed through Wayne, Oklahoma (between Pauls Valley and Purcell in McLain county) I saw a church with a belfry. It was the Methodist church in Wayne, so I stopped and asked the man doing some painting about the bell. He said the only person who probably would know is Mrs. Arnold who has been a member of that church over 60 years as was her mother. I gave Mrs. Arnold a call and she said the bell is over 90 years old. The bell has been in the church since the beginning. She didn’t have any other info on the bell, or a photo. But she said a man is going to paint the belfry in a week or two and she’ll have him take some photos, and get any wording or inscriptions on the bell written down. Oh, and while I was talking to the painter at the church, he pulled on the bell rope, boy did it sound nice! The rope went up through a hole in the ceiling in the hallway. But there was no opening to the bell itself. So maybe soon they’ll get a photo taken of it inside the belfry. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/waynebell.jpg
When I traveled through Pauls Valley, I looked around for any bells, and I think they are pretty much bell-less in PV town. I did find one big beautiful bell though, next to the Jack Grimmett Field House at Wackler Stadium in the north part of town. Boy, now those sports fans know how to celebrate touchdowns….. by ringing that bell!! https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/pvbellsch.jpg
I did find some interesting things in Pauls Valley. Let’s see there was a neat old mail cart parked beside the depot that sure made me flash back to the 60s when Mr. Senter would take me with him to pick up the mail. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvcart.jpg
I still have 11 counties in far far NE Oklahoma which I don’t have a bell photo, including Muskogee County. Anyone in that area, maybe you can find me some pics. It will be appreciated. I wanted to have the whole state covered in yellow by year’s end. https://oklahomahistory.net/bellphotos/bellmap.jpg
And I visited Pauls Valley’s Historical Museum. They had a lot of PV history in there, including all the details about their red brick streets. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvmuseuma.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvmuseuma.jpg
The museum also had an authentic Indian headdress that was presented to Mr. Jack L. Grimmett in 1960 at Apache, Oklahoma. The headdress is made of eagle feathers. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvtowna.jpg
Then I saw the old building where we stopped in the 60s and early 70s to eat those delicious Field’s Pecan pies. Today there is a Chinese restaurant utilizing the building. Field’s Pecan pies has been located southwest of town since 1975. Boy, I don’t know why I didn’t go on by that day and get a couple of their “seconds”. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvtownf.jpg
Here is a link to Fields Pies, be sure and click at the bottom and read “About Us” for a real history lesson! http://www.fieldspies.com/Just south of the Historical Museum was Bob’s Pig Shop. But if you stop there at noon, you might not find a place to park. Its a very popular BBQ place! Established in 1933. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvtownd.jpg
And adjoining Bob’s Pig Shop was an old windmill. Looked in disrepair. A real piece of PV history. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvtowne.jpg
Speaking of windmills, just to the north of the museum on Highway 77 at what looked like an old defunct beer joint now residence was another windmill in need of repairs too. Hope somebody preserves those relics. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/pvtowna.jpg
The vendome in Sulphur, Oklahoma was drilled in 1922. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/vendome11a.jpg https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/vendome11b.jpg
Back in 1991 an employee at the Carter County Detention Center would be instrumental in making what would come to be known as the Sheriffs Hall of Fame. She spent many hours researching the Carter county sheriffs since 1907 trying to find photos of each them. At that time there was an inmate Jeff Keith who had a remarkable ability to draw freehand portraits. This employee got the sheriff’s permission to let Jeff Keith draw with pencil a portrait of each sheriff since statehood. It was from those freehand drawings that the Carter County Sheriffs Hall of Fame was created. After the Hall of Fame was finished, there was a nice writeup in The Daily Ardmoreite on the tireless effort put forth by this employee of the Detention Center. Her name was Jean Deck. This week Jean Deck passed away. https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/sheriffhall.jpg http://ardmoreite.com/stories/120302/obi_deck.shtml
I had a request this week for better directions to Bitter Enders Cave SW of Davis. Does anyone know? Have a map? Maybe go to maps.yahoo.com and look?
Windows98 users have a neat tool at their fingertips without downloading. Click on Start and Run and enter “hwinfo /ui” without quotes. The information displayed is color-coded. Error messages are in red, warnings are in blue. Green denotes registry entries, Configuration Manager information is in brown and file attributes are shown in magenta.
Our OklahomaHistory Webshots received nearly 700 hits this week. People love looking at the past! http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory http://community.webshots.com/user/MokaXprs
SOME LETTERS FROM THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG
“Butch, I too was saddened to learn of the passing of Joyce Franks. I remember many times as I was growing up in Ardmore being someplace where he was doing a photo shoot for the upcoming edition of the Ardmoreite. Also, as you know my sister is a long time employee of the Ardmoreite so there were many occasions when I was there in her office and he would be there discussing work or perhaps just chatting. He is truly a legend and will be missed by many, many people.” -Roxanne in Corning, N.Y.
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“For me, there is a link in my memory to Joyce Franks and the news of Kennedy’s assassination. I was reading the midday news on KVSO and had just gone to commercial (Exchange National Bank) when Joyce Franks ran into the control room and said, “President Kennedy has been shot!” I asked if he was kidding and he assured me he was not. “It’s on the wire,” he said. As the commercial played, I dashed across the hall to the Associated Press teletype machine and, for the first time ever, saw the words “F L A S H”, followed by the bulletin that the president had been shot. I thanked Joyce and walked back into the control room. I remember that I stopped the tape of the commercial and announced the shooting. I think it’s important to remember that on that day not everyone was unhappy that Kennedy had been shot. Early on, one of the executives of the station said he was not that unhappy that Kennedy had been shot. And other southern businessmen felt the same way. In the waves of adulation that have followed in the intervening years, that little fact has been glossed over.” -James Lewis, Nashville [email protected]
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“I remember Kennedy funeral, I was 5 yrs old . we lived in Tulsa Okla on north union. my mom was getting in a new facet one that was push button, and had mixer on each side. that gadget last for years, years, anyway the man who was putting the facet in want to see the funeral and ask my mom if he could watch it, so she turn on the tv so he could watch it, and of course I sat there and watch to.”
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“Dear Butch, I remember well what I was doing the day President Kennedy died. My youngest baby was 5 months old and I was watching TV and rocking her to sleep. I also remember the day President Roosevelt died. I was at school and our teacher had a radio going (no TV then) we had been listening to the news of him. I was outside for recess but under the windows listening. We were scared. We had just come into a war and wondered what would happen now our staunch leader was gone. He was cripple in body but had a great mind. I always associated he and Kennedy as like souls.” -Minnie Lou Whittington
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“I am sorry I missed the question about Nov. 22, 1963..I shall always remember that day. It was my 23rd birthday and I was at a friend’s house, we were planning my birthday party.. Needless to say. We did not. Just stayed glued to the T.V.” -Corine Doddridge
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“I was so glad to see your photos taken in our fair city of Pauls Valley, & look forward to the rest next week. A lot of volunteer work has gone into making the Depot Museum & the area around it beautiful. There has also been at least one wedding in the new gazebo. Butch, if you haven’t toured the museum, you would really enjoy it.”
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“Greetings from Larry A. Bunch in Caneyville KY! From Vol.6 #293: “Butch, I’ve just been readin some old This and That ref horse apples. They do not smell as they get older at least mine don’t and mice seem to love them at least this one did until my cat Bro caught him last night.” Okay, which is it? I thought I had already read in a previous issue that “horse apples” kept mice away! By the way, I have two cats with nice, sentimental names: Bozo and Meathead.”
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“Butch, I have tried since February to get on the WorldxChange long distance. I don’t know how many hours I have spent on the phone with both WorldxChange and Alltel. Finally, we have come to the conclusion that Alltel does not have the, I think they said, pic codes. Anyway, Alltel cannot receive transmissions from Worldxchange. I was very disappointed. I cannot find another decently priced long distance provider. I have ended up with an A T & T calling card from Sam’s Club. It’s 3.47 cents/min and I don’t know why I’m such a tightwad where long distance is concerned. But it gripes me to have to deal the shysters in the communications industry. If Alltel ever catches up with the rest of the world, I will be after you for the numbers I need to hook up under your account. Thanks for all you do to keep everybody informed.”
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“Hi Butch! Have some breaking news from Medicine Park, OK…….. On Dec. 7, at 2pm there is going to be a “Two Wheel Parade” featuring Santa in his newly acquired antique sleigh and the LIGHTING of the BRIDGES at 5pm. We’ve never looked so good! For all of you who have visited Medicine Park sometime in your past, it would be a wonderful time to come back. There are shops to buy a unique Christmas present and entertainment happening at the same time! Also, (speaking of bricks) you can purchase your very own engraved brick (with 2 lines or 30 spaces) that will be placed in “Phase Two” sidewalks now under construction for only $25. I’m sending a picture of the brick available. This place is Happenin’! Ya’ll come join us this Saturday! Joy at “The Purple Parrot Art Gallery & Such” Medicine Park, Oklahoma https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/medbrick.jpg
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“Butch: During the summer of 1953 I worked out of El Reno on the old Rock Island Railroad as a brakeman. El Reno was a “rail head” ( main junction point) for the Rock Island in Oklahoma for its north-south (Wichita to Ft. Worth) and east-west (Memphis to Tucumcari) lines. Typically, a train consisted of three diesel units, about thirty-five to forty boxcars per diesel unit, and the caboose at the back. In those days a train crew consisted of five men–engineer, fireman, two brakemen, and the conductor. One brakeman rode up front in the diesel engine with the engineer and fireman. The other brakeman rode at the back in the caboose with the conductor. The conductor was the man in charge of the crew and took care of all the paperwork. In the “real old” days the brakemen had to run along the tops of the boxcars hand setting the brakes on each one to stop the train. With the invention of the pneumatic air brake by Westinghouse that became unnecessary. The engineer could “set” (apply) the brakes from the engine to slow or stop the train. Afterwards, the brakeman’s main function was to check the train in the train yard to be sure all the hoses were connected between all the box cars from the engine to the caboose. His job was also to “pump up” the brake system and test it to be sure it was functional. The “head” (front) brakeman was responsible to throw the right switches and guide the engineer taking the train from the train yard onto the main line. The brakeman in the caboose at the back with the conductor was responsible to close switches behind the train as it pulled out of the train yard and onto the main line. All brakeman instructions were conveyed to the engineer by hand signals, or if night time, by lantern signals. While the train was enroute it was the responsibility of both brakemen to constantly observe the train on curves checking for “hot boxes” (over heated wheel bearings) on the boxcars and the general good condition of the rolling stock. Tank cars containing flammable or hazardous materials were embedded in the middle of the train for safety reasons. Should it become necessary to set off one or several box cars on a siding the brakemen acted as switchmen to disconnect the cars and air hoses, guide the engineer to set out the cars, and re-make the air hose hook ups. Cabooses came in all sizes and shapes depending on the individual railroads. The Rock Island cabooses were very similar to the Frisco caboose in your photo taken at Pauls Valley. The cupola on top with the windows had seats where the brakeman sat to watch out the windows to observe the train. On the Rock Island we called the caboose a “crummy”. It had rough bunk beds for the five crewmen, a small desk area for the conductor, a pot bellied stove for heat in the winter time, a small coal bin, some storage, and a wood plank floor. It was our home away from home such as it was. My wife always packed a large lunch pail with enough food for two days. When we reached our turn around point the caboose was set off on the caboose track. We would sleep eight hours and then be ready to reverse the process to return to El Reno. The caboose and brakeman became the victim of modern technology with heat scanners which detect over heated wheel bearings, scanners to scan the boxcar identifications, two-way radio communications with the engineer, and computers to do the paperwork. The transition was gradual through the late 1960’s. I don’t really know the details because I’m an old guy and retired, but I think the trains today are operated by an engineer and an assistant there just for safety reasons. I am a novice train buff and have a number of books and videos about trains and photographs of the old steam locomotives. I appreciate your photos from Pauls Valley. I printed them and will put them with my collection of train photos.” -Don Davidson, Brenham, Texas.
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“Does anyone remember the Mulkey Hotel and the restaurant in the south part of it . Or the old Red Ball Cafe across the street in front, both were ran by Floyd Jones first the Red Ball Cafe and then later the Mulkey Cafe. The Ford Hotel was a few doors south on Washington street and around the corner to the east on East Broadway was the Knox Hotel that had a very well known history. In the 60s the Daily Ardmoreite was also on North Washington just north of Hudson-Houston Lumber Co, all in the same 100 block. KVSO or KXII had a office up above the Daily Ardmoreite also I think. There was a barber shop ran by a man we called Preacher he cut hair for 25 cents a head. And another cafe called Ed’s I think between Broadway and Second N.W. on Washington St, all in the same block I can’t remember it the bicycle shop was there then or not, this was all in about 1964 or 1965 I remember watching them redo the old Ardmore Hotel and turning it in to the Lincoln Bank and people saying they weren’t going to put their money in a bank that was in a mobile home (their temporary office) that some one might drive away with bank , money and All. I was going to school at the old Ardmore Jr High and watched them through the windows on the second floor I also remember Caddo Street and some of the beer joint on it The Blue Front, Mary’s, The Friendly Dog House, Caddo Bar. I remember going to the show and going down Caddo street there would be drunks laying against the building and on the sidewalks passed out and some times there where puddles of blood from fights or knifings in front of the bars. One bar was the Budweiser Bar I think, any way it had swinging doors on it. You had to be careful passing that one, some times some one would come flying out not of their own freewill. I have always loved Ardmore and it’s rich history I have been lucky to have seen Caddo street so crowded on Saturday years age with people selling produce and shopping that it was hard to get down the street when I was a boy. And to have meet some of the old timers that made some of it’s history like Ance Rogers and old cowboy that was still drinking on Caddo in the mid 1970s he was almost a hundred then. Some of the old timer what some folks called winos that were living pages of history And could tell a youngster of old fights and old tells of long ago that he later would find that were all true. I have a lot of love for Ardmore and her people and the time that I grew up in. Butch you do a great service to Ardmore with your “This and That” newsletter and I salute you.” -Luther L. Wooley [email protected]
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” hi Butch, I been having fun on these, just type in oklahoma and you’ll find earth cams for oklahoma too.”
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“Just a comment about Mrs. Bridges. She always wore large earrings. Jefferson School presented her with a plaque one year. Mr. Bridges stood up and said that if they had given her two that she would have worn them as earrings.”
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“Thanks to the person that sent the picture of the Guess brothers. Bill Guess was my uncle, his first wife Bonnie was my mother’s oldest sister and my favorite aunt. I remember his brothers too. The night Henry was killed the police called my dad to ask him to notify Uncle Bill and the others. They were apprehensive for the “Guess Boys” to come back for their baby brothers funeral. Bill especially had a reputation. I was about 12 when that happened and I remember that call at night. I enjoyed seeing the picture and to see all of them. Uncle Bill was such a tall man and most of the others were too. Please leave my email address in this, I would like to hear from the person that sent the picture.” [email protected]
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“Hi Butch, There are still some streets in Purcell that are original red brick. I work for a asphalt supplier and was on a job paving streets in downtown Purcell a couple years ago. We had to work on a Sunday when the stores were closed and traffic would be minimal. Tack oil is used to adhere the new asphalt to the old asphalt. Tack oil is very sticky and sticks to anything. The tack oil would get on our truck tires, then as we leave the construction area, you can see the tack oil trail. The sections of red brick we had to drive on to get to or leaving the job, were covered with sand. This kept our truck tires from leaving tracks on the red bricks, as we drove across them. Keep on Trucking.” -Danny
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“My dad was a crash truck foreman at Ardmore Army Air Base at the end of WWII. Someday soon I hope to open up his old cedar chest and scan you some good photos of the time. No promise as to when.” -T. E. (Thal) McGinness, Houston, TX.
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“Could you tell me where they keep the hosp. records from Adventist hosp. When they closed. i was in osteopathic hosp. on jan. 25th and 26th of 1970. Was its name osteopathic before it was adventist. THE hosp. there in ardmore told me they had destroyed all records, i don’t think they have.”
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“The mention of O. R. Bridges brought back many fond memories to me. He was my Math teacher at Russell High School in Durant. I do not remember if he was also a college teacher but he must have been since this school was connected with Southeastern. He was also a great friend of my father. I remember Mrs. Bridges as a sweet, kind person.” -June Sullivan Maxey
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“Hello Butch, I wonder if you could tell me where I can get the Murray County History book? Perhaps one of your many readers, fans and followers (J) would have an extra copy that they would let me purchase? Thank you for your helpfulness, kindnesses and all that you do for us. Best wishes and may you have a glorious Christmas.” -Carolyn Coughlin, A happy reader, fan and follower..(J).
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Hi Butch, Really enjoy the newsletter each week. Keep up the good work. Don’t know if you have been keeping up with my column in the Ardmoreite but I’ve been sharing holiday memories and plan to keep it going until New Year’s week. Just wanted to know if you or any of your readers have a particular holiday memory you would like to share with my readers? Thanks for passing the word along. Take care. -Dianne Rankin [email protected]
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“Leroy McKee who went to school at Fox (born in 1939) passed away last week of a heart attack. His mother and father were Opal and Chester McKee. He has brothers: Delton and Ira Jim and a sister Catherine.” -Pat McKee
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“Back in 1984 the city of Pauls Valley had the bell and drivers removed. Then in 1990 went back to see the engine and talked to the city manager about the bell and drivers and other parts that were missing but was told then he did not know where they were. I am sure that city manager is long gone by now. At that time the engine was on the line to lindsay. I think the engine was moved a few years back with drivers on, so the city should have the bell? If I can find my pictures of the engine I post them.”
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“Butch, with regard to the query concerning the Pauls Valley street brick inscribed “Coffeyville, I T”, I understand most of the bricks used in the early Indian Territory towns came from brick yards located in Coffeyville, Kansas. They came by train loaded in barrels filled with straw. I happened to be in Oklahoma City when the great John A. Brown store was torn down for so called “urban renewal” there was a huge pile of bricks labeled “Coffeyville, O. T.” ie, Oklahoma Territory. Therefore, it would seem that bricks designated for Oklahoma Territory had the OT label and those marked IT were for delivery to Indian Territory. My family has a number of historic bricks but none with the IT label. Do you know whether any of the old Ardmore street bricks, or other bricks might bear an IT label. Keep up the good work.”
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“Look for Don Bridges’ first solo singer-songwriter CD, “An Ardmore Afternoon,” early in 2003.”
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“Thanks for the look at the Pauls Valley locomotive display. The 1951 is also missing the Lyden Train Indicator box. The lagging still looks intact which is rare for a loco which has been on display outside. I am sure there is a story some where about why the Frisco caboose was also put on display with the 1951.”
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“Cabooses were phased out toward the end of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. The BNSF was one of the first railroads to begin using the “Rear End Detector” in place of the caboose. If you look closely at the end of a train now days you will see a small electronic device usually mounted on the coupler at the end of the last car. This device measures air pressure, train operations, and communicates with several wayside (track side) devices that look for bad axles, bearings, etc, commonly referred to as “hot box” detectors. As you can imagine, this electronic device is more precise than the original human interaction used to help monitor these activities and readings. Consequently, the need for a brakeman or other personnel at the end of the train is no longer crucial and there is no longer the need for a caboose. Eliminating a non cargo carrying rail car was an economic benefit to the railroad. I enjoy your newsletters, keep up the good work.”
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“Hi Butch, This is my family in front of 831 G st N.E. our grandmother Carson’s house, she rented from Harber Thompson. Photo was taken back in about 1953 or 1954 (I am the small boy in front.) You can see a tiny bit of the old railroad trussle on G st N.E. in the upper right corner. They use to bring the Circus to town down the railroad track under the old trussle I was always afraid the giraffes would hit there heads on the trussle and would be hurt. They would unload the animals on East Main St and the railroad tracks downtown and walk them to the Hardy Murphy Coliseum. And use the elephants to set up the big tent. Does anyone remember that? This is the Leroy Wilson Wooley and Wanda Lee (Carson) (Oshel) Wooley family The traveling bowl pullin, cotton choppin, peach and tomatoes pickin, son of a guns.” -Luther L. Wooley [email protected] https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/wooley9.jpg
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===============================================“It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!” -Charles Dickens
See everyone next Saturday!
Butch Bridges
Lone Grove, Oklahoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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