History of Carter, OK., page 5 (Beckham Co. OK) ==================================================================== USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Jerri Hodde ==================================================================== Descendants of Page Five Oklahoma Generation No. 1 1. PAGE FIVE3 OKLAHOMA (BECKHAM COUNTY2, BECKHAM1 CO.OKLAHOMA). Notes RESIDENTS RECALL CARTER HISTORY;Headless Horseman Highlights Memories (Reprinted from the Elk City Daily News) By:Claudia Coy-- Sleepy Hollow had nothing on Carter.Except,perhaps,Ichabod CRANE.Carter's Headless Horseman,around the turn of the century,was reputed to have inhabited a cave in the bend of the Northfork.Old Headless,they say,was fond of sitting in the sun near the cave entrantrance,but always disappeared before the boys could get within shouting distance.Now,his lack of gregarious propensity was no one's business.At least,no one seemed inclined to penetrate the dank raches of the cave to pass the time of day.And it could have remained so had the phenomenal horseman not taken a dislike to settlers.Perhaps his methods of discouraging newcomers weren't unique,but H.H. Didn't stampede livestock through tender growing crops.Nor did he poison water holes or burn out families.Biding his time,the wily headless apparition simple appeared at lighted windows after dark when the women and children were at home alone.Before long the entire countryside was getting jittery,but no volunteer to search the cave was forthcoming.No one,that is,until a suggestion was made to pass the hat,the collection going to the staunch individual who dared face H.H. in his Stygian stronghold.This ploy proved successful.The brave spelunker got his pot of "gold"and the Headless Spook,his domain desecrated,was seen nevermore.- On September 4,1899,Oscar C. SIMPSON established CARTER'S first School in a dugout two and a half miles south of present-day Carter.The spacious dugout,16X20,boasted a huge fireplace in one end.The hearth served as a stage for school programs.Wide planks resting atop stones provided seats for the twenty three pupils.Mr.SIMPSON eventually became a lawyer in Hobart and was County Attorney for Kiowa and Grady Counties before establishing a successful law firm in Oklahoma City. Following this first school term,a bond issue of $175 was passed and a new school built one mile south of the present school.One of the earlier teachers was a young Canadian,J.C.McKenzie.In 1906 Miss Nell MARTIN joined the faculty,later becoming Mrs.McKENZIE.Young McKENZIE became the first County Clerk of Beckham County,and later,a Carter banker,in which position he remained until his death in 1956. The original postoffice,across the road from the new school,was named for an early resident,William G. CARTER.Adjoining the postoffice was M.E.LOWERY'S general store.Mr.LOWERY and a Mr.NOWLAND were in disagreement on school-board issues.When the store and post office mysteriously burned,LOWERY suspected that NOWLAND was responsible and hastened to confront him.NOWLAND was prepared.He pulled a gun from under his coat,fired and killed the unarmed storekeeper.LOWERY'S son,seizing some rocks in defense,was also shot,but not fatally.LOWERY'S was the first grave in CARTER'S CEMETERY.The tall,gray marker stands on a hillside facing eastward.It reads:M.E.LOWERY,Sept.29,1861--April 27,1901. -- The postoffice and store were rebuilt.The proprietor and postmaster,A.R.JACKSON.A mile to the north,a group of Poentecostal Holiness people formed a settlement,Beulah,taking the name from Scripture found in Isaiah 62:4. With Frank Talmadge ALEXANDER spearheading the venture,a college was built in 1906.The location was in the vicinty of the present Baptist Church.An imposing ediface,it was three stories tall with a large basement in which religious newspaper was published.The college was named Emmanuel Bible School.Daniel AWERY was the dean.Among the teachers wer R.E. WINSETT and Mrs. J.A.HIGH.Mrs.AWREY was the Bible teacher.(Inside the covers of an old mathmatics book having belonged to young Bernard McCLUNG,dated 1908,he had ,in boyish longhand,listed the above named.)-- In 1909,the village of Carter moved to its present site and the name was changed from Buelah to CARTER.- Thomas T.WAGGONER,in 1910,established CARTER'S first newspaper,The Carter Express,and became one of the town's greatest boosters.B the spring of 1910 Carter had developed into a thriving town.Waggoner,having been challenged for editorially boasting of thirty one places of business replied in typical Waggonerese and listed forty enterprises instead of the aforeclaimed thirty one.- When the railroad was constructed,the tiny town of Kempton,named for J.A. KEMP,the railroad promotor who instituted the village,appeared three miles to the north.A postoffice was opened on May 10,1910 and closed Jan 14,1911.Mr.MARTINDALE was the postmaster.The W.F. and N.W.railroad built a depot in their new village and refused to stop at Carter.A bitter tug- o-war ensued when Carter attempted to get a depot.That a sense of Houmor prevailed despite the rivalry was evidenced by a story in the Express.Reportedly,a rumor reached the Kempton agent that mischief might befall the contested depot before morning.A practical joker,the agent persuaded two fellows to remain with him at the station.A man-sized dummy was stealthily placed on the platform outside.Around midnight the cry was made."Carter is coming!"The agent awakened his two comrades,grabbed a shotgun,shouting at the boys to take lead."If they show up,I'll fill them full of hot lead! "But the two "leaders" lagged far behind.Outside,the agent gleefully blasted away with both barrels.The "man"fell to the floor.To quote the Express,One of the braves jumped out a window in his night clothes,barefooted,and made railroad time to town.As his feet hit the stubble and grass burrs on lightening speed.the rearend of his shirt-tail played a tune on the midnight air.On arriving in town,almost breathless,he yelled,"Police Sheriff,Deputy! Come quick,Carter is here,the depot is in flames,one man killed on the spot and fourteen other wounded!- The other brave was found in the garret.He didn't move,but did not need a dose of salts.Rumor or not,this shows that Kempton boys know how to plan and carry out a good joke."--- Before long the Corporation Commission incorporated Carter and the depot was moved to town.George WHITEHURST purchased the Kempton townsite and Carter offered free lots to the Kempton people.---As Carter flourished,building boomed,supporting,in the early days,as many as three lumber yard;Western Lumber,Frank CRAWFORD,Mgr.;BROWLEE Lumber and Roger Mills Co-op.Two cotton gins were in operation as were a number of department stores,selling merchandise from shoes to buggies and ,later,automobiles.Among these were The Grand;The Fair,O.VANPOOL,Prop,;HUNT and ALLEN'S and W.B. ROSSER'S.Barber shops were in abundance with TAYLOR'S Palace ;ESTES;W.P.BLEDSOE'S,and BRAUNREITER'S City Barber Shop.There were two sizable hotels in town.The Hotel International was owned and operated by Mrs.E.E.FITZGERALD ,B.D.DAY had a well drilling firm.Blacksmith shops were operated by J.P.FRITCH and Jack BREEZE,the latter serving the area for more than fifty years.--H.HARTMAN was the tinner,and the J.S. CHANDLER Furniture and Hardware did a thriving business.By the year 1911,two banks were in business; The CARTER State Bank, B.B. VAN VACTER,Pres. and T.L. VAN VACTER,Vice Pres.and the First State Bank-with an advertised $15,000 in Capital Stock--A.L. THURMOND,Pres.and E.K.THURMOND,Vice Pres.Carter didn't lack doctors.Among the early medical men in town were Drs. LEVICK,LEVERTON,JONES,MURPHY,DENBY,and SHADID.-Dr.and Mrs.J.M.DENBY came in 1910.Dr.denby served the area until his death in 1942.Their son,Jack,still resides at the home two and a half miles east of Carter.-The express carried regular birth announcements reported by Dr.Denby.A front page item informed the readers that the doctor would no longer be making his calls in a buggy.He had purchased his first car:"Dr.Denby and B.R. JONES went to Elk City in the doctor's new Ford,making the eighteen mile trip home in forty minutes.Dr.Denby declared they pulled all the sand in 'high'."-In the Dec.9,1910 edition:"Dr.G.W.MURPHY has been seriously ill .Dr.DENBY called Dr.H.K.SPEED,Sayre,for consultation and they performed an operation on the ailing Dr.MURPHY."--- Dr.Michael SHADID and his family moved to town in November 1912.The doctor,having published his first book,"The SelfPhysician",after graduating from Washington University,had been a practicing physician six years before coming to Carter.Dr.M.,as he was known,later established the Community Hospital in Elk City.sons,Alex and Fred,studied medicine.Dr.Alex began his medical career in Elk City in 1939 and has served the people of the area since that time.-----DUST STORM 1935 northwest of Sayre,Oklahoma..