warreng88
04-14-2009, 09:49 AM
I find this really interesting:
What’s the story behind a name?
By Marie Price
The Journal Record April 14, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – Deep Deuce is a fascinating, steeped-in-history area, but do you know how it got its name? What about the Mesta Park neighborhood? The Paseo? There are stories behind the naming of some of Oklahoma City’s oldest areas and neighboring towns, some of them reflecting pretty tense disagreements over where to locate the state Capitol.
For example, the Capitol Hill area was incorporated as a separate town, but was later annexed into Oklahoma City, said Larry “Buddy” Johnson, reference librarian at the Ronald J. Norick Library downtown.One story behind its name is that its developer wanted to get the state Capitol moved there.
Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, said the river operated as a kind of moat around Capitol Hill, which was established in 1889, keeping it separate from the city.
“When I was growing up, people from Capitol Hill still had a sense that they grew up in a little town,” he said.
Deep Deuce refers to NE Second Street, at one time the main artery of the section of town where black residents lived under segregation.
“That was the place where the cultural center of the African-American segregated community was,” Johnson said.
Johnson produced a quote from author Ralph Ellison, who said “Deep Second was our fond nickname for the block.” Johnson said longtime residents referred to it by that name in oral histories.
Blackburn offered another reason for the “Deep” designation, noting that at the time Second Street went down into the river valley.
“Deep Deuce was developed when the river was still a wild river,” he said. “Second Street was the main street of a city within a city.”
Of the CEC triangle (Carverdale-Edwards-Creston Hills), Johnson said the Edwards neighborhood was named for black millionaire and developer Walter J. Edwards, Carverdale for George Washington Carver.
“Like other developers in the area, Edwards quickly saw the need for more housing for returning soldiers,” Johnson said. “Even though black soldiers received the same GI Bill benefits as other soldiers, they were prevented from using those benefits because there was no place for them to purchase new single-family homes.”
He said Edwards may have been the first developer in the country to secure GI Bill and FHA funds for black neighborhoods, doing a great service toward ending segregation.
The Paseo, originally called Spanish Village, was developed by G.A. “Doc” Nichols in the late 1920s. It reflects the Spanish-revival architecture popular at the time.
“If you look in Heritage Hills, a lot of the houses have the tile roof and the sort of stucco look,” Johnson said.
Blackburn said the Paseo demonstrates Nichols’ winning formula for development, which married neighborhoods with small retail centers.
Heritage Hills, originally called West Highland Park, was built in stages from 1902 (at that time largely by Anton Classen) to the early 1920s.
“A lot of the early leaders, like Overholser and Classen and Colcord, built big houses out there,” Johnson said.
The financial struggles of the early 20th century slowed growth for a time, then Nichols started developing the rest of the area, Johnson said.
Blackburn said the name “Heritage Hills” came out of a contest in 1969, after three neighborhood associations banded together to fight a proposed four-lane highway on NW 16th Street.
Mesta Park was named after socialite Perle Mesta, daughter of William Skirvin. Mesta had owned a home in the neighborhood. Blackburn said Mesta Park really coalesced 10 years or so after Heritage Hills, in the mid-1980s. It was formerly known as University Addition, which was platted by Anton Classen.
Nichols Hills was, of course, named after the developer. Blackburn said it was platted as a city in 1928, farther away from the next-closest development due to the use of automobiles rather than street cars.
Putnam City and Putnam Heights were both named for Israel M. Putnam, who developed a separate community and wanted the Capitol built there.
Blackburn said Putnam had been able to buy up land cheaply around Bethany.
“He made a better deal for the state Capitol than Harn and Culbertson did here on the northeast side,” Blackburn said. “He offered more land and more incentive. But the city fathers did not want to go way out in the country like that.”
Johnson said the governor at the time favored putting the Capitol in Putnam City.
“Then there was a little bit of legal wrangling that happened,” he said. “They said the ballot to place the Capitol there was mis-worded.”
The courts called for another election.
“When they did that, they decided to place it where it is now,” Johnson said.
He said city leaders such as E.K. Gaylord, William Harn and J.J. Culbertson were behind the latter movement.
http://journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=97671
What’s the story behind a name?
By Marie Price
The Journal Record April 14, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – Deep Deuce is a fascinating, steeped-in-history area, but do you know how it got its name? What about the Mesta Park neighborhood? The Paseo? There are stories behind the naming of some of Oklahoma City’s oldest areas and neighboring towns, some of them reflecting pretty tense disagreements over where to locate the state Capitol.
For example, the Capitol Hill area was incorporated as a separate town, but was later annexed into Oklahoma City, said Larry “Buddy” Johnson, reference librarian at the Ronald J. Norick Library downtown.One story behind its name is that its developer wanted to get the state Capitol moved there.
Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, said the river operated as a kind of moat around Capitol Hill, which was established in 1889, keeping it separate from the city.
“When I was growing up, people from Capitol Hill still had a sense that they grew up in a little town,” he said.
Deep Deuce refers to NE Second Street, at one time the main artery of the section of town where black residents lived under segregation.
“That was the place where the cultural center of the African-American segregated community was,” Johnson said.
Johnson produced a quote from author Ralph Ellison, who said “Deep Second was our fond nickname for the block.” Johnson said longtime residents referred to it by that name in oral histories.
Blackburn offered another reason for the “Deep” designation, noting that at the time Second Street went down into the river valley.
“Deep Deuce was developed when the river was still a wild river,” he said. “Second Street was the main street of a city within a city.”
Of the CEC triangle (Carverdale-Edwards-Creston Hills), Johnson said the Edwards neighborhood was named for black millionaire and developer Walter J. Edwards, Carverdale for George Washington Carver.
“Like other developers in the area, Edwards quickly saw the need for more housing for returning soldiers,” Johnson said. “Even though black soldiers received the same GI Bill benefits as other soldiers, they were prevented from using those benefits because there was no place for them to purchase new single-family homes.”
He said Edwards may have been the first developer in the country to secure GI Bill and FHA funds for black neighborhoods, doing a great service toward ending segregation.
The Paseo, originally called Spanish Village, was developed by G.A. “Doc” Nichols in the late 1920s. It reflects the Spanish-revival architecture popular at the time.
“If you look in Heritage Hills, a lot of the houses have the tile roof and the sort of stucco look,” Johnson said.
Blackburn said the Paseo demonstrates Nichols’ winning formula for development, which married neighborhoods with small retail centers.
Heritage Hills, originally called West Highland Park, was built in stages from 1902 (at that time largely by Anton Classen) to the early 1920s.
“A lot of the early leaders, like Overholser and Classen and Colcord, built big houses out there,” Johnson said.
The financial struggles of the early 20th century slowed growth for a time, then Nichols started developing the rest of the area, Johnson said.
Blackburn said the name “Heritage Hills” came out of a contest in 1969, after three neighborhood associations banded together to fight a proposed four-lane highway on NW 16th Street.
Mesta Park was named after socialite Perle Mesta, daughter of William Skirvin. Mesta had owned a home in the neighborhood. Blackburn said Mesta Park really coalesced 10 years or so after Heritage Hills, in the mid-1980s. It was formerly known as University Addition, which was platted by Anton Classen.
Nichols Hills was, of course, named after the developer. Blackburn said it was platted as a city in 1928, farther away from the next-closest development due to the use of automobiles rather than street cars.
Putnam City and Putnam Heights were both named for Israel M. Putnam, who developed a separate community and wanted the Capitol built there.
Blackburn said Putnam had been able to buy up land cheaply around Bethany.
“He made a better deal for the state Capitol than Harn and Culbertson did here on the northeast side,” Blackburn said. “He offered more land and more incentive. But the city fathers did not want to go way out in the country like that.”
Johnson said the governor at the time favored putting the Capitol in Putnam City.
“Then there was a little bit of legal wrangling that happened,” he said. “They said the ballot to place the Capitol there was mis-worded.”
The courts called for another election.
“When they did that, they decided to place it where it is now,” Johnson said.
He said city leaders such as E.K. Gaylord, William Harn and J.J. Culbertson were behind the latter movement.
http://journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=97671