PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
Dr. J. L. and Mae (Morse) Cox
James Lloyd “J. L.” Cox (1880-1966), one of the early Ardmore physicians, was born November 5, 1880 in Georgia. His father was Pete “Bud” Cox and he spent his last years in Ardmore. J. L. had two brothers: Lucien Cox, that ran a loan office in Ardmore; and Shannon Cox, that was associated with the ice plant here.
In 1905 J. L. received his M.D. degree from Memphis Medical School, now the University of Tennessee. He practiced at McMillan, Indian Territory but in 1908 came to Ardmore where he remained 58 years. He was a general practitioner and was initially the city physician for Ardmore. He practiced in the days when many visits were house calls. His first office was over the City Drug Store, was later above the Exchange National Bank at the corner of A and Main Streets, then lastly in what is now the Ardmoreite Building.
Dr. Cox had a stepson by his first marriage, George Anderson, for whom the American Legion Post in Ardmore was named. In 1936 Dr. Cox married Mae (Morse) Cox (1903-2000) who had been a part of his office staff for several years. Mae is a true pioneer of this area, being born near Lone Grove, Pickens County, September 4, 1903. Her parents were Wade and Ollie (Paschall) Morris. Wade was postmaster and operated a store in Lone Grove, then lived in Ardmore in his later years. Mae’s siblings are Otis Morse, who worked in the post office for 35 years, Pinker (Miss Homer Smith), and Raymond Morse. The Morses came to Indian Territory in 1897 from Texas.
Dr. Cox practiced in Ardmore until 1966 when he died.
-Indian Territory and Carter County Pioneers book 1982
There was a great turnout of friends this afternoon at Helen McReynolds retirement party. Great memories and kudos to a deserving lady after 35 years of public service at the Carter County Election Board.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19b/HelenMcReynolds112019.jpg
October 1994
Carter County Sheriff Bill Noland told County Commissioners that Ardmore is interested in closing their City jail and bring prisoners to the Carter County Detention Center. “We don’t really need two operating jails in Ardmore. That’s duplication of insurance, salaries, maintenance and a bunch of other costs to consider.”
Q. Who was the world’s greatest athlete born in 1888 in Indian Territory?
A. Oklahoma born Jim Thorpe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a 1940s paddlewheel boat like the Mississippi paddleboat Belle of Louisville?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
There was a great turnout of friends Wednesday afternoon at Helen McReynolds retirement party. Great memories and kudos to a deserving lady after 35 years of public service at the Carter County Election Board.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19b/HelenMcReynolds112019.jpg
A couple bricks I sandblasted this week.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/TippyAndSabastanPaver.jpg
Below is from This and That newsletter archives of November 22, 2007
I never know what history will come to me the plain old fashion way (instead of email) by the U.S. Post Office. This week I received a letter from Norma Lowery in Texas and inside were several old postcards. When I look back over the past 11 years there has been so many of you who have shared your history here every week, and from the resulting emails, it is appreciated by so many all over the country and overseas. I can not name everyone here who has contributed, but you know who you are, and it is appreciated me and so many others. Thanks Norma.
This first postcard from Norma is the Bromide Bridge, and looks like the present day Lincoln Bridge before it was replaced by a stone bridge??
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/BromideBridgeSulphur.jpgThis next old post card was the Palace Hotel in Sulphur.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/PalaceHotelSulphur.jpgAnd this one I sure never heard of, don’t remember ever seeing anything like it at Sulphur…. called Beauty Spring.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/BeautySpringSulphur.jpgOf course this one is just an older photo of Lincoln Bridge as it is today.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/LincolnBridgeSulphur.jpgAlso in the envelope with the postcards was a copy of an old Devils Den flyer. Boy, I never realized there was so many attractions with names a Devils Den years ago. Let see…. Indian head rock, devil’s bed, bonnet rock, man in the moon rock, devil’s throne, devil’s backbone, submarine rock, devil’s harp, mushroom rock, devil’s bathtub just to name a few.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/DevilsDenFlyer7a.jpgI see the name H.F. Greenfield, Jr of Tishomingo as a contact person on this old Devils Den brochure. I wonder if he was the original owner?
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/DevilsDenFlyer7b.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/DevilsDenFlyer7c.jpg
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“Doug is probably too young to remember the Whittington Park swimming pool. There was a wading pool in the park across the street North of the swimming pool. I know the pool and skating rink were still open in 1948 because at that time my husband and I lived at 503 Park St. We had the only acre of land in what is now the Fairgrounds that did not belong to the city of Ardmore. We sold to them in 1949. I believe the swimming pool closed in the 50s but the wading pool remained open for several more years. The larger pool was filled with dirt. In the late 50s or early 60s there was a big barbeque at Whittington Park to celebrate Ardmore’s birthday. Several ranchers donated steers and the beef was cooked by burying it in the old pool. I guess with coals or something to cook it. Several individuals cooked large amounts at home. I cooked twenty pounds in my roaster. The Home Demonstration Clubs served the dinner from large galvanized trash cans. Needless to say there was a huge crowd there to celebrate with a free dinner. As someone mentioned before, there was a skating rink above the dressing rooms for the swimming pool. The rink stayed open after the pool closed. Life was so good in those days. Life is still good. I just can’t do the things I used to do.” -Frances Dunlap
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I’m sending you some more aerial shots of Ardmore I thought you might like to see. They were taken at the same time, 1953, as the one of the Skyview.” -Bill Bow
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ArdmoreAerial1954a.jpghttps://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ArdmoreAerial1954b.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/ArdmoreAerial1954c.jpg
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Museum Memories
-Contributed by Melinda Taylor
The Wilson News
7-14-1915
“Fruit Demonstration Car”
The Frisco fruit demonstration car is due to arrive in Ardmore Thursday, July 15. The car will be in charge of Ashley Bales, agricultural agent for the Frisco Company. The Frisco Company extends an invitation to all peach growers to attend the demonstrations given on the car.
7-14-1915
“Wilson Fruit Growers Ship First Car Peaches”
Fruit growers from the neighborhood of Wilson and Hewitt shipped a car of early peaches from Wilson Saturday. The variety shipped was the “Mamie Ross.” Elbertas are not quite ready for shipment. The crop now promises to be the largest ever grown in this section of the state. There is considerable difficulty in finding baskets and crates enough to handle the crop.
7-21-1915
“Uncle Dick” Bynum has shipped his second car of Elbertas this year. They go to the Chicago market where they bring top prices.
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few days ago Jill and I was over at Pat and Herb Upchurch’s ponderosa in SE Ardmore picking persimmons from trees on their
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/DrumRocks.jpg
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————————————————————————-Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Q. Hi there… I’ve enjoyed reading your site on occasion, and saw some photos that you had of the old artesian well up Woodford way. Mrs. Q and I drove past there yesterday, just enjoying the scenery, and got a few photos. That old structure could use some serious rehabilitation, but we enjoyed watching Mother Nature making the water bubble. Anyways, I saw in one of your old photos that there was a sign there at one point, but I couldn’t make out the text. Do you still have that photo or a copy of what it said? Thanks, and greetings from south of the Red River, -Steve Quarrella “de Vil”, Argyle, TX
A. Here are some pictures I took in 2001 including one of the sign.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15b/WoodfordWellC.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15b/WoodfordWellB.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos15b/WoodfordWellA.jpg
These are 2 pictures of the Woodford artisan water well I took in 2005
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/WoodfordSulphur5a.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos5a/WoodfordSulphur5b.jpg
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Q. Do you, per chance, know where Edwardsville, Oklahoma was?A. In Custer County, 3 miles south of Butler. A post office from August 2, 1894 to August 15, 1906. No longer in existence, it was named for John A. Edwards, first postmaster. -OKLAHOMA PLACE NAMES by George H. Shirk
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———————————————–The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. –Abe Lemons
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