This and That
Newsletter
A Weekly Publication
Vol 17 Issue 856 Circulation 5,000 June 20, 2013
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
email address: [email protected]
580-657-8616
I posted on Facebook a question posed to me last week inquiring about Ghost Hill Church and Parker Hill School. Several people chimed in with information as to where these places are located. Come to find out both are SE of Wilson, Oklahoma and within a mile or so of each other back 50 or more years ago. Here is a summary of the conversation:
Elaine Blackburn said: "Mom and Dad said Ghost Holler Churh was there where Beaver Road and Anschultz Road T's where Buford and Maggie Loard lived with their son Troy. Ghost Holler Creek is North. Parker Hill Hill School is South of Ghost Holler Church about a mile on the SE corner. Boardtree School was east of Parker Hill school."
Elaine Blackburn said: "Do you have anything on Boardtree school? When I was little I remember going to a pasture that was an old Indian camp and found a lot of arrowheads and there was a spring well. Always fresh cold running water to would drink from. No cups needed!!!!NICE."
Elaine Blackburn said: "Rose Hill Church was 2 1/4 miles east on Anshultz Road. When it curves to the south it was there on the right hand corner."
Elaine Blackburn said: "Boardtree school is east of Parkerhill school. You could drive a ways then you would have to walk another half mile or so. You could see the chips and fragments where the Indians were working. I was young but the water coming from the ground always fascinated me."
Troy Loard said: "I grew up at Ghost Holler, My dad went to school at Boardtree, at one time he was a cook at Parker Hill school, They moved Parker Hill building behind Lone Grove School. Boardtree is 1 mile east of Parker Hill and about 3/4 mile."
There have been two or three horned toads seen in the Lone Grove area this week. I haven't seen one in 30 years or more. I thought they were extinct from southern Oklahoma, but maybe they are making a comeback.
I had an interesting message from Robert Bust this week. He gave me a summary of the different places in Ardmore where KXII television had their studio. I do not remember where the Keith Walker building was located on Stanley Street, maybe someone can tell us?
Robert Bust said:
"I started at KXII
TV
in 1963, the first office was in Keith Walker's building on Stanley. it was just
an office and I sent all the news to Sherman, Texas each day on the bus.
Then they put a studio in that small office across the street from the Goddard
center, that was where I did my first on air newscast.
Then we moved to the corner of Lincoln Center on the ground floor with studios.
In the eighties they built the present building on South Commerce where its been
since. Of course the original KXII location when I was growing up was in the 100
block of North Washington on the 2nd floor of the then Daily Ardmoreite, that
was before the Riesens sold it to the Texas family and they moved the main
station to Sherman."
This Saturday and Sunday (June 22nd and 23rd) at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur there will be a screening for the film "Cherokee Word for Water". Start times are 3:00pm both days. We can hardly wait to see this full length film. Admission is free.
Click here for more info..... "Cherokee Word for Water"
We have a lot of grapes on our 4 vines this year, thanks to the recent rains. Now to see how many make it through the grasshoppers and other bugs who come in uninvited to eat. Maybe someone can tell me how to keep those critters away.
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos13a/grapes062013.jpg
Sherry Williams Cummings had a couple original bricks from the old Ardmore school gym (faced 3rd NW). She had me sandblast an inscription on the bricks telling about how her father-in-law, Don Cummings, made the first basketball shot in the new gym in 1941 when Ardmore was playing Ada. What a neat piece of Ardmore history and gift for Fathers Day.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/DonCummingsBricks.jpg
Some are more bricks/pavers I did this week. This first one I made from a ceramic kitchen tile.
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JuneCeramicTile.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JolleyBrick.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/ChiChiBrick.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MaytubbyBricks042213.jpg
http://oklahomahistory.net/bricks
Q. Where is the oldest park in
Oklahoma?
A. Turner Falls, Davis, Oklahoma
Q. How many Oklahoma women have
been named "Miss America"?
A. (answer in next week's T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of June 20, 1998:
We've taken another giant step at the courthouse, thanks to our local cablevision company, CableOne. They installed the hardware so the sheriffs office can monitor our courthouse 24 hours a day via several video cameras! Last December we started holding Initial Appearances between the courtroom and the jail, thanks to CableOne. And soon we going to be able to connect three computer networks in three different buildings via fiber optic cables, graciously provided by CableOne. CableOne is truly a good corporate neighbor!----------------------------------------------------
I received a most interesting email this week. It was from the grandson of Dr. J.J. Boyd. Dr. Boyd (01/29/1875-02/02/1974) was a local homeopathic doctor. He was renown all over the country. I remember my mother taking me to see him when I was a child. Dr. Boyd was the only person we knew of who had a medication for poison ivy. People always went to him for that, plus any other thing that ailed them. I remember when I was about 16 years old, on a Sunday evening, I was hanging out at the Number 2 Fire Station on east main street. A pickup with a camper on it drove up. The man and woman asked if they could park their pickup next to the fire station for the night. They had driven all the way from California to get some of Dr. Boyd's sugar pills. They bought a six month supply. We called them "sugar pills" cause they were little bitty white pills, kinda looked like today's saccharin tabs. He kept them in a great big bottle, and would put them in a little, long glass pill bottle. Then Dr. Boyd would take a vial of solution (he had dozens) and pour a little over the pills, then place a cork on the bottle. I guess what amazed me about Dr. Boyd is how he would evaluate you. You would sit in this big waiting room, with the others, and with all of his horse paintings and statues. The nurse would call your name, and you'd go in and sit in front of him. Of course he'd ask what was the problem and all. Then he'd ask you several questions, like what do you eat for breakfast, etc. He'd then tell you, "I don't want you to eat any more eggs for 2 weeks", or something like that. Then he'd fix you up with a couple bottles of pills. They were $1 each! Wish I had one of them as a memento. Anyway, Dr. Boyd's grandson lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, and he sent me this photo of his grandfather. Dr. Boyd was a remarkable man...... and a legend. I doubt there are any more like him in the country.
----------------------------------------------------
"I just might have your answer to the "Tunnel on Stanley Street". The one that I remembered was at "LINCOLN SCHOOL". It was located just outside from the double doors on Stanley; next to the curb. At the time I was attending school at Lincoln, the tunnel was already closed; but the concrete banister was still there. Now that is gone and only a concrete slab remains."
----------------------------------------------------
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area......
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/index.aspx?mss=152754
Check gas prices by town or zip code anywhere in U.S.
http://www.kmov.com/traffic/gas-buddy
Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....
"You all have a great site--congratulations. Lots of work gone into it, I know. I was very interested to read your 26 Jul 2007 T&T pages on Orval Chambless-- http://www.oklahomahistory.net/newsletters/TT548.htm -- and I picked up a few more names to add to my inquiries.
I'm writing a book about the death of young girl named Billie Grayson in Lincoln County in 1941. The story connects to Chambless because the former wife of the killer took advantage of his McAlester down-time to marry Chambless. Within a few years Chambless divorced her and married her daughter. Pretty baroque.
I've recently build a "memorial" for Chambless at Find-a-Grave.com. It's not complete because I don't have a photo of the grave. He was ultimately buried in Resthaven Cemetery in Oklahoma City, which is an eeenormous place. I have to get a plot number before I can get a photo. But the memorial is searchable, and I've linked a couple of family members. Have a look:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=381088&GRid=112387887&
At any rate, I've certainly done the genealogical work on the families of Chambless and his wives, or at least the two that I know about. (They're related to a Lincoln Co. family of prominent lawyers.) I could answer questions, if anyone has any. Some of your readers may like to know that Frank St. Clair (of the "Charred Car" case, mentioned in the articles cited above) committed suicide in Dec. 1954. I have his death certificate--details available upon request.
So, if I may ask you a question, where could I access a copy of the Ardmoreite article which your email correspondent refers to? It seems to feature some photos I'd like to see. You published a kind of follow-up in March 2013, but it doesn't add much except links to old news articles.
I have a site on Lincoln County that resembles yours, but much newer and smaller. Be glad to have contributions from your readers:
http://oakgrove-pleasantridge.blogspot.jp/
Wayne Pounds, Tokyoborn Chandler, Oklahoma
Prof. of American Literature
Aoyama Gakuin University, Bldg. 15
Shibuya 4-4-25
Tokyo 110-8364 Japan
[email protected]
"I saw your note in last week's T&T about a lawyer in Ardmore named Potter. I'm a retired attorney, moving to Ardmore in the mid-sixties. At that time there was a lot of talk about a deceased lawyer named POTTERF, not Potter. Could that be the same person? I know he was a partner with Earl Gray, a distinguished University of Chicago grad. Potterf & Gray did a lot of titles, oil & gas, and probate work." -james clark, Ardmore
"I know you’ve written about Grapette pop in your T&T before. I ran across both of these websites from a cousin of mine & thought you might be interested in reading both of them. Makes me want to go to Walmart & buy a bottle of Grapette!!!" -Kathi G., Fayetteville, Arkansas
http://www.grapette.com/1939/history
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryid=2149
"We lived at the corner of E street and 8th Ave. N.W.. I too slept through the storm, though I could vaguely remember my mother coming into my bedroom and shutting the windows. The next morning we found the sign that had graced the front of the grocery store catty-corner across from Franklin School was wrapped around the swing set in our back yard. Of course when I got to school that morning I saw that all of the windows at Franklin school's auditorium had been blown out and the piano had been pushed all the way across the room to the opposite wall. Did we have more tornadoes that I have forgotten? I can remember seeing three houses over by the viaduct that had been lifted from their foundations and neatly set over on or toward the next foundation. I also remember the brick building on the southwest corner of Washington and Main streets being damaged by a tornado." -LaRita Reynes
"Butch, I had to laugh when I read Ken's experience with the shrimp in last week's newsletter. I would also like to add that it isn't shrimp the old tales are about. It is oysters. You want to avoid the warm months because of the heat and the fact that oysters mate during the summer and they don't taste as good as earlier or later in the year. When I lived in Houston, one of my favorite fishing and hunting locations was the Calcasieu River (described as the Lake Charles ship channel by Ken). It was also a great location for duck hunting which I did every year. Terry Shaughnessy, ex NFL player, started Hackberry Rod & Gun on the banks of the Calcasieu River. I had a contract each year for hunting and fishing there and was never disappointed. My customers always looked forward to those trips because it was so close to Houston and the hunting and fishing were always good. Driving to Hackberry from Houston, you drive past the Winnie, TX exit on I-10 and you want to stop there to eat at Al-T's which is one minute south off the interstate on the east side of the road. They inspired me to begin making my own chicken and sausage gumbo. Everything on the menu is good and I never travel that road without stopping to eat. When my parents lived in Fort Collins, Colorado, they had a family of skunks living under part of the house. In the evenings when they would be sitting in the yard having coffee, the mother skunk would lead her family out from under the house and down to the dog's food bowl where they would eat and return to their nest. After they were grown, they would all leave and my parents wouldn't see the female again until the next year." -Monroe Cameron
Hello Everybody:
Well, time rolls around quicker than you think; here we are again reporting on our weekly trip to Winstar's free breakfast, free and on-stage performance by The Highrollers, and free award to play our favorite gaming machine -- just for being there. Very seldom do you get a free shot at anything -- so, Jo and I show up to enjoy the freebies and test our luck about every Wednesday and Thursday. Naysayers might remark that nothing is free, and there's a catch to all the freebies. Not so: after the free buffet breakfast and two hours of headliner music, patrons are free to come and go without any demands or expectations from management. It is worth the trip just to enjoy a free breakfast and free live music . . .!
Out of Southern Oklahoma's blazing sun and heavy humidity, secure in super-cooled comfort (I wear my sweater), Jo and I enjoy the sights, sounds, and glitter of this world-class, great entertainment center. Not satisfied to just 'eat and run,' we like to soak up a little atmosphere and try our skill and luck within one or two of the world-famous landmark areas.
As the old saying goes: "I'd rather be lucky than good." True, luck plays a big part in your financial status after matching wits with the house -- and which house, knowingly, has the edge! But someone wins every minute at Winstar -- so, why not me, right? Jo is pretty tight with her financial status; but me, I'm not particular; I tell all, whether I win or lose. And -- the slots did it to me again; but remember, I mentioned not only luck but a certain level of skill as possible reward determinants. Well, though I lost a little on the slots (after about two hours of play), I had earlier handicapped Arlington Park's races for the day; therefore, accessing the well-designed Horse Parlor, I determined to recoup my losses. Only one horse in the nine races deserved a bet, and he paid enough to recoup my slot losses, plus he made me about a ten or fifteen dollar winner on the day. There's another old saying, "It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game." I think a more apodictic arrangement suits this saying and is more apropos: "How you play the game determines whether you win or lose." I'm not a good loser!
Anyway, when the chips are down, you need to stand firm. Like I always say, "God hates a quitter!"
Until next time,
Ben Winter
"Charlene's comment in last week's T'n'T about someone in CA commenting on her accent reminded me of a true story about the Murray County accent. I happen to know that Charlene grew up in Murray County. Here's the story.....A young woman from Sulphur, OK was attending a university in Florida. There was a speech professor on campus who said that just by listening to a person speak, he could tell them where they were from within about 30 miles. She decided to challenge him, so she went to his office to talk for him. He listened, then asked her to talk some more. After a while he said, "You have stumped me. Your accent is mountain. It's on the order of Ozark, but it's not Ozark." Her accent, of course, was Arbuckle Mountain. We have observed that people in Ardmore don't have this accent, but we sure do in Sulphur!" -Mary Lou
This is an easier and better method of CPR.
http://ahsc.arizona.edu/node/730
Ardmore dedication set for Civil War monument. The Sons of Confederate Veterans Oklahoma Division will dedicate a monument at noon Saturday (June 22nd) to the 190 confederate veterans buried at Rose Hill Cemetery. This monument has been years in the planning, and it's finally a reality. Very impressive.
http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3852107?access=8ccf8dde45a0f24fce71b65773d729b4
"Dorothy "Dot" McClure, retired from First National Bank and Trust is a daughter of Red Everett (Red Everett Grocery SE of Ardmore). She lives east of Ardmore and is the widow of Jack McClure. I bet she could tell you some stories of the days when the store was in operation. Red Everett's grandson, Charles Everett, lives in the Muskogee, Oklahoma area."
The quickest way to double your
money,
is fold it over and put it in your pocket. -Cowboy quote
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Nashobish Ikana
PO Box 11
Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
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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