Ardmore, Oklahoma
Email: butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net, Phone: 580-490-6823
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us,
What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
A Glimpse Into The Past
The Daily Ardmoreite
December 11, 1930
Two Women Companions of Slayers Are Jailed Here.
Carter County Deputy Sheriff Con Keirsey, 36, for the last 10 years a colorful and widely known figure in the annals of crime investigation in Oklahoma, died at 3 o’clock, Thursday morning of gunshot wounds received at 5:30 o’clock Wednesday afternoon when he and Vernon D. Cason, undersheriff, attempted to investigate the reported theft of a car at Wirt. Cason, shot through the abdomen, is at the Hardy sanitarium in a serious, although not critical, condition. He was shot at the same time Keirsey was mortally wounded.
Meantime, a vast net has been thrown over all Oklahoma and north Texas in an effort to apprehend D.I Davis, 25, and Colquitt Davis, 23, alleged bank robbers and hijackers, who slew Keirsey and wounded Cason. The fugitives are believed to be traveling in Keirsey’s red Chrysler sedan, 1929 model. They were last heard of at 6:30 o’clock Wednesday evening in Ringling.
There, they visited the office of Dr. S.M. Edwards, pioneer physician, and demanded that he give the older man surgical attention. Edwards did so, dressing a flesh wound in both of Davis’s arms. He had been shot by Cason after the officer had fallen to the floor.
According to the best available reports of the affair, Keirsey and officer Cason were called to Wirt late Wednesday to investigate a report that a stolen car was in the vicinity. The suspected car was seen parked in front of a three room shack in the town of Wirt. Finding the front door locked, the two officers went around the house to the rear. Two back doors – opening into different rooms – were revealed. Keirsey knocked on one of these and an elderly woman came to the door. She admitted the officer.
Tuesday January 18th was a beautiful WARM day (over 70) here in southern Oklahoma compared compared to ICE COLD today. I decided to go in my workshop Tuesday and make a memorial plaque for Con Keirsey. It will soon be placed on his gravesite in Ardmore’s Rosehill Cemetery when the weather improves. I had been thinking about doing this for nearly 2 years. Deputy Sheriff Con Keirsey is the only sheriffs officer killed in the line of duty since we became a state in 1907.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos22a/ConKeirseyMemorialPlaque.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos22a/ConKeirseyGrave.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/keirsey.html
Below is a great photograph of Daubes Department store in Ardmore – 1944.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos22a/Daubes1944.jpg
Club Avalon back in the day on South Commerce.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos22a/ClubAvalon.jpg
Still finding people in Oklahoma with unclaimed money. We’re now over the $1,763,621 dollars. Sometimes progress is slow locating people or their kin with unclaimed insurance money at the State Treasurers office in OKC but we keep moving forward.
How long has it been since you checked your name or a family member’s name? Its easy to do a search at the Oklahoma State Treasurer link below. I think every state in the union has a unclaimed property website through the respective state treasures website.
https://apps.ok.gov/unclaimed/
If you have Facebook, I created a new Page called Southern Oklahoma Unclaimed Insurance Money. The only Post that will go on that page is names and towns of people we are looking for with unclaimed money;
Q. What town in Oklahoma of less than 1,000 residents, has been struck with one tragedy after another, the residents believe their town is cursed?
A. Weleetka, Oklahoma Click here for story
Q. Where in Oklahoma is a hiking trail that’s not only surrounded by beautiful grasslands, but was once home to an 1800s battlefield?
A. Answer in next week’s newsletter
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Reading your latest This and That newsletter. For some reason, it has been stated and implied that Ardmore had the first “public” school system in either territory. This is false. There was an established “Territorial” school established in Edmond in 1889. This structure still stands on the corner of Boulevard and Second Ave.
https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.2491
Just clarifying some misinformation that has been out there… -Chris
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Q. Good evening Butch, I believe the building you have marked as the Ritz Theater was the Globe Theater. I’m sure you know that by now. Ha
Have a good week. -Bill
A. The Adelphos Theater was opened April 19, 1921. It was renamed the Ritz Theater in October 1927. The name was later changed to the Park Theater. Below is a 1956 photo of the Ritz at 117 West Main St.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos21a/AdelphosParkRitzTheater1921.jpg
Ritz Theater became Park Theater
Star Theater is what was the Stag Bar
Harry Lowenstein was the owner of the Tivoli and Ritz theaters
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos22a/100BlockEastMainNorthSide.jpg
Ardmore theaters in 1941
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/ArdmoreTheaters1941.jpg
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Below is from This and That newsletter archives of January 14, 2010
“Speaking of doing remarkable things, I?m attaching a link to a very realistic computer model of the “Miracle on the Hudson.” If you haven’t seen it, take a look. It’s fascinating, too, even tho you already know how it’s going to end.” -Bill
Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tE_5eiYn0D0#t=109
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“Hi Butch, I noticed the railroad worker’s dorm car in the photo, I remember them on the siding when they were doing rail work in Gene Autry in the 60s.” -Jerry Williams
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos9a/3rdNE_Aerial.jpg
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Fried Pie store south of Davis, Oklahoma.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos10a/FriedPies010910.jpg
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Museum Memories
Compiled by Melinda Taylor
The Wilson News
September 21, 1916
W. M. Babcock has timbers on the ground for his rig in the northwest corner of section 24-4-3, Producers Oil Company.
September 28, 1916
~ Telegraphic press reports state that Ringling is to have a nice new church. From other press reports we gather that Ringling needs a nice new addition to her jail. Love Co. News
~ E. C. Mobley is installing a gasoline station at his confectionary.
~ E. C. Mobley has purchased a new Chevrolet auto, he is not married, 26 years old and very wealthy. A good catch girls.
~ We hope to have water and lights this fall!
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Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -Thomas Edison
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges“Friends Make Life Worth Living”Ardmore, Oklahoma
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
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
https://oklahomahistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us
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