This beautiful old building known as Bloomfield seminary at Ardmore no longer exist. Built in 1917 when the federal government purchased land 2 miles north of downtown Ardmore where Hargrove College had been moved in 1908, this new building housed the Bloomfield Academy for girls, which had previously operated near Durant. The school was later named Carter Seminary in honor of Charles D. Carter and his family. -Courtesy of Sally Gray
Cashway Lumber Company in SE corner of A Street and 3rd NE. c.1963
The Daily Ardmoreite January 1, 1928
Pecan Trees Planted On Courthouse Lawn
Two pecan trees have been set out in the courthouse lawn by O. K. Darden, county commissioner. The trees are of the famous Mahan variety.
When Darden attended the National Pecan Growers convention at Shreveport in the fall the Mahan growers said they would present him with a couple of trees and he told them that he would plant them on the courthouse lawn.
The Daily Ardmoreite January 1, 1928
Dr. Broadway Home From Visit To Mother
Dr. F. W. Broadway (residence 1103 Stanley), Ardmore physician and surgeon, is home from Malone, New York where he visited his mother who has been seriously ill. Mrs Broadway lives in Malone, New York 65 miles from New York City. The weather is very cold in that section with 4 feet of snow on the ground, Broadway says.
Lieut. William Santelmann 1902-1984
Mannsville, Oklahoma
Located in Johnston County’s southwestern corner, Mannsville lies on U.S. Highway 177/State Highway 199, seventeen miles east of Ardmore. The area served as home to Chickasaw who were removed from the Southeastern United States in the early to mid-nineteenth century and was in the Chickasaw Nation from 1855 to 1907 statehood. The community coalesced in the mid-1880s and received a U.S. postal designation in August 1888, with Wallace A. Mann the first postmaster. The town name honored the Mann family, early settlers. In 1898, after the Curtis Act stripped the Five Tribes of most of their governmental powers and allowed towns to incorporate through the U.S. court system, the town incorporated and held its first municipal elections in June.
In 1900 Mannsville’s population stood at 198. In 1901 two doctors, three grocers, two general stores, two drugstores, one newspaper, the Mannsville Times, and a gin and mill serviced the town and surrounding farmers. The Mannsville News, Mannsville Monitor, and the Mannsville Herald also reported to the town in the early twentieth century. In 1902 the Western Oklahoma Railroad, which became the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad in May of that year, laid tracks through the vicinity. The town moved less than one mile to the railroad bed. Prior to Chickasaw allotment the town was surveyed and platted, which the U.S. Department of Interior approved in August 1903. By 1911 the population had grown to more than five hundred and the town had a bank, an oil and milling company, a lumber company, a photographer, a mill and elevator company, a doctor, a confectionery, and several other retail outlets. The number of residents continued to increase, reaching 639 in 1920, but declined rapidly as the Great Depression affected the area, with a mark of 372 in 1930 and 359 in 1940.
In 1935 a tornado destroyed the school, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a new building in 1937. The St. Louis and San Francisco Railway purchased the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad in 1940. In 1946 a lumber company, a trucking business, and a cotton oil company operated in the town, along with several gas stations and a grocery store. The 1950 population was 311, but the count fell to 297 in 1960 before climbing to 364 in 1970. In 1968 the town started a volunteer fire department, purchasing a fire truck with municipal funds. Throughout the twentieth century the town has served area farmers and ranchers. The Texoma/Washita Wildlife Management Area, one mile east of town, and Lake Texoma’s northern-most appendage, approximately twelve miles east, attract outdoor enthusiasts, enhancing the community’s retail commerce. In 1980 the population stood at 568, declining to 396 in 1990. In 2000 the Mannsville kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school system enrolled 104 students. By that time the population rebounded to 587, and by 2010 it had boomed to 863. -Rick Peoples and Facebook
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
Butch, in last weeks newsletter I could not tell if the comment about
the Chili Bowl was your comment or someone else comment.
In any case Google “when did Chili Bowl start” and you will find that it
was started in Tulsa in 1987 by Lanny Edwards and Emmet Hahn. Lanny
owned the Devils Bowl in Dallas, also Lawton Speedway and for many years
was the promoter at the State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. Emmet was
the founder of the present day ASCS sprint car circuit, was for many
years himself a driver. The first sponsor was Bobby Berryhill, who
owned a food service company which made a product called “Original Chili
Bowl” therefore the race named Chili Bowl. Thanks –Jim Wilmoth
Below is a picture of the staff of Tyler and Simpson Wholesale Co. in Ardmore. Back of picture is stamped Jan 5, 1950 Fonville Studio Ardmore Oklahoma. That’s a name I haven’t heard in while. Fonville was the main studio in Ardmore when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s. Another name I haven’t heard in a while is Mrs. Tucker’s. This was a major brand of shortening in the 50s. I was surprised to find out that it is still sold. I haven’t seen it in years in a store, but found it online. It clearly doesn’t have the following it once had. I think Tyler and Simpson was the main distributor of it at that time. My mother always cooked with Mrs Tucker. I don’t know if that was because she liked it or because she wanted to support the business that my father worked at. Knowing my Dad, he probably got a discount! My father , Richard Bagwell, is the one of the far right of the picture. There was no other notation on the picture. Perhaps others can recognize those in the photo. Tyler and Simpson was located where Bluebonnet Feed is now. -John Bagwell
Ada, Oklahoma Main Street 1915 when they got a new fire truck and are showing it off. -Robert Hensley
Q. Butch Bridges, I have a question for you. I have a painting here of an old building that was once in Ardmore on 4th street NW. It was there forever, but I never knew what it was, originally. Hoping you can enlighten me. Thanks! -Gina
A. It was the Happy Hollow Sports Center. The water wheel was part of the miniature golf course by John Harlow. Located at 2115 4th NW where the Ardmore Janitorial Supply is located now. The top picture was taken in 1974 during senior class pictures.
Below is from my Vol 4, Issue 147 February 12, 2000 newsletter:
The Ardmore Daily Press
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Saturday, May 2, 1925
Police Cars to Be Equipped With Sirens
The police department are thinking of installing sirens on all cars owned by the city policemen in order that they may proceed with haste in making an arrest. At the present time the officers are sometimes delayed in answering a call due to the fact they are held up by traffic congestion.
The car of Fred McNeely is now equipped with a siren similar to the ones on the fire trucks. If this system proves satisfactory more cars will be equipped with sirens it was stated at the police station yesterday.
“Butch last week’s T&T had a lot of things that I remember. First the Henry Guess killing. I was in my teens and I remember well because my family knew Henry and he was the youngest brother of Bill Guess. None of the family really believed that the true story got out and a lot was covered up but that was a long time ago. I remember the early morning telephone call that my father got because the police were trying to find out how to contact the Guess family as all the brothers were living in California. Henry was a nice man that became involved in that old demon “alcohol”.”
“In the late 30’s or early 40’s there was a butcher that worked at the grocery store and I guess it was Hunts and his name was Henry Brumley. He made the chili for the store and it was supposedly a secret recipe. He was a friend of my dad’s and gave him this recipe but said he could never give it away. For years I remember going with Dad to the store, the one on East Main and I believe it was Fraziers. The meat had to be specially cut, beef roasts and port loin. He picked his spices carefully and always fresh garlic but what now seems absolutely gross is he would buy SUET. Most of you know suet is just the hard fat on the beef. Pounds of suet. When we moved to Colorado we would go downtown in Denver and get these same ingredients. He would also use venison and antelope at times to replace the beef. Never any beans. It was good to me then but as I got older the “grease” just made me ill. But this man Henry Brumley was the butcher there in probably 1939. His daughter was Nettie Peden of the Peden Jewelry Store that used to be on Main near the old Paramount Theater. Just fun recollections.”
“Butch. Just going over the information that you have been putting out, and you do have some interesting information etc etc. In reference to the person that was in need of knowlede about the location of Dimijohn. I along with countless others used to play on the creek of Dimijohn south of Wilson, Oklahoma. There was a store, and residence at the county road intersection just before you got to the creek named dimijohn, coming from wilson. There were several homes in the sparsly populated area. I would think that this is the location your reader is refering to. This would be approx a mile and one half or possibly two miles south of Wilson.”
“Butch, I know that you read the obituary columns in the Ardmoreite but did you notice the death of Jack Smith in this weeks paper? There was no mention that he once served as City Manager of Ardmore (in the 50’s I think). I don’t have a story to relate about him but maybe it should be noted that he was a home grown Ardmoreite (which is unusual).”
For a number of years the Time Out Restaurant has been located at 101 North Commerce here in Ardmore. It closed at the end of 1999. I noticed this week that Tan and Tone America is now going in where the Time Out Restaurant was located. Oh such irony… where we used to go and sit down to eat and get fat, now people will go in to take it back off.
“A good way to judge people is by observing how they treat those that can do them absolutely no good”
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, OK
580-490-6823
See everyone next Thursday