This and That Newsletter

www.OklahomaHistory.net

Vol 23  Issue 1,146     Circulation 5,000      January 10, 2019

Ardmore, Oklahoma

My permanent email address:  butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net

580-490-6823

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I was in Healdton last Saturday for a tour of the Dundee/Wirt museum. It is located inside the old Sunset school. My tour guide was Healdtonite Vince Freeman and Vince was an excellent and informative tour guide. If you want any history on Dundee, Wirt, Ragtown or Healdton, Vince is your go-to guy!

This is the plaque near the front entrance of Sunset School in Healdton.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/HealdtonSunsetSchoolPlaque.jpg

This is a area photo of the Dundee school in its hayday. Now its just an empty lot with a plaque in remembrance of the school 3 miles west of Healdton.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/DundeeSchoolProperty.jpg

This is looking inside the "Dundee room". On the back wall is the curtain that was in the Dundee auditorium.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/DundeeAuditoriumCurtain.jpg

Across the hall from the Dundee room is another classroom with Dundee memories.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/DundeeMemorablia.jpg

Before leaving Healdton I spotted some antique fire extinguishers at the Healdton Fire Department on display outside their building.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/HealdtonFireEquipment.jpg

Here are 3 bricks I sandblasted from the original Sunset School back in 2015 for a friend.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/SunsetSchoolPavers3.jpg

By the way, one thing I learned from Vince Freeman was Dundee was never a town, only a school.

Speaking of museums, I stopped by Ardmore's Great Southwest Historical Museum on Sunset Drive today. Every couple months on a Thursday afternoon I stop by and see my friend Gary Simmons who is the docent for the military history part of the museum. If you haven't visited Ardmore's museum, you are missing out on a WEALTH of history and artifacts. I snapped this picture of one of the 2 rooms dedicated to military history.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/MuseumMilitarySection.jpg

http://gshm.org/

Some of you may remember the Jo-O-Kay Leather Manufacturing Company on Moore SW. This is one their popular Fashions in Leather vests they made, a friend sent me this week.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/Jo-O-KayLeatherVest1.jpeg

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/Jo-O-KayLeatherVest2.jpeg

Here is an example of the many types of ladies purses Jo-O-Kay made.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos14a/JoOKayLeatherPurse3.jpg

Here is a picture of the 3 crosses on top of the Arbuckle Mountains near Turner Falls.

http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ThreeCrossesTurnerFalls010519.jpg

Q.  If you thought trolley rides were obsolete in Oklahoma... we have a surprise for you. Sitting in a quaint town west of Oklahoma City is the only rail-based trolley left in Oklahoma.
A.  El Reno is the only rail-based trolley left in Oklahoma. The Heritage Express Trolley will take you on a ride along the streets of downtown El Reno past historical buildings, shopping, murals and much more.
CLICK HERE

Q.  Oklahoma is no stranger to abandoned towns. From the east to the west side of the state there are hundreds of ghost towns that most people have long forgotten about. One, in particular, located in western Oklahoma close to the border of Texas, is still littered with memories, homes, and a whole lotta Okie junk.
A.  Answer in next week's newsletter

January 1935
Officers to patrol the Turner Falls and Price Falls areas as well as the scenic route between the two parks are on duty and people caught carrying off cedars and other plants in the Arbuckle Mountains will be arrested. This warning was issued after wholesale cutting down of cedar trees for Christmas trees was reported. Last Sunday scores of persons were said to have visited the mountains and to have taken away cedar trees and cacti. Since the area is a national park this is an offense, and persons called may be  assessed a heavy fine.

January 2004
Voters in Carter County District #1 will go to the polls next week to elect a successor to the late Joe Dean McReynolds. There are seven candidates to fill the remaining three years of Joe McReynolds term, one Republican Lindle Flatt, and six Democrats, Steve Ford, Boise Harris, Daniel Harris, Bill McLaughlin, Bob Parkhill, and Joe Tibbs.

Here's a paver I sandblasted the other day for Paco the dog.

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/bricks/PacoDogPaver.jpg

Below is from This and That newsletter archives of January 11, 2007

Here is an old photograph Dee Ann Burris owns of the two men wearing the Woodmen of the World uniforms. Her kinfolk, Arley Weatherbee (1897 - 1918), is the man on the left. It seems like many people when they first see someone in these uniforms of long ago, thinks the uniform belongs to the Salvation Army. Woodmen of the World was a fraternal organization.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/WoodmenWorldUniforms.jpg
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This is a photograph taken in 1932 near the front gate (east of the gate) of Rose Hill Cemetery of the burial spot of David Dunn. What caught my attention was in 1932 there were few graves behind (looking west) from his marker.
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos7a/DavidDunn1932.jpg
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A few issues of T&T ago you mentioned the "old" highway that runs by Dickson School (north). As a child my family lived at Mill Creek and we made trips to Ardmore to visit family here on that highway. Several years ago I sold real estate and was with Bob Longino Reality. I sold a house on the east side of Dickson school and was following the Title exam through Attorney Marvin Schilling at the time (1978). He told he had not been able to get the property clear. Reason was it mentioned Mulholland Highway as the west boundary. For some I recalled that I thought the highway back in the 30s was called such. He later called to tell me it was and the papers cleared. Thought you might like to know this, he got the information from the courthouse he told me. Keep up the great work with the T&T, sure enjoyed by a lot of folks, especially we old timers." -Troy Seedig
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This Old House by Rosemary Clooney 1954

This old house once knew its children
This old house once knew its wife
This old house was home and comfort
As they fought the storms of life

This old house once rang with laughter
This old house heard many shouts
Now it trembles in the darkness
When the lightning walks about

Aint gonna need this house no longer
Aint gonna need this house no more
Aint got time to fix the shingles
Aint got time to fix the floor
Aint got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend the window pain
Aint gonna need this house no longer
Hes getting ready to meet the saints
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpTmrrmIjpM
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Some mail from this week's MAILBAG.....

Here is a photo of the corners of North and South Washington Streets and Main street the next day after the Ardmore, Oklahoma tornado on February 13th, 1946 which struck during the night. The photo shows a collapsed building east of the Masonic temple building on the east side of Washington Street in the NE corner. The City National Bank building is shown across the street from the Masonic Temple building on the corner of Main and South Washington Street. This is where the night watchman was killed when part of the building fell on him while he was sleeping. As you can see a lot of the windows are blown out in the buildings. The City National Bank building was later torn down due to the severe damage to the building. -Robert Hensley
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/ArdmoreTornado1946.jpg
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Another Carter County Grocery Store
Hey Butch, This is a photo of James Sidney and Annie Pruitt in front of their grocery store at the Healdton Wilson Y. -Rick Burris
http://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos19a/JamesSidneyGroceryHealdtonWilsonY.jpg
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Hamburger Inn. Est. 1938 and has a ton of history in those 81 years. It was owned and operated by Uncle Ernest Brown, 1938-1970, Myself 1970-19-81 when I sold to Don Jackson, whom in turn Leased the business to my first cousin, Denise and Ed Braum 1980-1990, then I bought it back from Don Jackson 1990-1992. Now owned and operated by Mary Skidmore, still serving up great food and going strong. This little diner has served great food to a lot of famous people over the 81years, governors, movie stars like, Minnie Pearl, Warren Oats, Ben Johnson, (and Ardmoreite, James A. Clark- whom had A speaking role in the movie, Dillinger) and a host of others. I could almost write A Book. -Jimmy Dale Brown
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/hambur56.jpg

http://www.oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/hambur47.jpg
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People that insist upon drinking and driving, are putting the quart before the hearse.

See everyone next week!

Butch and Jill Bridges

"Friends Make Life Worth Living"

PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443

http://www.OklahomaHistory.net

Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Oklahoma Bells: http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm's Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
American Flyers Memorial Fund - Administration Webpage
http://www.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
http://www.OklahomaHistory.net/airbase/
Carter County Government Website
http://cartercountyok.us

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