PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402 Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net Phone: 580-490-6823
An historic home in southwest Ardmore was heavily damaged last night during a thunderstorm. A lightning bolt stuck the home but the fire department quickly brought the blaze under control. The Queen Ann type home at 323 F Street Southwest was built in 1886 by Max Munzesheimer. Originally the house was located on the north side of East Main Street between D and E streets, being near the railroad tracks. Before statehood in 1902 or early 1903 it was moved to its present location at 323 F street Southwest. History tells us that the home was owned by three other families after 1904, J.M. and Gertrude Dodson until 1909, Horace and Pearl Sayre until 1969, and Noel and Glenda Mann after the Sayers. The Manns, have both passed away, and there are new owners of the old house.
The home was added to the National Registry of Historical Places 1982 when Noel Mann and his wife were owners of the property.
This is a pic I took of the home in March 2004.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/SayreMannHouse.jpg
And another picture I took in September 2004 when the owners were doing to remodeling.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos4a/SayreMannHouse4a.jpg
There is another home in Ardmore that may be even older than the Munzesheimer homeplace (debatable in the historical circles). Its the old Berryhill place at 618 6th SE. The Berryhills owned a tin shop in Ardmore during the city’s very first beginnings. Below are some pictures I took of the Berryhill home several years ago.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillHome99a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/BerryhillHome99b.jpg
Last Saturday Jill and I took our new Dodge Ram 1500 pickup on its first really long trip since we got it in April. One reason for the long wait was Carter County Dodge in Ardmore promised us 4 things when we bought the truck: spray-in bed liner, chrome wrap around bumper guard, chrome running boards, and heated leather seats. The first 3 things went fine, but O.C. Condulle in OKC with Condulle Mobile Services was contracted to put in the leather seats. O.C. had some delay in getting the exact color, charcoal gray, that Jill wanted. But once the seats were installed, Jill and I were completely satisfied with the quality of the leather, and the professional installation by O.C. Condulle. Needless to say we are very happy with Carter County Dodge and how they fulfilled every promise they made to us. If your looking at buying a new vehicle, stop by Carter County Dodge and talk to Bo Waddell or Mike McKinnie, tell them I sent you!
Back to our first long trip: We traveled east on Highway 70 all the way to Broken Bow. Well, almost all the way. Just past Valliant, Oklahoma we turned north on Highway 98, and took a scenic route through those pine trees. We enjoyed the over 3 hour ride, taking in the beautiful scenery of the eastern Oklahoma and the Ouachita Mountain area .
Jill had been wanting a log bench for some time and while in Broken Bow she found exactly what she wanted. River Mountain Furniture is made from local cedar trees, and is beautiful. Their display floor has a variety of log furniture, something for everyone. Marisa Karr was our salesperson, and she answered all our questions and made Jill a deal she couldn’t refuse.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/RiverMountainFurniture052612b.jpg
View of the building outside from Highway 259.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/RiverMountainFurniture052612a.jpg
So just what does the cedar bench look like? They had several different types to look at, and this is the one Jill picked.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CedarBench052612.jpg
While in Broken Bow we stopped in at Kohler’s Four Seasons Realty and found this most delightful bird. A cockatiel named Poco. And he talked with us a lot, like “Hello”, “I’m a pretty bird”, and more. We fell in love with that bird! He’s about 30 years old, and the owner has another cockatiel 60 years old. Wow!
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/cockatooBrokenBowOK052612.jpg
Here’s a pic I snapped of Poco with his head feathers standing up. When a cockatiel does this, it means he likes what you are saying, and he’s interested.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/cockatooBrokenBowOK052612b.jpg
I see the old locomotive at Broken Bow is being well taken care of. It was located where Highway 70 and Highway 259 cross. I don’t know the story behind this engine, but I would guess it played a part in the logging business years ago.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/BrokenBowLocomotive052612.jpg
Before leaving Broken Bow and heading home, we stopped at the best Mexican food restaurant I have ever eaten at. I don’t think I’ve ever had any better food. Their chips were crisp and thin, the way I like them, and their sauce was mucho bueno. My beef lunch plate was $6.25 and Jill’s chicken lunch plate was $5.95!
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/PappaPoblanos052612a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/PappaPoblanos052612b.jpg
On our way back to Ardmore Saturday afternoon about halfway between Boswell and Bennington, Oklahoma we saw 3 or 4 little hand made signs that said log furniture ahead. So we pull in and met Charles Scott the owner of this little enterprise. Did I say little? Well, he has 1,000s of board feet of local cedar. He makes furniture using his band saw (which he just sold to someone in Atoka). So he is slowing down somewhat because of health reasons, but he’s still in business. We bought two pieces of cedar, one 3 feet and the other 5 feet in length and 1 3/4 inches thick. Here’s a pic of them laying in our pickup bed.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CedarPlanks052312a.jpg
We paid $35 for the above 2 pieces. All of Charles’ cedar came from acreage he owned in either Atoka or south of Boswell. He’s got several 1,000 board feet stored in several wood sheds. Jill already had a wood base, placed the two pieces together and sanded them down smooth, and made a cedar coffee table.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CedarTable052912.jpg
Below is a pic I took of Charles while we were there. He can be reached at 580-847-2324.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/CharlesScott052612.jpg
Finding his place is on the north side of Highway 70 halfway between Boswell and Bennington. If you copy and past the GPS reading below in google or bing, it will bring up Charles’ place.
N34.02639,W095.96046
I saw an old piece of history in Ardmore’s Braums parking lot last weekend. A 1936 Ford truck turned into a camper. Might look rough on the outside, but neat on the inside.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/1936FordTruck.jpg
I needed to sharpen the 2 blades on my riding lawnmower and didn’t have an easy way to get under it. I sure didn’t want to pay a couple hundred bucks for a MoJack Easy Lawnmower lift. So I made me a lift from a couple of 2X4s and used my come-along hung from one of our sturdy oak trees, and it worked like a charm.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/MowerRepairLift052812a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/MowerRepairLift052812b.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/MowerRepairLift052812c.jpg
From This and That newsletter archives of May 29, 1999:
“Hi Butch. Years ago it was in the 70’s I went to Fort Worth on the Train, I got on the train at Ardmore and the ticket cost only 2 dollars.. A hamburger cost more than the ticket. the Burger cost 2.05 . It was a fun trip on the train. those tickets sure has gone up on the price.”
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“I found a Feb. 22, 1919 photo of Alva, Woods county, Oklahoma courthouse. I hope you can use it some how…..” -Linda
http://okielegacy.net/image/wdscocourthouse.jpg—————————————————-
“Hey Butch, Well, the end of May is almost here and it just wouldn’t be right not to mention some events that took place in May, that are significant to Ardmore’s history. The first, pioneer lawman Buck Garrett was born on May 24, in 1871, he died on May 6, 1929. And ironically enough, his long time friend and deputy, Bud Ballew, also died in May. On May 5, 1922. The link below is to an article about Garrett that ran on May 7, 1929, in the Houston Post.”
http://bsriner0.tripod.com/ballew.html
“Although I have many articles covering the shooting death of Ballew, I believe the best account of that incident was given in the Ardmore Statesman on May 11, 1922, and (for any of your readers that don’t already know this) that article can be found on your website.” -Steve Riner
https://oklahomahistory.net/Ballew1922.html
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A 1909 pic of Verdigris Ferry at Claremore, Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/VerdigrisFerry1909.jpg
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This is a building in Muskogee, Oklahoma where years ago Indian and government business was conduct.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/MuskogeeBuilding.jpg
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A couple of weeks ago a reader wrote me asking info on an area of Carter county called Breezy Point. I talked with an old timer SE of Ardmore this week and Breezy Point is located 1 mile south of Springdale Road and Harvey Road. Breezy Point was located at McLain Road and Harvey Road – Ardmore. In the SE corner of that intersection was a grocery store owned by retired railroad worker E.P. Scholz. The store went out of business during World War II. E.P. Scholz’s son, Carl Scholz, was a shoe cobbler on Main Street.
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Q. Bugtussle, Oklahoma was the proud and imaginative home of what Oklahoma Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives?
A. Carl Albert, 1908 – 2000, the Little Giant, was born in Bugtussle, Oklahoma.
Q. Where in Oklahoma was Ft. Nichols located?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area……
https://oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..Q. Butch, do you know anything about Central Park, and the cemetery that was there?
A. Feb 17, 2001. I received an email this week inquiring if there was a cemetery located near McLish street SW here in Ardmore before 1900. I contacted the number one authority in Ardmore for info on Carter county cemeteries, Bill Hamm. Below is the reply from Bill Hamm:
“When Ardmore became a city in 1887, the cemetery was on the west side of town and was called Old South. As the city began to grow the city leaders realized that the cemetery was too close to the community and decided to move it to another location. The cemetery was moved about 1895 or 1896 to its present location south of the City and the new cemetery was called New South Cemetery, later it was named Rose Hill Cemetery. When the graves that were in Old South Cemetery were moved, the workers were only able to move the graves that had markers and the rest were left behind. The area of the Old South Cemetery is now part of Central Park, the Episcopal Church and the houses west of the area. When that area was being developed it was not unusual for the builders to dig into a burial site. I have found several people who had been buried in Old South Cemetery, but could not find any record of them as being moved to Rose Hill Cemetery.” –Bill Hamm
“Dear Butch, I was so glad to find the recipe for Priddy’s dressing on the internet. Back in the late 40’s several of the high school kids in Davis would go to the tavern (restaurant) and one would order a salad. They would bring a jar of Priddy’s along with a plate of crackers with the salad. The rest of us would enjoy the crackers and dressing while the one who ordered would eat the salad. For some reason they later stopped putting the whole jar on the table! I can’t wait to make this dressing, and also sent the recipe to classmates who also remember how wonderful it was. Thank you.” -Georgia Cross Lawless, Tulsa, Ok.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/PriddySaladDressing.txt
“The last time I was in Tahlequah, Oklahoma the street signs were all in English and Cherokee (Sequoyah’s great achievement). One of the downtown banks, complete with black glass facade, had its sign in both English and Cherokee. That owner of that bank later was elected principal chief and then name the U.S. commissioner of Indian affairs. We stayed at a motel there owned by the Cherokee nation. When we went to check out they had not included the bar tab for the previous evening. Which we found out when a computerized bill came from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma with the tab enclosed. That was when not very many businesses had computers. The first commercial telephone line in Oklahoma was built between Fort Gibson and Tahlequah three years after A.G. Bell invented it. We (SW Bell) had in our files a copy of the act of the Cherokee Council granting permission for the line to be built, providing for taxes and earmarking the revenues for the common schools. It was attested by the presiding officers of both houses of the Cherokee Council (legislature) and signed by the principal chief, who could have vetoed it.” -Wes Leatherock
“By the time Carl Albert was using it in this campaign literature, Bug Tussle (north of McAlester) was mostly a ghost town, but I have heard the area had come back into favor as a resort-type and vacation area. At the time Albert was majority whip (NO. 2 in the leadership of the House, Bob Kerr was majority whip in the Senate, Sam Rayburn (just over the line in Bonham, Texas) was House speaker and LBJ was majority leader of the Senate. So Texas and Oklahoma really had their hands on the levers of power. (Carl Albert later became House speaker when Sam Rayburn retired or died.)”
Title: 1st Saturday Sale
Date: Saturday June 2, 2012
Time: 12:00 am – 12:00 pm
Repeats: This event repeats every month on the first Saturday.
Location: 1100 Woodall-Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX
http://www.SideWalkSale.com
“Help in locating: Two 1992 Plainview graduates, Jesse Kemp and Todd Perry have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines. Additionally, they have been awarded Battalion Commander posts on the same set of orders. Jesse is the son of Clyde and Jean Kemp in Ardmore. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Todd’s parents? Mr Perry was a Highway Patrolman in Ardmore several years age. For two Plainview graduates who graduated in the same class to have these equal honors is a rarity.” -Clyde Kemp clydekemp@cableone.net
Fresh, Local Food. Grown by your friends & neighbors right here in Southern Oklahoma. Open Wednesday and Saturday mornings, Ardmore, Oklahoma
The Marketplace on West Broadway
“Pennies from Heaven” is a 1936 American popular song with music by Arthur Johnston and words by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1936 film of the same name.
Every time it rains it rains
Pennies from heaven.
Don’t you know each cloud contains
Pennies from heaven.
You’ll find your fortune falling
All over town.
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down.
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers.
If you want the things you love
You must have showers.
So when you hear it thunder
Don’t run under a tree.
There’ll be pennies from heaven for you and me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-FYahFTYo
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Save on long distance calls, just a couple cents a minute!
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Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://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
https://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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