Picture Our Past

Finished in 1910, the Carter County courthouse was built in the Classical Revival style. It is a three-story gray limestone, granite and concrete structure.

The Tivoli Theatre opened November 15, 1915, as the Palace Theatre. It adopted the name Tivoli Theatre on June 14, 1935. On April 26, 1958, the Tivoli Theatre suffered extensive fire damage significantly impacting its structure. The building itself was a complete loss, necessitating a full rebuild. At the time of the fire, the Tivoli was showing the film The Bridge on the River Kwai. The Tivoli closed its doors on September 8, 1983.

Tucker Tower was built in the 1930s thanks to New Deal programs. It was originally intended as a summer retreat for Governor William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray; however, it was never used for that purpose. Designed by and named after Fred Tucker, a state senator and WWI veteran, it is built of locally quarried gray limestone. In 1954, it opened to the public as a geological museum, housing the famed Lake Murray Meteorite—one of the largest meteorites ever found. In 2013, Tucker Tower underwent a major renovation, including a 4,000 ft² addition (now known as the Lake Murray Nature Center).

Sept 28, 1948

Crowds gathered on Main Street as President Harry S Truman spoke from the steps of First United Methodist Church during a stop in Ardmore as part of his famed “Whistle Stop” campaign tour for re-election.

Wonder if we will ever host a sitting president again!

The Depot at Ardmore, OK was built in 1916 as a joint facility between the Santa Fe and a long-gone branch of the Rock Island.

We don't know where these ladies were going or where they came from, but they look like they're having a great time.

The Daily Ardmoreite was founded in 1893 and was Indian Territory’s first daily newspaper. It was purchased by Sidney Suggs in 1897 and under his direction it grew to become the leading newspaper in Indian Territory. In 1917 John Easley bought the paper. It was later run by his son-in-law Albert Riesen. It stayed in the Riesen family until 1983 when it was sold to Stauffer Communications.
It was sold to Morris Communications in 1995 and sold to Gatehouse Media. Gatehouse media and Gannett merged in 2019, and Gannett sold the paper to Cherryroad Media in 2022.
We are so fortunate to still have local reporters we can call! 

First Christian Church was organized in 1890 and located on a farm in the area of 4th NW and West Broadway. The building that was on West Broadway Street was dedicated in 1913. After 49 years, the church was landlocked and there was no room for expansion or parking. They moved to a new location in 1962. The church on West Broadway was demolished in 1963 to make way for a metered parking lot.

Houston Bros. Lumber opened in 1900 at the corner of East Broadway and North Washington. In 1904, Kennett Hudson of Kansas City bought an interest in the company, and it became Hudson-Houston Lumber Company.
 

Notice the men on the telephone pole!