PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected], Phone: 580-490-6823
When I was a wee teen I backed my back side up to my great grandmother, Ida Miller’s, open front room heater many a cold day on H Street NE. She had a Brooks Gas Burner. When I’d turn the natural gas valve on it higher, that blue flame would extended out from each orifice, I swear 4 inches. Sure kept a body warm.
Brooks Burner Stove Company
In 1914, William Lewis Brooks (1873-1948) perfected a gas stove/heater, for the burning of the newly available natural gas. This was a great step forward inconvenience and cleanliness for heating homes and businesses. The company was located at #17 3rd Avenue Northeast in Ardmore. The stove accomplished complete combustion of the gas, burned without odor, smoke, or fumes, and used a minimum of gas. Mr. Brooks made arrangements with Wilson Newman, a sheet metal business owner, to manufacture the stove. Stoves were in wide usage as evidenced below
1914 – 8 stoves sold annually
1915 – 250 stoves sold annually
1916 – 750 stoves sold annually
1917 – 1,250 stoves sold annually
By 1925 13,000 stoves produced annuallyAs gas became more prominent nationwide, larger industry began the development and manufacture of similar products, and the company was gradually phased out. Nevertheless, it was no doubt the pattern for many such products, and was an important addition to better living by an astute Ardmore inventor.
–Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book 1982https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/BrooksBurnerHeater.jpg
I was browsing through some 1894 insurance drawings of Ardmore and noticed a U.S. Prison that caught my attention. It was located on Minco Street (now A Street NW) just behind the old First National Bank. This finding was really new to me. I also saw a water well between Springer Street (now Washington) on Main street.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ArdmoreUSprison1894.jpg
Below is a 1930 street scene of Ardmore, Oklahoma.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ArdmoreStreetScene1930.jpg
February 1935
Dewey Merritt was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Roscoe Bearden, following a poker session in the woods near Brock. One week later, Merritt will get a new trial, because the same man’s relatives set at the council table and wept whenever Bearden’s name was mentioned. They may have prejudiced the jury, said Merritt’s.Q. Where is the world’s largest concrete totem pole?
A. Foyil, Oklahoma (NE of Tulsa). Reader Russell Martin sent in the photos below when I was there.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/TotemPoleFoyilOKa.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/TotemPoleFoyilOKb.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/TotemPoleFoyilOKc.jpg
Q. Where in a Oklahoma town is a spot said to be the “gateway to the underworld?”
A. Answer in next week’s newsletterBelow is a couple markers I made this week. This first one is Kelly a Chiwiener dog
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/KellyDogMarker.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/JohnFrancisMarker.jpg
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of March 15, 2007
Below is a photo from The Daily Ardmoreite archives of the old Hardy General Store in Gene Autry, Oklahoma. The store would later be owned by the Haneys. This photo was taken in 1918.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/HardysStore7a.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/HardysStore7b.jpg
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Last Fall I mentioned the Randols of Ardmore and that my great aunt Eva Carmon married Robert Luther Randol. I had a family newspaper clipping that told about the Randol home at 1st and C SW was being considering as the new post office back in the 50s along with a picture of the newspaper clipping. The home was damage during the 1946 tornado and was later torn down.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos6a/RandolHouseArdmore.jpg
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This week I found a photo of the original Randol house in the Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers Book as it stood around statehood (1907). Robert W. Randol (owned the Randol Hotel on Main Street where Jake Hamon lived and was shot), and R.W.’s wife Lottie (Wilkes) came to Ardmore about 1891 from Texas. Their children were, Ruby Randol Krueger, Reine Randol, Robert Luther (married my great aunt Eva Carmon) and Arch Randol. Luther graduated from Yale University and worked as a reporter for the Kansas City Star before he and Eva settled in Ft Worth where he retired after 30 years with the Ft Worth Star Telegram. Below is the photograph of the original Randol home at 1st and C SW.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/RWRandolHome.jpg
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The Wilson News June 16, 1915
During last Monday’s storm, lightning struck five oil tanks in the Healdton field, setting fire to the oil. The Dundee-Samoset Companies lost a 16,000 barrel tank; the Coline Co. a 55,000 barrel tank; three other smaller tanks were lost. The sky was black with the dense smoke from the burning for several days.Wilson Men Inventors June 16, 1915
R. H. Reed and J. L. Long, two of Wilson’s business men, have invented and patented an apparatus for prevention of fire from lightning to oil tanks. The prime cause of fire loss in the oil field is usually due to lightning striking gas, which rises from the tanks to a high point in the air above. When lightning strikes the gas the fire follows the gas down to the oil in the tank and sets it afire. Messrs. Reed and Long claim to have an apparatus that will carry this gas away from the tanks to a trap on the ground, where it can be used or stored. At least the claim is that it can be so controlled that the damage of fire from this source is reduced to the minimum. The inventors go to Tulsa next week, where they will demonstrate their invention before a gathering of oil men and insurance people.The Daily Ardmoreite 10-11-1943
A photograph of the police department made in about 1915 shows these men to have been with the department at that time: Smith Redmon, Dow Brazeil(sp), Mack Pettitt, Dick Hignight, Buck Gardenhire, Will Frasher, Ed Leach, Bob Hutchens, Walter Stroud, Tony Herz, Burleigh Johnson, Joe M. London, Dave Fraser, C. G. Simms, Lee McCoy, Bob Stacy and Dan Blackburn. Hutchens was the chief and London was the police commissioner of the city council.The Daily Ardmoreite 10-21-1943
The showing of the motion picture of chief of Police Hale Dunn and officers Bennett Wallace and Raymond Shoemaker capturing the notorious J. Harvey Bailey on the streets of Ardmore was showing at the Ritz and attracting great crowds bent on seeing how local officers turned the trick on the noted killer.The Daily Ardmoreite 10-20-1943
A. Washmood, who was sentenced to hang for his part in the Indian Policeman Ben Collins killing at Emmett, Oklahoma had his case reversed when the state criminal court of appeals held that the evidence was insufficient to warrant such a verdict. Pending the court decision Washmood was held at McAlester penitentiary. He was permittred to return here and make bond and before any further action was taken Washmood, who was 74 years old when sentenced, died.
-submitted by Mindy Taylor
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“I went today to see Radar, a nine year old Belgian draft horse that is billed by the Guinness World Record Book as the tallest living horse. He stands 19 hands, 3 1/2 inches (that’s 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches) tall at the withers. He consumes 18 pounds of grain, 40 pounds of hay and 20 gallons of water per day. He was featured at Stillwater Milling, a farm store in Davis, OK. His trainer let me into his pen to get this picture.” -Jim Dyer
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/RadarHorse.jpg
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“Butch, a friend of mine is remodeling a house in Davis, Oklahoma and when they were stripping the boards off the walls they found this old issue of the Pauls Valley Democrat from Oct. 13, 1938. I thought you might want to share the photo that I got from her.” Kathi in AR
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ArdmoreAd1938a.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ArdmoreAd1938b.jpg
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————————————————————————-Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Here is a cabinet photo taken at Jenkins Studio, Ardmore, I.T. of Estella Hutchins. Estella (1898-1900) was born in Texas and lived to the age of 2 1/2 years, and buried in Baum, Oklahoma. -Robert Hensley
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/EstellaHutchins.jpgEstella Hutchins on Find-A-Grave. Click Here
Estella’s epitaph:
“Weep not papa and mama for me,
For I am waiting in heaven for thee.”Maybe someone knows of any living kin of Estella are still in this area?
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Your reprint in the current issue of T&T of the March 15, 2007 article on Sandy’s Hamburgers brought back memories. Sandy’s was one of the first fast food places. I ate at a Sandy’s before I heard of McDonald’s. I forgot about the one in Ardmore, but remember the Sandy’s in Norman. When I went to OU in 1965 there was a Sandy’s on the drag. You could get a hamburger, fries and a strawberry milk shake for well under a dollar. That was a great value for a college kid. I had a car my freshman year, so I had lots of friends. Seems like half the dorm was at my room on Saturday saying – “Hey, John, Let’s go to Sandy’s”. I think they got bought out by Hardee’s in the early 70s. -John Bagwell
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Butch, the wellhead of Wirt Franklin’s First well is on display at the SW corner of Hwy 76 (main) and 4th in Healdton. The actual well was located in Wirt approximately 2 3/4 miles West. -Vince Freeman
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Aug. 3, 1916 – On Tuesday Dr. Tidmore broke the record on nearby town calls going to Lone Grove, Bryan, Red and Oil City, “Some Caller”.The Bryan Red school were located S.E. of Wilson 2 and 1/8th mile South on Angus Road.
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Hey Butch, I just wanted to tell you that Watchdog water alarm you recommended works like a champ. A couple of weeks ago it went off in the middle of the night and woke us up, the water heater had started leaking and I got it shut off before any damage occurred! Great call. -Johnny
https://www.amazon.com/Glentronics-WD-HWA-Basement-Watchdog-Battery/dp/B01JJJUBEM/ref=sr_1_23?keywords=watchdog+water+alarm&qid=1553196338&s=gateway&sr=8-23
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———————————————–Jimmy Crack Corn by Daniel Emmett 1846
Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care
Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care
Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care
My master’s gone awayWhen he would ride in the afternoon
I’d follow him with my hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
When bitten by the blue-tail flyChorus
One day he rode around the farm
Flies so numerous that they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
The devil take the blue-tail flyChorus
Well the pony jumped, he start, he pitch
He threw my master in the ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
The verdict was the blue-tail flyChorus
Now he lies beneath the ‘simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see
“Beneath this stone I’m forced to lie
The victim of the blue-tail fly”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4jeaaVGCA
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