CARTER COUNTY HISTORICAL MARKERS
(Murray County Markers in Italic)
ARDMORE
DOWNTOWN ARDMORE
500 Block W. Main in Central Park – WW I and WWII markers honoring local veterans that served and listing those who gave their lives.
400 Block W. Main @ E Street SW – Memorial Square – Sherwood Forest Drilling Effort marker: Story of the 1943 secretive drilling project in Sherwood Forest England. England did not have the technology to develop this unknown, 300 barrel per day, oil field therefore Noble Drilling Corp., in partnership with Fain Porter Drilling, sent Oklahoma drilling crews to drill wells under the canopy of the forest. In one year they increased production to 3,000 barrels per day. The Oil Patch Warrior duplicates a bronze figure standing in England’s Sherwood Forest, a tribute to the men who helped relieve the shortage of oil so vital to the war effort.
Also memorial wall honoring veterans and listing Carter County Military personnel who gave their lives to preserve freedom.
Following is a brief synopsis of information from downtown historical markers, with the exception of #1 & #15 E. Main, that were installed by Ardmore Main Street Authority:
209 W. Main St. - Randol Hotel location where Jake Hamon was shot & scene of some of the biggest oil deals ever made in this era. Destroyed by fire in 1925.
214 W. Main St. – Luke’s Music Store est. 1893, moved to this location in 1918. E. B. Luke kept 6 teams of horses to haul pianos & organs to customers in the area. Luke’s served the area through the changes from victrolas to phonographs & record players. He also sold fishing lures, gifts & outboard motors.
200 W. Main St. – Federal Courthouse and Jail built in 1898. Carter County’s only official hanging took place here.
128 W. Main St. – Noble Bros. Hardware moved to this location in 1902 from E. Main St. The brothers were active community leaders and Sam’s son, Lloyd Noble, established the Noble Drilling Company, Samedan Oil Company & the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
100 W. Main St. – Bankers National Bank Bldg. was built in 1905 & became a casual meeting place for men in the oil business. Many deals were consummated as the men sat outside on the pipe railings facing A St. & smoked their cigars.
15 W. Main St. – First National Bank, Ardmore’s oldest financial institution, occupied this building from 1918 until 1975.
1 W. Main St. – Masonic Temple Bldg. Built in 1896, the First National Bank originally occupied the first two floors with the Masons on the 3rd. Later the Masons occupied the entire building, converting the 3rd floor to a ballroom that served Ardmore residents for social events for many years. This building is now occupied by a law firm.
15-21 North Washington – Hotel Wisnor/Carter-Booker Bldg. – The 50 room, 3 story, Hotel Wisnor was named in honor of Benjamin Wisnor Carter, prominent Chickasaw Indian for whose family Carter County was named. Built in 1884, it was the first and finest establishment of its kind in Indian Territory. In 1903 the Carter-Booker Bldg. was erected at this location and provided offices for the Cotton Exchange as well as independent cotton buyers. Extensive renovation adhered as closely as possible to the original appearance. Eight luxury apartments occupy the second floor with retail on street level.
1 E. Main – Area Dedicated To All Veterans marker, by flagpole.
15 E. Main – Dow Brazil Killing – 1918. Sidewalk stone recounting the infamous shooting of U.S. Marshall Dow Brazil by Deputy Sheriff Bud Ballew.
107 E. Main – Daube’s Department Store, established at this location in the early 1900s, was the cornerstone around which Ardmore was built. The business closed in 1990, after 102 years as Oklahoma’s oldest, privately owned, family operated retail store.
117 W. Broadway – Ardmoreite Bldg. – This decorative 5 story, plus basement, building was built in 1930 and was originally known as the Gilbert Building. Many businesses, including OG&E, law offices, dentists, 4 radio stations, a TV station, the Masonic Lodge, the Ardmore Little Theater and others have called this property home. Until 1975 the newspaper’s press units were housed in the old theater’s orchestra pit.
107 First SW – Carter County Courthouse (on National Register) – Marker listing County Commissioners 1907 – 1991 on West side of building.
23 South Washington – City Hall, WPA Bldg, Dedicated in 1937 Plaque (just inside E. Door). Ardmore Police Officers Killed in Line of Duty Marker and City of Ardmore Mayors Marker both on East side of bldg.
100 South Washington – Carter County Officers Killed in the Line of Duty Marker
NORTHEAST ARDMORE
G Street NE between 8th and 9th Avenues – Railroad Trestles with plaque: 1909 Built by The Pennsylvania Steel Company
NORTHWEST ARDMORE
9th Avenue @ D Street Northwest – Hargrove College 1894-1914 marker. Named in honor of Bishop Robert K. Hargrove, this Methodist college burned in 1907 and was rebuilt North of the City. It exerted a vital religious and educational influence throughout the area.
35 Sunset Drive (one block North of Hwy. 70) – The Greater Southwest Historical Museum (former Armory), an old cable tool drilling rig with Dedicated to the Oil Producers of Oklahoma marker and a marker explaining this antique Portable Drilling Rig. Also This Armory Property Built in 1936 by WPA plaque and Eaves-Brady Log Cabin and Eaves-Brady Ranch OHS marker. The Eaves-Brady Cabin, which is on the National Register, is located inside the museum. Across Sunset Drive to the East is the Roff 700 Ranch House and 700 Ranch House marker – The beginning of Ardmore was the establishment of the 700 Ranch. In 1870 the Roff log house, located along the West Fork of Anadarche Creek in the Chickasaw Nation, was the first building erected within what would become Ardmore City limits. It was moved to present site in 1991.
SOUTHEAST ARDMORE
500 Block of Lake Murray Drive SE: Locomotive 1108 and Marker. This Mercy Engine brought doctors and nurses after the 1915 explosion that leveled the majority of Ardmore’s downtown business district. Gravesites and Memorial Marker for Buck and Silver Cloud, horses that gained national and international fame with their master and trainer, Hardy Murphy, of Ardmore. They entertained from 1930 to 1943. Just inside the main entrance to Hardy Murphy Coliseum is a bronze bust of Hardy Murphy with plaque.
SOUTHWEST ARDMORE
1015 South Commerce – On the grounds of the stately 1910 Oklahoma Veterans Center, Ardmore Division, (formerly Oklahoma Confederate Home), there are over 20 markers dedicated to veterans as well as the marker honoring Lutie Hailey Walcott, who donated the land for the center. There is a recorded “tribute to veterans” message along with an eternal flame.
NORTH OF ARDMORE
These markers are located on Hwy 77 North of Ardmore. Location of each is shown in distance from the intersection of State Highway 77 & Veterans Blvd. (Hwy 142) in Ardmore: North .9 mile: Bostwick Conglomerate Outcropping
North 7.1 miles, in Springer: Springer School 1938 Building Cornerstone on East side of bldg. North 9.7 miles: Woodford Shale & Chert Outcropping
North 9.8 miles: Chimney Hill Limestone Outcropping North 10 miles: Viola Limestone Outcropping
North 10.3 miles: Tulip Creek & Third Bromide Sandstone Outcropping
North 10.4 miles: Basil McLish Sandstone Outcropping
North 11 miles: Arbuckle-West Spring Creek Lime Outcropping
Murray County:
North 15.1 miles, at Turner Falls: 1925-1926 Road Built With Prison Labor and George A. Ramsey, The Man of Vision, Who Saw the Beauties of this Mountain Highway and Initiated It’s Construction (Marker installed in 1930)
These markers are located at the Ardmore Industrial Airpark, just inside the entrance and near the water tower. The Airpark is 6.6 miles East of I-35, I-35 Exit #40 (Hwy. 53 East):
1966 Plane Crash Memorial
WWII & Korean War Training Casualties Memorial
Ardmore Army Air Field 1942-1946 and Ardmore Air Force Base 1953-1958
I-35 Exit #42 (Hwy. 53 West). Take Hwy 53 West for 7 miles, turn right (North) for .8 mile: Old Sulphur Spring Marker. During the settlement of Oklahoma, early immigrants used this water. Later area settlers used the water for medicinal, drinking and household needs.
I-35 Exit #42 (Hwy 53 West). Take Hwy. 53 West for 12.8 miles, turn right (North) on Poolville Road and go 6.2 miles (the road will jog twice). Bill Dalton 1894 Killing marker crediting U. S. Marshall Selden Lindsey with shooting the famous outlaw.
Northbound I-35 between Mile Markers 45 & 46, Scenic Turnout, on Carter/Murray County Line – Cross Section Marker displays a cross section through the Arbuckle Mountain Anticline showing geological structure along I-35.
Southbound I-35 between Mile Markers 50 & 49, Scenic Turnout, Murray County – Cross Section Marker displays a cross section through the Arbuckle Mountain Anticline showing the geological structure along I-35. Also, a granite marker Oklahoma Where Reflection Seismograph Was Born. Murray County. Reflection Seismic technique of oil exploration was tested in the Arbuckle Mountains in 1921 and is responsible for the discovery of many of the world’s largest oil & gas fields.
SOUTH OF ARDMORE
Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker. Located on Highway 77 at the intersection of Highway 70. Tribute to armed forces that have defended the USA.
LAKE MURRAY STATE PARK
Civilian Conservation Corps Marker. Located by the Park Manager’s Office on Scenic Hwy. 77, 1/10th mile south of Hwy. 70. Marker explains the CCC and honors workers that constructed Lake Murray. The marker is granite from Granite, OK
E. J. Johnson Memorial Bridge Marker. Unique rock bridge located on Scenic Hwy. 77, 3.3 miles south of Hwy. 70. E. J. Johnson, designer and superintendent, 1935-1942.
Lake Murray Lodge – Marker located by the front entrance. The Lodge was built in 1951 during the term of Governor Roy J. Turner.
EAST OF ARDMORE
2610 Noble Parkway by the Kruse Auditorium (in the Plant Biology Bldg.) The Noble Foundation Marker – New Office and Laboratory Bldg., dedicated in 1952; the core of this building remains as the oldest operational building on campus.
Noble Parkway, across the highway from the Noble Foundation, Noble Farmhouse marker. This two story farmhouse, constructed in 1922, stands on land originally allotted by the Dawes Commission. It has been owned by the Noble Foundation since 1973.
Hwy. 70 at Daisy Lane, (.3 mi. East of junction of Hwy. 177 @ Hwy 199W) in Dickson, OK: Joseph A. Callaway marker. Callaway, born North of Ardmore, acquired international recognition as a director, critic and Shakespearean actor and reviewed theaters in New York, London and Paris on TV and radio. Also Rosella Hightower marker, honoring world renowned ballerina who was born near Dickson and was a member of the Chickasaw Indian Tribe.
WEST OF ARDMORE
Hwy 70 West to Hwy 76. Healdton Oil Museum 4 miles North on Hwy 76 in Healdton, OK. Veteran’s Memorial Marker – Granite marker honoring local Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korean, Viet Nam and Persian Gulf soldiers. Also Oklahoma’s First Regulated Oilfield Marker – Granite Marker explaining regulation of the Healdton Field by the Corporation Commission. Also Vincent A. Kimberlin Marker – Granite Marker honors Healdton native who was awarded the Distinguished Silver Cross, Bronze Star and Purple Heart by the U.S. Army Infantry. Kimberlin served in both WWII and the Korean War.
Main St. (Hwy 76) @ 4th, Healdton, OK – Franklin #1, 1913 Healdton Field Discovery Well marker and the actual well head of the well that produced 100 barrels of oil per day at 1,076 feet.
4th @ Franklin (one block North of Main St., Hwy 76 – one blk North of Franklin Well), Healdton, OK – Healdton Armory with 1936 WPA Plaque on West side of bldg.