PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402

Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823

City Drug Store

In 1888 W.B. Frame came to Ardmore from Dexter, Texas and promptly established a store called Frame, Green, and Company. His partner was William Green, and the location was on the north side of Main Street in the present 100 block. After 10 years of partnership, William Green chose to work in real estate, and the store was renamed the City Drug Store, W. B. Frame, proprietor. In addition to drugs, it had paint, saddles, wallpaper, clothing, etc. The Main Street well stood almost directly in front of the store.

About 1912 the City Drug Store was moved to the northeast corner of Main and Washington streets, and Tom Frame, W.B. Frame’s second son, was operating it. W.B. had gone into politics as the first Carter County Clerk. In 1915, V. A. Gravitt came from Kansas City to operate the store in association with H. W. Stark.

In 1919, a new proprietor arrived from Kansas by the name of W. R. Shackelford. He was joined that same year by a young graduate of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Ira C. Vickers. Twenty-five years later, Ira bought the store and operated a total of 45 years. At the end of the year 1964 the store closed, and the historic business left Ardmore streets.
-Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book 1982

Q.  The haunted Parallel Forest in Oklahoma is not for the faint of heart. Where is it located?
A.  Parallel Forest is located 20 miles NW of Lawton and was built by the federal government as an experiment to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl. Over 20,000 red cedars were planted exactly 6 feet apart in every direction on over 16 acres. CLICK HERE for more info.

Q.  Where in Oklahoma is the quirky, right of a flintstone movie, is the Cave House located?
A.  Answer in next week’s newsletter

March 1984
Charges have been filed against prison escapee Steve Griffith and the death of a Maysville man, whose body was discovered in northwest Lone Grove. The badly decomposed decomposed body of 63 year old Everett Hart was found in an abandoned house just south of the Blue Ribbon Church of Lone Grove.

March 1935
Camp School and teacherage located northwest of Healton was destroyed by fire. School was in session. The fire originated in the teacherage and could not be subdued. Both buildings together with fixtures and contents are a total loss. Camp School, failing to qualify for state aid, will not reopen. They’re building was valued at $4,500. Teachers were Mr and Mrs W. V. Hamby.

March 1935
Two young men, unmask, and armed with a machine gun, held up R.H. Turner of Lone Grove. The bandits took $210 from Turner. No trace of the car nor the two stickup men has been found. Following the robbery the bandits told Turner to get out of the car and drive it away.

March 1935
Wild geese got lost in the fog on Sunday night and it was not until daylight Monday morning that they were able to see their way to safety. This area has been a beacon that always beckons geese and ducks, and invariably the fowls get lost and keep people awake with their constant honking. Authorities say the season is closed and it is against the law to shoot a gun at the birds.

Below is a couple markers I made this week.

https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/ThomasMagruderMarker.jpg

https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/WilfordRogersBrickFallsCreek.jpg

Below is from This and That newsletter archives of April 19, 2007

Below is a pic of the Royal Roller Rink of Ardmore back in 1907. If you’ve read Sally Gray’s book ‘Territory Town’ you might remember ( Book Index ) in 1906 the Ardmore Pastors Association condemned the roller rinks because they were dangerous, hurtful to women, moral influence was questionable, they were expensive and useless, and walking was safer and better.”
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/RoyalRollerRink1907.jpg
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Below is a pic from my days with Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service here in Ardmore. This particular pic, and I have more to show in future issues, is one of myself and Joe Pack giving CPR instructions while Mrs. Wayne Merritt looks on. This was in 1977.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/BridgesPackMerritt1977.jpg
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The CPR class was held at the old Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) office at #16 B Street NW just north of Main Street. I remember going there with my mom in the 50s and watching cooking classes (using gas of course) in the evenings. Many times there was standing room only in the Meeting Room. Today that building houses offices for Samedan Oil.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/OldONGbuilding.jpg
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I remember as a kid back in the 60s at Washington School in the NE part of town, we’d have fire drills on a regular basis. Right across the hall south from the Principal’s Office was the fire alarm bell. Sometimes when no one was looking someone would pull the rope during breaks. If he got caught, it was to the principal’s office for a whooping. Here is a pic I snapped of a bell just like we had at Washington school, in fact, it may be that bell.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/GradeSchoolBell.jpg
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Picture of the Palace Hotel in downtown Ardmore
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PalaceHotelArdmore1917.jpg
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“Sisters Lawana, Jean and Jan Stewart worked at Hamburger Inn for years.”
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..

Butch, here is a very rare Ardmore history photo taken in 1913 of Buck Garrett and son Raymond campaigning for Woodrow Wilson (note the flags on the horse, ribbon on Buck’s coat and photo of Wilson on the horse). The rider to the left of Buck looks to be either a small man or kid, unknown who it is. They are posed in the alley behind the old Stolfa Hardware building just off North Washington St. In the background you can see the Winsor Hotel, this hotel burned to the ground a few years after this photo was taken.

Sheriff Buck Garrett was born May 24th, 1871 in Tennessee and Died May 6, 1929 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery , Ardmore, Ok. He would be age 42 in the photo.

Raymond Garrett was born March 10th ,1898 in Ardmore, I.T. and died January 14, 1965 in Orange county, California. He is also buried at Rose Hill Cemetery. He would be age 15 in the photo -submitted by Robert Hensley

https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/BuckGarrettAndSon1913.jpg
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When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost. -Billy Graham

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

“Friends Make Life Worth Living”PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

https://oklahomahistory.net

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