William Shakespeare move over, I am now an instant poet.“ChatGPT, write me a poem about Ardmore, Oklahoma.” -Butch BridgesChatGPT’ response: “Beautiful Ardmore”by Butch Bridges, poet extraordinaire In Ardmore, Oklahoma, The sky seems wider than wide,Rolling hills stretch out before you, In a landscape that’s hard to hide. The town itself is charming, With its Main…

The Daily ArdmoreiteWednesday, December 7, 1977Ardmore, Oklahoma OFF DUTY AMBULANCE DRIVER CITED Passer-By Rescues Tot in Fire By Jill Murray, Ardmoreite Staff Writer An off-duty ambulance serviceman rescued a 15 month old child from a burning house at 4th and G Street NW Wednesday morning. “I was just driving by,” said Butch Bridges, who explained…

The first Hambuger Inn was across the street from where it is now at #32 North Washington, the year 1938. When Jimmy Brown, nephew of owner Ernest Brown, ran it he sent me the history below: The original place moved across the street in 1946 to 23 N. Washington, Ardmore where it still stands today,…

When I worked for the ambulance service here about 1980 a lady was taking her EMT training with us. She lived in Love county. Her parents owned a Chinese restaurant east of Marietta, Oklahoma. About once a week she would bring us Chinese food from her parents restaurant. The restaurant was called the Hickory Creek…

The Great Explosion of 1915 Engine number 729 was parked on a siding 100 yards to the north of the explosion one. The force of the explosion was enough to knock it off its rails. The Colorado, Rock island, and Pacific railroad freight Depot survived the blast. The DeWitt cigar factory, which employed 22 girls,…

The Great Fire of 1895 It was in Harper’s livery stable on North Caddo, that the Great Fire of 1895 started, wiping out or damaging all buildings in Ardmore’s business district. Forty-six structures were destroyed and nine others sustained damage. The fire burned through the area bound by A Street northwest, North Caddo, Broadway and…

The Daily Ardmoreite, September 9, 1920 City’s Water Bill Against The County Is In Controversy   At a meeting of the board of county commissioners Wednesday afternoon Joe T. Taylor, chairman, gave a few figures relative to the city’s bill presented for approval and payment, for 4 million gallons of water used during the month of…

This beautiful old building known as Bloomfield seminary at Ardmore no longer exist. Built in 1917 when the federal government purchased land 2 miles north of downtown Ardmore where Hargrove College had been moved in 1908, this new building housed the Bloomfield Academy for girls, which had previously operated near Durant. The school was later…

Whitmarsh M. Anderson (1867-1954) opened the first veterinarian hospital in southern Oklahoma. It was located about #8 East Broadway and opened in September 1915, just about the time of the Great Explosion. Anderson advertised himself as a veterinarian surgeon. His facility was the most modern of any veterinarian hospital between Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas.…

This early day barber shop has a gas heating stove in the center and gas lights. Natural gas was piped into Ardmore first from the Wheeler Field northeast of the city. W. A. Ledbetter established the Ardmore Heat and Light Company in 1907. This supply of natural gas was used up after 3 years. Healdton’s…