This and That Newsletter

I am always thrilled when some 'old timer' calls me and shares some piece of history. This week that very thing happened. I received a call from Iris Larson telling about her grandmother, Dona Arnold (wife of Claude Arnold), working at the "county home" back in the 1940s. The following is a summary of our conversation and things Iris remembered about the county home: The county home was located at C Street SW and Myall next to the railroad crossing at Myall. Dona Arnold was paid about $50 a month to take care of about a dozen people housed in the county home on county property. (In later years the property would be the District 3 Barn.) The people housed at the county home had no money or family or place to live, and the county took care of them. There were about 3 buildings on the property, with people housed in each one along with a cow out back for milk, a garden for vegetables, all used to help feed the residents housed in the county home. As a child Iris would sit on the porch swing at the county home and waving at the troop trains as they passed by. There were two residents of the home in particular Iris remembers, Pete Fonby and Charley Taylor. Original building was a two story, but it was razed by fire. If anyone has any memories of this county run home on C SW, send me an email. I wonder when the 'county home' first started housing indigent people?

One more note, Iris has about a 13 page hand written day-to-day ledger with some notes by Dona Arnold when she worked at the county home. I hope to have the pages scanned by next issue and on my website.

Last February we talked about Grady's Sale Barn between Davis and Sulphur and all the various items they sell. We stopped there last weekend and found they have moved on the east side of the road in a much larger metal building. The place is packed with bargains galore. I spent quite a bit of time browsing through the tool section.... they really have a lot of tool and related items. If you've not visited this place, you'll be surprised at what all they do have, and the low prices too. Here's some pictures I took.....

Across Highway 7 on the north side from Grady's Sale Barn is the new Seventh Day Adventist Church. The church is not quite finished and still stands empty the day we drove by.

Durwood, Oklahoma: Formally Yellow Hills in Carter County 7 miles east of Ardmore. Post office changed to Durwood September 11, 1891. On April 8, 1913 another post office was established a few miles east in Marshall county and designated New Durwood. Its names was changed to Durwood on October 11, 1913. In 1926 the post office was moved to Carter county The name was intended to be Deerwood, but through error the Post Office Department established the post office under the name Durwood. -from 'Oklahoma Place Names' by George Shirk.

Jill and I stopped by Hobo Joe's at Madill on our way to Durant last Saturday morning to get a cup of 55 cent coffee and see what was cooking for breakfast. I chose two eggs over easy, sausage, hash browns and white gravy and two biscuits, all for $3.75. Just like a home cooked meal.

I snapped another pic of the train memorabilia at Hobo Joe's. This one is the 1951 Gilbert Toys American Flyers train.

Upon arriving at Durant around 9:30am Saturday the downtown area was all a buzz. For several blocks around booths were being manned by vendors of all kinds, plenty live music, plenty food, plenty entertainment, a lot to see and do by kids and adults alike. For so many people to be there, they must have come from miles around.

About 5 miles north of Wapanuka, Oklahoma is a little country store that's been ran by Melvin and Mattie Hershberger for many years. His Amish store has had lots of visitors down through the years. We bought the marble cheese Melvin keeps in the fridge, and let me tell you, it may be the best cheese I've ever tasted.

Just a block east of the highway in Mill Creek, Oklahoma is the First Baptist Church. There is a really nice bell mounted at the front of the church.

But another interesting thing we saw was just across the street south from the church and bell, an old water well.

And her 3 rose bushes planted this Spring in the yard are already producing some beautiful flowers.

Joan and Chuy Serrata of California was in Ardmore last weekend for Joan's Healdton class reunion. They invited Jill and I out to eat with the group at Ponder's Restaurant last Friday evening. It was a great time, meeting everyone, listening to their school day stories, and enjoying a meal with friends.

Last Saturday on our way home from Durant's Magnolia Festival we took a side trip north to Sulphur and stopped in at Lin Chinese Restaurant for some Chinese cuisine. I must say it was some really good food at a very affordable price. My plate was $4. Here's a pic of our plates....

Speaking of good food, just when I think I'm about to run out of places to find a great hamburger, I found one of the best in Sanger, Texas at a place called Wimpie's Hamburgers. It's located one the service lane of I-35, on the west side of the interstate. Boy, do they put out a great burger.

About five miles northwest of Gainesville, Texas is where Camp Howze was located during WWII. Its behind Gainesville's Fashion Mall. There is nothing left of the base except some concrete footings where the buildings stood.

A T&T Reader sent in some pics this week of Gordon cemetery in Love county. Its located on Oswalt Road on private property.

Last week's T&T had a link to some 'ducks' at Lake Murray. Several of you wrote in to tell me they were not ducks but geese. So what can I say.... a city boy all my life, I can't get all the animals from the country correctly identified. lol. One Reader sent in the following..... ribbing me. lol

M R DUCKS!
O, NO THEY AREN'T.
O S M R 2!
NO THEY ARE GEESE...
O, U R RIGHT...S, M R GEESE.

A few months ago I talked about a spyware removal program called Spyware Terminator. After months of using it, I have taken it off my computer. It misses some spyware when it scans, that Ad-Aware and Spybot catch. I am back to using Lavasoft's Ad-Aware.....

When Jill and I were down at Lake Murray (south of the lodge) last Sunday afternoon, I noticed a Killdeer bird hanging around where we were sitting. I knew she probably had eggs laying on the ground nearby and was trying to protect them. So we got up to look and Jill spotted one egg just 6 feet from our lawn chairs.

The lowest price gas we found Monday when traveling around north Texas was at Pilot Point. Gas there was $2.89 a gallon, so we filled up.

With gas prices sky high, there may be relief in sight someday. Several inventors around the world have been working on running cars on water. One inventor in the Philippines has been steadily improving his water fueled car for 30 years. Another man in Florida, Denny Klein, now has made giant strides in his water fuel car.

Talk about future problems, if this Roy Beck guy is just half right, then it looks big problems ahead because of increased immigration into the U.S. His "Immigration by the Numbers" paints a bleak picture if they immigration growth in this country is not reduced to the more traditional level of the 1960s.

p.s. any info on braziel whether rumor, or cold hard fact will be greatly appreciated.

"The basketball picture is the Springdale basketball team some time in I think around 1961. #20 Ronnie Morrison, #66?? #10 Philip Gilliam, #77 Dewayne Darter, #00 Ronnie Vance, #30 Gary Vineyard, #22 Mike Johnson, #33 Leslie Knisley, #50 Paul Pippin, #11 Vernon Burton, #44 Jimmy Baxter, and Mr James Miller the coach. Those shorts were really short then! Hope you enjoy."

"Butch, eight of our Ardmore Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution members took a Chickasaw Nation tour in Tishomingo, with our member and tour director, Vickie Luster, on May 15, 2007. How informative and interesting! Diane Hamill, Chapter Regent, Nell Truitt, chapter chairman of American Indian committee, Nelda Keck, Rheta Schuerhoff, Royce Groeschel, Norma Jean Jones, Sharon Nelson and Vickie toured the Chickasaw Council House, Museum, Chickasaw Nation Genealogical Archive Center. The docents, Ann Fink, Beverly Brigham, Donna Webb, and Amber Underwood were all ready to tell us about the Nation from beginning to present. They explained all the archived items and told us stories of former days of the Chickasaw Nation. They answered all our questions. Riding in the SUV, Vickie took us to the Chickasaw Nation Bank, which is now the Johnston County Historical Society building, where there is a gift shop, genealogy library, and Victorian Tea Room. Lunch had been prepared by Norma Chaney, the prayer in Chickasaw language given by Hannah John Corsello, and we were entertained with local stories given by Vickie Luster and Juanita Warner. Janice Fairchild did a "show and tell" of Indian bead work - beautiful and lovely designs. After lunch and tea, we toured downtown Tishomingo, saw architecture of the churches, went through Pennington Park and viewed the Veterans' Memorial, on to Murray State College and viewed more markers, then out to the Chickasaw Manual Labor School site of 1952; Joshua Harley Cemetery; Fred Chapman Farm (Washita Farm) which was a tenant farm that had over 80 families living there 1920-1945. and viewed the remains of tenant concrete homes. Jona Reasor, Wildlife Biologist, welcomed us at the Tishomingo Wildlife Refuge and told us stories there before taking photographs of the area. The Flag of the United States of America waved softly in the warm breeze at the monument there and we realized that this day was also Armed Forces Day. We salute and honor those who maintain our nation's freedom. Historically, educationally and patriotically we enjoyed the entire day! Some photos of our trip and day are attached." -Nell Truitt, Ardmore Chapter DAR [email protected]

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while
I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more
distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any
epaulet I could have worn." -Henry David Thoreau