This and That Newsletter
Vol 20 Issue 1040 Circulation 5,000 December 29, 2016
Ardmore, Oklahoma
My permanent email address: [email protected]
580-490-6823
Matthew Berryhill, nick named Ponkies, was born in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Ohio in 1844 and in 1860 was listed in the census as an carpenter's apprentice. Berryhill move to Texarkana, Texas in 1870 and was headed toward the new construction job call Fort Sill when he stopped in Ardmore Indian Territory in 1891 and went no further.
His career had suffered a brief Interruption called the Civil War or the War of the Rebellion or the War of Northern Aggression or the Late Unpleasantness, depending on which side you were on. Matt happened to be wearing the blue threads of the Union Army and was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga. His pride in his country and the Grand Army of the Republic never wavered. His memory of the Chickamauga battleground remains so vivid that when his grandson visited the site two generations later he had no trouble identifying the battle locations and the terrain as they had been described to him by the older soldier.
A tribute to his craftsmanship was his own house that he built at 6th Avenue and F Street Southeast (618 6th SE) before the turn of the century. It was an architectural triumph of Queen Anne design, a two-and-a-half story frame with Gingerbread trim, pressed tin ceilings, transit windows with glass tops, dormer windows frame with fish scale shingles and a wrap around porch with seven doors, the screens trimmed in scrolled wood design. The property covered an entire block although there were no city blocks at that time it was built in 1905. Shaded by large pecan trees it served him well until his wife died and his eyesight worsened to the point, that in lighting a pipe, his constant companion, he dropped the match into the cuff of his trousers, burning himself badly. Then his son, Frank, moved with his family from his adjoining house to be with his father. This is one of Ardmore's houses which has had the good fortune not yet to fall victim to the wrecking bar. -Sally Gray, Territory Town, The Ardmore Story published 2006
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillHome99a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillHome99b.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillHome99c.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillTinShop.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillTinShop2.jpg
November 1963
Reaction was generally unfavorable in Davis, Wynnewood, and Sulphur on Governor Henry Bellmon's proposal for an Ardmore-Purcell turnpike in place of Interstate 35. At the governor's suggestion, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority agreed to study the feasibility of the 55 mile pike. "He should keep his nose out and go along with the people in this area instead of letting them down. People just don't stop when they get on the turnpike," said Bill Gaskins president of the Davis Chamber of Commerce.November 1963
Water level at Mountain View Lake, north of Woodford, has dropped 13.3 feet during the latest drought. Approximately 1,100 million gallons of water have been consumed recently.November 1956
A second water well drilled near Newport is expected to be one of the best in Oklahoma. It is estimated the well, which is owned by the City of Ardmore, will pump about 600 gallons of water a minute. Eight other wells are expected to be drilled after Ardmore voters approved a $1,250,000 water bond issue.Some pavers I sandblasted recently.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/ClayBrookePaver.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JackGlazenerPaver.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/BSA/BSA_TomDunlapPaver.jpg
You can find current gas prices for a particular Oklahoma town by entering the name or zip code in the GasBuddy search box.
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/Q. What was the last state to declare Christmas a legal holiday?
A. Oklahoma in 1907.Q. Where in Oklahoma is the center of the universe?
A. Answer in next week's newsletterBelow is from This and That newsletter archives of December 28, 2002
"The old Carter County 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."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/CarterJail1915c.jpg
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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, Bernice 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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"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.. Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY ROSE BOWL." -Roy Miller, Oklahoma City
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----------------------------------------------------Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"Your mention of Mr Coleman reminds me of my HS days. I first lived on 10th SE just off C and then out C Street SE a couple of blocks from Rose Hill cemetery from the third grade until I got married so I passed his house just about daily for most of my first 21 years. My grandfather had a 1935 Standard Chevrolet Coupe while Mr Coleman owned a Master version that he drove in bad weather when he did not want to ride his bike. His had hydraulic brakes while ours had mechanical. Granddad died in 1958 and the old Chevy passed on to me. Every time I had to stand on that brake pedal to stop the coupe, I envied Mr. Coleman. I tried buying that car from him for about three years but he would just smile and shake his head." -Thal
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/colemanjones.html
"That was great seeing some info in last week's T&T on the Ardmore Rosebuds. My dad used to take me to the games as often as I could get him to. I loved Pete Ward, and even tried to hold my bat with my hands apart like he did, when I played little leagues. But, I just could hit that way so I gave it up. I was really proud when I saw he made it to the majors." -sj
"Hi Butch, I found the article and picture of the Ardmore PD very interesting, given my interest in law enforcement history. Yes, the one officer in the middle is carrying a Colt M 1911 .45 auto pistol. I imagine that he was a WWII vet that felt comfortable with that sidearm. My firearm of choice is also the M 1911. I did learn something interesting from an Oklahoma Highway Patrol commander last spring regarding why officers carried different weapons. He said it was because most furnished their own guns because the departments couldn't afford to buy handguns. There was a shortage after the war. He told me in some cases, that officers even had to use officer's weapons at shift change! The shortage continued into the 1950's. I found this out when I was trying to get names for some of the officers that were in group pictures in some of your T&T Newsletters. I didn't have much luck getting names. I did find out that they have a curator for OHP memorabilia. I just haven't been out at their headquarters yet. Maybe one day I will go out there." -Cecil
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/ArdmorePoliceCirca1950.jpg
At the link below are 10 more scans of old photographs this week. -Robert Hensley
http://oklahomahistory.net/postcardsOne of the old photographs sent in this week caught my eye. More times then not, cabinet photos submitted are by Webb Photography on Ardmore's Main street back in the day. But one this week was an Ardmore photography shop I had never heard of, The Art Studio, Mrs. Lulu Stephenson, Proprietor, Ardmore, Oklahoma.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/postcards/UnknownKids122716a.jpg
Another year is coming to a close. 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 week. 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 2017 and all its uncertainties. But we have to have faith and believe in the future. Let's all believe this simple dream.... a better 2017.
Have a safe News Years Eve, the best New Year, and I'll see you all in 2017!
Butch and Jill Bridges
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm's Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us
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