Over a month ago I was looking for a forever home for an oil painting by renown Brazilian artist Barvo Walker who died in 2022 in Dallas. Barvo was commissioned by Love County attorney Charles Milor Sr for a painting of himself years ago when he was the County Attorney for Love county (each county had 1 County Attorney/Procecutor). County Attorneys existed from 1907 until that office was abolished by the State, and District Attorneys were created in 1960.
I’m happy to report this valuable painting has found its forever home at the Greater Southwest Historical Museum in Ardmore. Needless to say I was so glad when Admiral Hull and the museum’s curator, Cassandra, called me to say they wanted the painting. The painting is located on the wall of what is known as the “Lawyers Section” of the museum with other attorney related historical items. The painting is 70 inches wide. If you have not been to Ardmore’s museum lately, stop by and see the painting, plus a lot more of this areas local history. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
This is the first topographic survey party in the Arbuckle Mountains. They surveyed the Initial Point from which all property descriptions in Oklahoma emanate, in the Arbuckle Mountains just south of where Fort Arbuckle was located. It marks the intersection of the Indian Meridian, which divides Oklahoma into east and west ranges, and the baseline, which divides the state into north and south townships. -Courtesy of Sally Gray
Dr Frederick P. Von Keller, Dr Walter Hardy, and several other doctors opened the Ardmore Sanitarium in 1898. The best medical facility between Oklahoma City and Dallas Texas, the hospital operated on the second floor of Ramsey Drug Store at Main Street and Caddo until 1911. Dr von Keller, who held degrees from the University of Heidelberg and Rush Medical College, Chicago, built this hospital in 1917 at 12th and K Street Northwest. -Courtesy of Sally Gray
https://www.findagrave.com/…/frederick-peter-von_keller
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG….
Most interesting reads in the ‘ol newsletter > got the brain-cells a-jumpin’ !
I remember visiting my brother, Tom Miller, at the Courthouse when I was still
”wet behind the ears”. Tom was packin’ a ”38” working for Judge
Brown & Dillard as a special investigator. The stories that the halls
of the Courthouse held were a daily remembrance spoken over coffee or
a pause at the shoe-shine stand. I still remember Tom pointing out
bullet holes in the elevator from one such famous shoot-out story.
Tom would always stop and talk with the fine old blind gent who ran
the concession stand. His name escapes me. To my amazement he could
tell the denomination of a bill just by rubbing it between his
fingers.
Speakin’ of your Wobblin’ Willie shoot-out story > one such spelling,
among the many, of Willie’s last name was Ballou. An interesting
coincidence draws one to the movie: Cat Ballou. Cat was played by
Jane Fonda, a character livin’ up to the Ballou name. But the
character played by Lee Marvin, ”Kid Shelleen”, is spot-on for ‘ol
Wobblin’ Willie.
Your mention of the Texoma area aircraft crashes brought back a
remembrance of my pappy concerning one such crash. This crash
occurred back when he was Capt. E.O. Miller, Commanding Officer of the
24th Airdrome Squadron Ardmore Army Air Corps Base. A little known
piece of Ardmore history is Ardmore’s connection to WWII. Even more
so is Ardmore’s connection to the Cold War & Cuban Missile Crisis.
Ardmore during WWII was a training base, and there were of course
crashes & near miss mishaps. All were known to be recovered, except
for one that pappy spoke of. It involved a B-25 that was never
recovered after being lost. To my knowledge it has never been found.
At the time, it was thought that it possibly disappeared into a lake
or such. Perhaps one of your readers or ”hammers” might remember if
it was ever found.
WWII is what brought the Miller family to Ardmore. Prior to that,
E.O. was involved in leadership roles with the CCC camps across
America. One child was born during the tour at the CCC camp at
Beavers Bend, and one was born during a CCC camp tour in the
Utah/Arizona area. I was born in Ardmore after the war during the
”baby boom” > Ha ! Thanks for the memories, Butch, as always per your newsletter…… -Steve
Did you know that the plane that crashed in Ardmore was the one the Beatles used on their first tour in the United States.
In 1964 The Electra had been used by “The Beatles” who contracted American Flyers to fly them on their first tour in the United States. From August 19 to September 20 and 25 cities. They were forbidden from landing at Chicago O’Hare and Boston Logan Airports due to the mass hysteria of the fans and landing at smaller airports in the area. On August 18th, Reed Pigman picked the Beatles up in his personal plane and flew them to his personal ranch in the Ozarks of Missouri to decompress for two days of R & R.
I decided yesterday to try my luck of making a business card on my computer. I think they turned out nice, both front and back.
Submitted by Melinda Taylor:
The Daily Ardmoreite
Healdton News
11-23-1903
School House Burns Near Healdton
Healdton I. T. – Nov. 22
The Greenville school house, two miles north of this place, was destroyed by fire Friday night and was a total loss. Some parties had been camping in the building and it is supposed that the building caught fire from their fire. Nothing was saved from the building.
Note: According to Mary Jones Wilson, the school was located 4 miles N of Healdton, from Highway 76 turn E on to Oil City Road. Go E to top of hill. The school sat on the south side of the road. A one-room school with logs for seats, her father, George Thomas Jones, went to school there when Mr. Girlie was the teacher.
The Daily Ardmoreite
12-01-1917
The school house in district 45 was burned. The fire was caused by a defective flue. The loss was about $1,000 partly covered by insurance. Scarcity of water prevented saving the building, and Superintendent Coffman says that he will recommend the putting of fire extinguishers in every rural school building in the county.
Loved the history of Mill Creek!! My Mom’s family was from Ravia and her father (Clem Kuykendall) was the section line foreman for the “Frisco” from 1906 until his death in 1952. They lived in several Frisco section line houses along the railroad (Ravia, Sulphur, Kingston & Denison, TX). I have several cousins that live in the Millcreek area (they are firemen & EMTs). -Jadean Paschall Fackrell
Dear Butch: I looked on your list of Bells and did not see the Dundee School Bell on your list. My Father and all my aunts and uncles heard this bell for years as they went to Dundee school. The Bell is located at the Healdton Oil Museum in Healdton, Oklahoma. -Larry Paul
Seeing the Mulky Hotel lobby brought back memories from Ardmore High School which was across the street north of the hotel. Some of my friends and I had study hall last hour in the home ec room which was by the outside door on the first floor. We’d take turns sneaking out to get candy bars for everyone (about six of us) in the hotel lobby. The home ec dept had two rooms so the teacher, Mrs. Bush, would go in the other room sometimes and we would make our run. She probably knew what was happening but didn’t care since we were all good kids and never gave her any trouble. Also her niece, Norita Ledbetter, was one of us. -R. Helmes
Below is from my Vol 4, Issue 157 April 22, 2000 newsletter:
A friend told me about three bells located in Lone Grove city limits, just a mile south of Highway 70 on Brock Road. It just so happened the day I went out to snap a pic of one, they were having a garage sale. So I stopped, looked around for a minute then asked the owners if I could take a picture of the bell in their front yard. He probably thought I was crazy at first, but agree and said to ahead. That house was on Howard Road and Myall Road, just a few feed west of Brock and Myall Roads.
This next bell was in a yard at the NW corner of Brock Road and Myall… way up a driveway, near the house.
And this third bell was about halfway between Highway 70 and Brock Road South. The owner of this bell didnt even know there were two other bells within a few hundred feet of his!
“Butch, Will you ask your many readers if they have any knowledge about a photography studio that was back in Oklahoma Territory & Indian Territory called Walpole’s Studio? Have an old photo of a relative taken by them…and Walpole’s Studio is stamped on the back of it. Just wondered if it was a permanent studio, or maybe one of the traveling kind. Thanks for your wonderful column each Saturday…it is a joy to see on the Mail list every Saturday morning… like getting a letter from an old friend.”
“The legend, or so it is told, of the “Mad Stone” which is in my possession, has many years behind it. Over 100 years ago, Clifton Elmer Winter, my great-grandfather, as a child, was playing under a covered wagon. While under the wagon, a dog, supposedly mad, bit him on the nose. The wound that was inflicted on this child, ran the length of his nose. In those days, there was no such thing as a rabies shot, so his folks took this stone and soaked it in milk. It was then placed on the wound, where it was held for a couple of days (by itself, so I am told). It released itself only after all the poison was extracted from the wound. These mad stones were used in this manner to keep children from going “mad” when bitten by a rabid dog. Clifton Elmer Winter, (my great-grandfather), kept this stone until shortly before his death in 1956, when he gave it to C.T. Winter (my grandfather). C.T. Winter in turn gave it to Bennie Winter, (my father), about 1965. When my grandfather gave this stone to Bennie, he told him to pass it on down to me, Scheryl Winter Williams, which was passed on to me in October of 1989. This stone and the legend behind it, has great sentimental value to me.” – Scheryl Williams
“Butch, my grandmother told a story to me once about a man bitten by a rabid dog. She did not really say where they got this “stone”, but said it was a smooth, round, white stone, and it was put on the wound, where it stuck for some time before falling off. The man did not develop rabies. It was interesting to hear that there were other similar stories , and maybe I shouldn’t have been so skeptical of her story. I’d say it definatly sounds more believable than the one about the snake that could roll like a bike tire, fall into pieces, and put itself back together again.”
“I am also a granddaughter of Harris (Harry) Gaines, who was the janitor at the old Carter County Court House, where he had is first heart attack. The times we climbed those stairs and listened to the echo of our shoes hitting the steps and the voice of Granddad saying, “Be careful.” Looking up at what seemed the most beautiful sight–the rotunda. As a child of the fifties, that building and the old viaduct on fifth street northeast, which has burned since then, were my favorite places to walk with him.”
“On May 27, 1927, several young Carter County men were killed in an oil well explosion and fire in Sanford, TX. My great uncle Bryant Daniel, age 29, was one of those killed and my grandfather Claud Daniel was burned badly but he recovered. Most of the men came from Rexroat, Graham, Healdton, and they worked for the Blacky East Casing Crew out of Borger, TX. One newspaper report said that Bryant was married and had four children. He lived in Rexroat. I am asking for help in finding any of his descendents since I have never met any of them. There were six Daniel brothers in the county and there were three sisters who lived elsewhere. All of them are deceased now and I would love to find some new cousins to share info and stories. If any of your readers know of any of the Daniel ancestors please have them contact me.” -Del Daniel, grandson of Claud Daniel. delbertd@ix.netcom.com
“Hi Butch, man i had forgotten about the fifty cent coin rings. I made one of those in 1949 while in the navy. I do remember how sore my fingers got while holding that coin and pounding on it with the spoon”
“A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
(Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, OK
580-490-6823