PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
I’ve been sending out my newsletter since March 1997 and every now and then I’d mention my grandfather on my mother’s side, Stanley Carmon. I’ve never gone in detail about him, nor published his information page from the Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book. My grandfather was the only father I ever knew since my mother and father were divorced when I was 6 months old. My mother never re-married and we lived with my grandparents up until I was 21 years old. Below is from the Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers about my grandfather Stanley Carmon.
Stanley Pratt Carmon, Sr.
Early Day Building ContractorStanley Pratt Carmon Sr., (1889-1969) was a self-made man. He learned the bricklaying business in his late teens in Gainesville and north Texas. When Stanley heard of the town of Ardmore, Indian Territory, was blooming, he made his way to this frontier town.
After a period of time Stanley became a capable and well-known building contractor. He was in great demand by the state of Oklahoma as a school building contractor. He built a total of 29 schools for the State of Oklahoma during the 1920s. Unfortunately the state owed him money for some of these schools when the crash came. The state was unable to pay him for the money due. However, they did promise to pay him when The Depression was over. Eventually he collected all monies due him.
Undaunted by this setback, he opened the Carmon Lumber Company at 803 3rd Avenue Northeast in Ardmore in 1930. This business was operated by Stanley and his wife, Addie Wilson Carmon (1891-1977) until he retired in 1968.
Some of the schools built by Stanley were Douglas High School gymnasium and the Berwyn school house that is now known as Gene Autry. Other schools across the state and included Zaneis, Russett Altus, Nash, and Hennessy.
He was one of the subcontractors on the Carter County Courthouse. He always said “that was one of the hardest jobs I ever did.” He often explained how “each marble slab was put in place by hand.” There were no hydraulic lifts or machinery to put the heavy granite and marble slabs in place so this was quite a feat.
He was also the building contractor for other buildings around Ardmore, many of which are still standing. Some of these include the two-story building on A Street Northeast which Mac’s Wholesale Company uses as a warehouse, C. B. Tanner grocery now occupied by Hunts Grocery, 3rd and H Street Northeast and John Small’s Bakery now occupied by Priddy Salad Dressings located at 204 H Street Northeast. Last but not least is the Swift Feed Store building across from Keys Feed Store on Caddo, as well as the Santa Fe Freight Depot, 202 East Main. This Depot is now occupied by Chief Freight Lines.
-Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book 1983 Page 598I’ve only a few pictures of my grandfather. This one is him standing in front of his lumber yard at 3rd and H Street NE in Ardmore. The photo is a little out of the ordinary for my grandfather since he wore light tan kaki pants on a daily basis.
https://oklahomahistory.net/carmon/StanleyCarmonSuite.jpg
April 1934
The country southwest of Lone Grove which has always been known to be infested by wolves “won’t have a wolf or a fox in it after the Tri-County Wolf and Fox Hunters Association gets through with its big hunt this weekend. And there won’t even be a seed tick left either,” said District Judge John Ogden. The committee in charge of the hunt includes Judge Ogden, G. C. Cummings, Doc Coffey and Grover Tipps.April 1934
Connecting with the Carter County Jail is a tunnel. Originally it was intended to convey prisoners from the county jail to the courthouse, but in recent years, it has degenerated from its original use to serve as a catch-all for rubbish and little used courthouse paraphernalia.Q. Where is the largest watermelon festival of Oklahoma held each August?
A. “It’s held at Rush Springs, Oklahoma, the watermelon capital of the world.” -Royse Samples, Cache, OklahomaQ. Built across Bird Creek in 1926, this miniature 50 yards long wood-planked suspension bridge (swinging bridge) is not for nervous pedestrians. Where in Oklahoma is it located?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletterSome pavers I sandblasted recently.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/PigletDogPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/MoreneDenneyMarker.jpg
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of June 29, 2006
Can not find my June 29, 2006 newsletter in my archives 🙁 Maybe someone out there has it on their computer, or even printed out?
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————————————————————————Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
The Dougherty, Oklahoma, Homecoming and School Reunion will be held Saturday, June 30, 2018, at the Dougherty School.
Visiting begins at 5:30pm and dinner is at 7:00pm. Anyone who has ever lived in Dougherty or went to school or church in Dougherty is welcome.
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Butch, You may have this downtown Ardmore street scene… the year I was born, 1928. -Don
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos18a/ArdmoreStreetScene1928.jpg
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“Upon re-reading that RTF document referenced in your newsletter about the Hook Nine Ranch, I discovered multiple (OCR) errors and “opportunities for improvement” so did a ‘more thorough’ “re-write” of the RTF document – while also taking the liberty to include a picture of the old Hook Nine Ranch house – while remaining “true” to the intent and content of that original Chronicles of Oklahoma source document.” -Richard (“Dick”) Dickinson, Frisco, TX
Below is a Dropbox link to the MS-Word formatted “re-write”:CLICK HERE
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———————————————–“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” —Henry Ford
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
“Friends Make Life Worth Living”PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm’s Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
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 Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us