This and That Newsletter
Vol 14 Issue 684 Circulation 5,000 March 5, 2010
PO Box 2
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
email address: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net
580-657-8616
Last week we talked about the first location of Ardmore High school, it has always been a little confusing to me, since I've seen postcards with the location written on the back. But this week we received an email which will hopefully clear up some of the confusion:
"We have been doing research on this for several weeks, going through
Criterions, history books, newspaper excerpts and city directories at the
Ardmore Library.
First, the high school student body marched to the new building on North
Washington in the spring of 1913, not 1915. The source for this is the 1913
Criterion, complete with photos.
Second, the original high school was NOT at Stanley & G St, but Stanley and F
Street. Your own 1907 map verifies this, as do entries in several old Ardmore City
Directories at the Library. The actual street address was 615 Stanley Boulevard.
Third, the high school was not in "temporary" quarters on the second floor of
the 3rd Ward School. It was their permanent home. And the 3rd Ward school was
three stories high, not two, so the high school was on the third floor. If you
read the 1913 Criterion, you will also discover that the 3rd Ward School had
become so crowded that the Senior Class actually attended classes in the school
year 1912-1913 in the Carnegie Library building across the street. The students
called it the Carnegie Barn.
There are two written sources that verify the original high school and 3rd Ward
school were the same building. One is Ms. Zaneis' book on Carter County Schools
in 1923. The other is Paul Frame's History
of Ardmore, Oklahoma from the Earliest Beginnings to 1907. Here are the excerpts
from Frame's book which explain:
"Four small frame buildings were built in each of the wards for school houses.
The high school was on the upper floor of the third ward school building. On
September 11, 1899 all children of school age went to the school house of their
respective ward and took an examination to determine the grade to which each
should be assigned. There were some 700 white pupils and 200 Negro children in
attendance during the first year of the Ardmore Public School
System.............
........In 1903 new brick buildings were built in the first and third wards and
in 1906, $60,000.00 was spent to improve the public school system, new buildings
being constructed in the second and fourth wards.........."
One more interesting note.........In Ms. Zaneis' book, it states the first
public school building in Ardmore was the first ward school, which was housed in
the old Kings College frame building at the northwest corner of Washington and
Broadway (today, the old Elks Lodge building stands there). Mr. King had moved
his College from Ardmore to Durant in 1894. The Kings College building was only
two rooms (according to Frame's book) and was quickly outgrown. According to
Zaneis, the frame building, along with a frame Saddlery shop from Caddo Street
were then moved to the site on E St NW, where Franklin now sits. Those frame
buildings existed until 1903, when identical three-story brick buildings were
constructed in 1st and 3rd Wards.
The next mystery is this: 1st & 3rd Ward brick buildings were identical, and the
2nd and 4th Ward schools built in 1906 were also identical to each other. In
early photos of Franklin and Lincoln (also the high school), both buildings have
pitched roofs with at least three chimneys. By 1923, in the Zaneis book, the
pitched roofs of both schools have been removed, along with the chimneys, and a
brick facade has been added to the now flat roofs of both schools. Also, both
schools have added extra classrooms to the rear of their buildings. According to
the Zaneis' book, the additions were needed because of overcrowding but she does
not date the construction work. So sometime between 1913 and 1923, 1st & 3rd
Ward schools had identical renovations and additions done. But why would they
remove the pitched roofs and chimneys?
We've also been able to determine that the Gym, Superintendent's Office and Band
Room at the high school on Washington was constructed in 1942. We're waiting on
a 1942 Criterion to verify this.
Also trying to pin down the location of the football/baseball stadium for
Ardmore prior to Walker Stadium being built in 1936. Pete Pierce claims the park
was on South Washington between 4th and 5th, but I have found no indication of
that in old City Directories. The old City Directories show the "Baseball Park"
to be located at 800 C St SW (present day corner of Moore & C St SW). There is a
Criterion from 1926 and an Ardmoreite newspaper excerpt from 1924 that calls
this "Boomer Park". From 1924 through 1926, the Ardmore professional baseball
team was named the "Boomers". Paul Frame's book says it was located "at the end
of B St SW", which I assume is the same location. Frame says it was known as
"Chickasaw Park" and burned down around 1925. That might be correct, since the
Ardmore Boomers baseball team moved to Joplin, MO during the summer of 1926.
Perhaps they moved because the baseball park burned down that summer."
-Bruce
As we can see from the above, there is still more research to be done on Ardmore bygone years.
Last Fall Tim Longest painted a mural on the north wall of the old Berryhill Tin Shop on Mill Street SE in Ardmore. The mural was on the wall back in the 1940s according to a Berryhill family member. The billboard reads, Gooch's Best Spaghetti. I'm not familiar with the product but assume it was sold in the local grocery stores back in those days. Tim is a long time promoter of downtown Ardmore and believes we must preserve its history for future generations.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/GoochSpaghetti030110.jpg
This week I have been trying out a new free service called drop.io file storage. http://drop.io So I thought we'd have a little fun and try making a one minute video spot about the new Gooch's Spaghetti mural downtown. I tried first making the movie with my Olympus Stylus Camera, and then with my cell phone. Not sure what works best yet. Now don't laugh, this is my first one, but there will be lots more to come! I used http://www.mediaconverter.org to convert the camera video (MOV format) to .WMV format for uploading to http://drop.io/oklahomahistory. When I converted it from MOV to WMV format, it reduces the size of the file from 30 megs to 3 megs. Big difference.
http://drop.io/oklahomahistory
For over 2 months I've been working on converting an old Murray bike to gasoline. Since we've had so much cold, and snow and rain, I haven't worked on it much (have to work on it outside) until last weekend. Finally got it pretty much together and ready to see how she runs. I am still looking for a brake caliper and a cable assemble for the 3-Speed axle. Maybe in a few more days I'll put some gas in the tank and give it a whirl.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/GasBike022810a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/GasBike022810b.jpg
To finish the bike I need to find a front brake caliper handle and the cable to make the 3-Speed control work on the handle bar (and put the chain guard on).
Speaking of mopeds, Doug Williams saw this moped in a parking lot west of Davis, OK today.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/DavisMoped030410.jpg
I was hankering for something different for lunch this week and decided to try a Salami sandwich from Farmers Market Grocery on Mill Street SE in Ardmore. Boy was it a good one for $1.89 plus tax. Had plenty of tomatoes, pickles, onion, and lettuce, and a thick slice of Salami. My mother loved salami when she was alive and I was a teen back in the 60s. (We knew it had everything but the squeal in it, but it was good.) Hardly a week went by that she didn't buy a chuck of salami from Hunt's Grocery on 3rd NE. George Hunt was head of the meat market part of the grocery store and he'd slice it just the right thickness.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/SalamiSand030110.jpg
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html
Q. What is Oklahoma's
state folk dance?
A.
Square Dance
Q. What famous Oklahoma
pilot originated the space suit?
A. (answer in next week's issue)
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"If you took the Greater Southwest Historical Museum's online questionnaire and had difficulties submitting the complete survey, please contact Kristin Mravinec at 580-226-3857 or gshmcurator@cableone.net. A technical problem with a question caused the last page of several surveys to be submitted blank. I want to ensure that anyone who entered our $150 Gas Card drawing had their name submitted. Thank you for taking our survey. Your responses have been very helpful!" -Kristin Mravinec"I liked that part of the boy's food store, brings back memories of cold pop in the bottles, and you flipped your cap out there in the drive, there were thousands of them embedded in the front of the store." -Travis Gore
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/BoysFoodStore.jpg
"Butch, I know there will be lots of Readers that remember eating at Woolworth's. I guess it was our fast food. Anyway, thought they might enjoy looking at the menu and prices from 1957."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/WoolworthMenu1957.jpg
"This bell is located beside the Christian Church at 322 North Main Street. In 1912, the site was designated for the church by its timber giant owner Dierks Brothers Lumber Company headquartered in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The church was established in 1924 and on May 16, 1927 the bell was added. Each Sunday morning it rang faithfully to remind the town of church services." -Louise Turley, Broken Bow, Oklahoma (Hochatown)
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/BrokenBowBell021910.jpg
"I'm inclined to think that it's from the American Bell Foundry Co., Northville, MI. If that's the case, then the identification ought to be on the yoke. From what I can see, the yoke, wheel, side frames and clapper all appear to be original. Somebody did a nice job of building a support for it." -Carl Zimmerman
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/BrokenBowBell021910.jpg
Below is a link to the Oklahoma Indian-Pioneer Papers Collection ---- part of the OU Western History Collection. These primary source materials are great for teaching Oklahoma History, Local Histories, Geography, Trail of Tears, etc. I've even found some good first hand narratives on the Civil War. Great also for researching Indian Family Histories. The database is searchable by names, places, counties, topics, etc. I've spent a lot of time in this database....there are many wonderful first-hand narratives of people that lived the history. Lots you could do with it in a classroom.
http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/pioneer/
"Butch, I thought that you should include this link in your Best Hamburger Page on your website. Enjoy! "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGkBilF6GU8
"I liked that part of the Boy's Food Store, brings back memories of cold pop in the bottles, and you flipped your cap out there in the drive, there were thousands of them embedded in the asphalt in front of the store." -Travis Gore
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/BoysFoodStore.jpg
"I was wondering if anyone remembers a crowd gathering in Ardmores Central Park on Saturday evenings during the summer months back in the thirties and forties? Anyone that wanted to could sign up to sing, play an instrument, etc I was eleven years old and my Dad would sign me up to do acrobatics. I can still remember how hard that cement stage was as I flipped and flopped through my act There was such a wonderful, peaceful feeling among the crowd as everyone seemed to enjoy the performers and clapped to show their appreciation. I believe most people back then took life easier, had less stress and enjoyed more of the simple things to bring them happiness."
"Mention of the Knox reminded me of another hotel. Wasn?t there a Murray Hotel on Main St. near Caddo? It was upstairs and the stairwell was close to Martin?s Drug Store. I can?t remember the name of the man who owned it back in the 40s but he lived across the street from my family. When I would come home from a date, he would sit in a chair in front of his window and watch my date and me. Since the light was behind him, we could see him clearly. Sometimes we would sit in our porch swing and watch him watching us. When we drove into the driveway, we would see his window shade go up. We got a lot of good laughs from his watching. He watched me much closer than my parents did. When my date would leave, the window shade would go down again. I don?t know why he left the light on."
"I lost the love of my life about 9:30 PM Tuesday night. Carrie Jane Miller is home in heaven. I will miss her more that life itself but she was ready to go. She had been in so much discomfort lately that she looked forward to her eternal home and how can I be sad for her. I am sad only for myself and look forward to the day I will she her again in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Thanking Him always for the over 63 years that we had together. Carrie Jane's body has been donated to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Bible Church soon. No time has been set at this time. In remembrance of her." -Roy Miller in OKC riprap1927@gmail.com
"I was out to the Remembrance Memorial Park at the Ardmore Airpark late yesterday to check things over. It looks like there have been some thieves around. The handle is off the faucet and it is running and appears to have been for quite a while. I had not noticed the rust cover before where the water is hitting it. I didn?t attempt to work on it as I didn?t have tools with me. One of the concrete pavers is missing also. Maybe the weather is the culprit."
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/Memorial022810a.jpg
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/Memorial022810b.jpg
This photo was taken June 26, 2007
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/AirbaseMemorial062607a.jpg
This photo was taken October 2009
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/Memorial010409b.jpg
"Butch, I don?t know if I mentioned it, but I write a weekly column for the Lindsay Letter (Texas)." -Jim Hubbell
The Ada, OK genealogy society now has their criminal records online for 1902 - 1909
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okpontgs/criminal.html
Dude the Rooster and his hens in the UK put up a fight and the fox lost the battle. http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/blogs/edblog.aspx?PostURL=http%3A//www.eveningstar.co.uk/cs_es/cs/blogs/edblog/archive/2010/03/03/2023198.aspx
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."
-William Wordsworth
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a
minute!
http://www.CheapLongDistance.org
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells:
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
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 schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com
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