The Tivoli Theater, which attracted those in search of entertainment and cool air, especially when Ardmore temperature hovered around the 100 degree mark with humidity about the same, was a popular place on Main Street. Unfortunately, on April 26, 1958 the elegant Tivoli suffered extensive fire damage which spread to Eden’s Cafe, the Tivoli Barbershop and Campbell’s Clothiers. The new theater was a plainer building, lacking the ornate facade of the original and some of the interior amenities. It was still, however, a popular entertainment center as it had been since its operating in 1916. At that time it was called The Princess and was the property of Harry Lowenstein, who also owned the Palace Theater two doors west where, in 1927, the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson, was shown. The Tivoli closed its doors September 8th 1983, and 21 years later was given to the Main Street Authority by the Lowenstein Trust. From the book Territory Town, The Ardmore Story published 2006 by Sally Gray
In the 1980s while Betty Carroll (1927-2020) was employed by American National Bank in Ardmore she was called on to narrate local history. During her time there she was asked to do some 1 minute radio spots for advertising purposes, with local history as the theme. Some of the information Betty uses comes from the book ‘Reporter’s Notebook‘ published in 1973 by Mac McGalliard.
https://oklahomahistory.net/betty-carroll-radio-spots/
May 1933 – The First Christian Church at Graham, Oklahoma, a large frame building, was razed by a wind storm which swept this village at 9:50pm on May 11th. The church was demolished and the furniture badly damaged. Four or five small garages were blown down by the wind, as were small outbuildings in the thirty minute storm.
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..
Butch, the variety of T&T info always brings back memories of my youth. I remember that small Colvert delivery truck bringing milk and such to our home on Stanley. That ‘milkman’ was such a nice person. I wish I could remember his name. My brothers, who are much older than me, remember a horse drawn delivery wagon. Back in those days of a much simpler time, the ‘milkman’ and ‘postman’ would always pause at our front porch for a glass of tea or lemonade. Ha ! Imagine that happening in this hurried time we now live in. Back then, windows would be open and doors unlocked. Folks would actually wave at each other, and stop to chat. ‘Big Mama’ who lived down the block would always walk down to our neighbor’s porch and smoke her corncob pipe. She would be dressed in a flowing ‘milkmaid’ dress with a bonnet. She always had a story to tell to us kids. We were mesmerized by this old woman smoking a pipe!
Speakin’ of those Bow-D’arc or horse apple trees: that extremely hard wood could not be tamed. I have a walking stick that my brother Tom fashioned from such. The limb that he made it from wore out a bench grinder. I’ve tried dressing it up on a commercial grinder > whew! What a task!
AND, who can forget the old A&W drive-in on Lake Murray Drive ? Those root-beer mugs were prized possessions, along with the car door serving tray. All of which had the A&W logo. Folks were always trying to make off with these treasures. I remember my pappy keeping a complete set of those mugs in the freezer. (small, medium & large)
-Steve Miller (like the band)
May I ask does anyone have information on the Indian school outside of Ardmore. The time would be in the very early 1900. I have two photos of the school children at the school. My father was Clint Holt born September 24, 1900 Ardmore area. I am kin to the Holts of Ardmore. -Jeri Holt Bassett. Denison TX. jbdustbunny@gmail.com.
Loved the piece about the Mulkey Hotel. My Grandpa Prater rented a room there by the month. He’d often put on his son Dale’s Ardmore High School letter jacket and walk around campus. -Ralph Bridges Ford
Around 2004, Sally Gray (whom you knew) contacted me for materials regarding James T. Staples, my 2nd great-grandfather. I provided by scanning all the old photographs that I had in my possession. There are no secrets there, and the interest is to learn our history. I can provide any and all of them in JPG format if that serves the public interest. I am considering donating these photographs to the Oklahoma Historical Society and did contact someone last year. Unfortunately, I have not received a response and may try again.
Anyhow, in 2004 I knew very little about my own family, and Sally “ignited” an interest in my finding out more. My start in genealogical research began around that time, thanks to Sally Gray.
I was reading some of your past posts in “This n’ That” and I tend to research beyond what is presented. If I find a name, I check it out across several genealogical platforms. I have been researching now for 25 years and have uncovered more than could ever have expected regarding my own, and the ancestry of others.
Usually, I do not tell people things about my genealogy because even “I” have a hard time believing quite a bit of it. I learned the hard way by getting ridiculed. Skepticism is, perhaps, a natural tendency when one doesn’t know “first-hand” or lacks viable evidence to support. That is “why” I am working across several platforms — Ancestry, FamilySearch, Wikitree, Heritage, etc. to contrast records. You would probably be one to understand that these kinds of investigations can find errors, omissions, etc. I am pleased that for the most part, the records across several platforms are consistent.
In one of your newsletters you mentioned that you were related to the Carmon family. Knowing that name conjured memories of my grand-uncle (by marriage) who worked for a lumber yard in Ardmore, I believe that lumber company was the Carmon Lumber Company. His name was Alvin Brooks Senter, and he married Bessie Francis Staples, daughter of James T. Staples, one of the founders of Ardmore. They lived in Ardmore for some years before relocating to Hobbs, New Mexico. Both Alvin and Francis (as we called her) are interred at Rose Hill.
Your newsletter (I’ve lost the issue date!) stated that John Carmon and his family were Puritans being persecuted by the Church of England, and that John came to America with his wife Florence. I was able to find that her name was Fordham. Fascinating connections. The site does not mention John Carmon but the connections based on historical narratives are clear that they were together.
You would know that genealogy is not easy to explain, so much material could be presented. I do write about family and send to a few close family members and close friends, if they are interested. In so saying, I do know how hard it is to cobble together something that to me is convincing, and it is up to me to present in such a form that others will see what I see. I’ve had 25 years of practice. Some of the things that I found in your newsletter— I researched and found family connections! One of them was to Lon Chaney, that “Man of Mystery”…
I am going to close this out by showing you that Florence Fordham-Carmon may be my cousin. This would not surprise me. I find people like this all the time, somehow connected (not by marriage) and they turn out to be cousins. Just found out that Charles James Kirk is my 7th cousin.
Thanks again for a fabulous newsletter!
MAIDEN NAME NOT KNOWN. PLEASE READ THE GREAT MIGRATION Begins, v. 1, Sketch of John Carman. Born in England. Lived first in Roxbury, MA where she probably married. Moved with her husband John Carman to Hempstead, L. I. by 1643. He died before 29 May 1654. She md. 2) John Hicks of Flushing, L. I. fairly soon after and he moved to Hempstead. 4 children.
THE FOLLOWING SOURCES ARE FALSE and THE SOURCE OF UNNECESSARY ERRORS SINCE WE HAVE THE CORRECT & PROVEN INFORMATION AVAILABLE. See the professional work above. Puritan Immigrant” (Sister of “Reverend” Robert Fordham, spiritual leader of the Puritans, who led them to Hempstead) Birth 1610 • Sacombe, Hertfordshire, England http://www.geni.com/people/Florence-Carman/5252471715830029046
The general belief was that Florence Fordham was the daughter of Rev. Robert Fordham, who with John Carman went to Long Island and signed the Indian treaty for the roughly 200,000 acres that comprise modern day Nassau County, Long Island. I am not sure where that all started from for sure, but more likely she is the sister of Robert Fordham and John Carman and Robert Fordham were brothers-in-law. http://www.madinpursuit.com/Family/Spicer-Zimmer/Carman-Fordham-01.html
This site lists Florence as Rev. Robert Fordham’s daughter. http://www.longislandsurnames.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I23527&tree=Conklinother
This site lists Phillip Fordham (1565) and Elizabeth Shotbolt (1587) as her parents. http://longislandgenealogy.com/Surname_Pages/fordham.htm
From the History of Hempstead – Hempstead was settled in 1643 by a band of Puritans who sailed across the Long Island Sound from Stamford, Connecticut in search of a place where they could more freely express their particular brand of Protestantism. They were led by the Rev. Robert Fordham and John Carman, both disciples of the Rev. Richard Denton, the leader of their sect. They landed on Long Island at what is now called Roslyn village and trekked southward across a great prairie where they stopped between two fresh water streams and several small ponds. They bargained for the land with the leaders of the local native tribes and made an agreement that allowed them to establish a “town spot” at what is now the Village of Hempstead as well as establishing property rights to what are now known as the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead. -Robert W. Hunnicutt, Vail, Arizona
HAM Talk By Butch Bridges KC5JVT
Allstar node # 58735 – Echolink # 101960 – HamsOverIP # 103010
The Arbuckle 970 Net is held every Sunday evening at 8:00pm. Hope to hear more HAMs check in!
Below is from my newsletter archives
January 1999
“Could you find any pictures of the original Healdton, OK airport called Davis Field located on the east side of the curve coming into town?”
On September 13, 1933 Pauls Valley, Oklahoma police were investigating the poison death of that city’s resident, Jim Taylor, age 55. The investigation would reveal a sickening set of events that led up to the death of Taylor. Taylor and Taylor’s neighbor, T.J. Halsell, age 67, by mutual agreement, traded their daughters, 11 and 15, to become the child brides of each man. Social workers of that time were shocked, hardly believing such a happening had taken place in this small Oklahoma town. Here is a pic of Halsell with his 11 year old girl bride.
In the 70s Ardmore had someone better then a meteorologist when it came to predicting rain. He was a full blood Choctaw Indian by the name of Buster Ned. I never personally met Buster Ned, but I’d see him around town many times during those years. Buster Ned had instilled within himself, this uncanny ability to predict rain. One of his main signs for forecasting came from the hoot owl. There were other signs he’d look for, but the hoot owl proved to be the most reliable. In the late afternoons, around 4pm, if he heard the hoot owl on the land he lived on near Durwood, Oklahoma, he knew it would rain within two or three days. He was renowned throughout the area and respected by all. Buster Ned was quoted many times by Ardmoreite columnist “Mac” McGalliard. Buster was born to Frank and Elizabeth Parker Ned in the Marshall county community of Simpson, Oklahoma March 9, 1924. Here is a pic taken of a painting of Buster Ned that hangs in the Money Services business, #6 B Street Northwest, here in Ardmore.
Buster Ned was also an interpreter for people who only spoke Chickasaw. I remember him serving at the Courthouse as an interpreter for some people about twenty years ago.
03/19/99 The Carter County Clerk, Royce Moser, received her new computer network this week….. now they’re learning all the new features that is in the KellPro land records program. Sure going to be nice!
03/06/99 Yesterday we received sad news…… the death of Janie Tipps, Secretary for the Carter County Election Board here. Janie was administrator for the election board for 17 years. She will be missed by many.
“Hit the hay”
When you’re ready to “hit the hay,” it’s time to go to bed. The phrase comes from when mattresses were often sacks stuffed with hay. It’s a cozy, down-home way of saying you’re ready to turn in for the night and get some rest.
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net