Asher, Oklahoma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Asher, Oklahoma | |
| Nickname: "Baseball City" | |
 |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Pottawatomie County |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | |
| Area | |
| - City | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²) |
| - Land | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 419 |
| - Density | 523.8/sq mi (202.2/km²) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Website: www.asherok.info | |
Asher is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 419 at the 2000 census.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Asher is located at (34.988580, -96.926550),GR1 at the intersection of US Hwy 177 and State Hwy 39 in Pottawatomie County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²), all land.
[edit] Nearby Areas
Asher is approximately 30 miles south of I-40 and 34 miles west of I-35. Nearby cities (with 15,000+ population) include Ada, Oklahoma (21 miles south) and Shawnee, Oklahoma (27 miles north). Asher is located two miles west of Chisholm Spring, once the site of a trading post operated by Jesse Chisholm, for whom the famous cattle trail was named [1] and nine miles west of the Sacred Heart Mission Site.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 419 people, 164 households, and 123 families residing in the town. The population density was 202.2/km² (523.8/mi²). There were 186 housing units at an average density of 89.8/km² (232.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.10% White, 12.89% Native American, 0.95% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.34% of the population.
There were 164 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,341, and the median income for a family was $21,875. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $17,344 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,340. About 20.5% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
Asher dates back to 1892 when George "Matt" Asher, from Clay County, Kentucky, purchased land in Oklahoma Territory from a Shawnee estate salesperson to set up his farm home. The post office was established in 1901 when the postmaster of nearby Avoca, Oklahoma, George A. McCurry, moved the Avoca post office and his store to the new community that would become Asher. This was done without permission from the government and left Avoca without a post office. According to the tale, McCurry was given a home and store building as payment for moving the post office to the new settlement. The town was named for Mr. Asher, who supplied the land with the consideration the community would carry his namesake. There was a sale of public lots in 1902.
[edit] Growth
On October 12, 1900, the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf (CO&G) bought the Shawnee to Tecumseh Railway branch from the Tecumseh Railway Co. and promptly extended the branch to Asher. For the next 40 years, Asher would serve as the termination point for the branch and its engine, "Old Beck." Rapid construction of railroads opened up 400 square miles of a fertile section of the South Canadian River valley to shipping facilities. Asher was the trade center and market of the area. Further development came when, on January 15, 1903, The Jennings Company closed on 1,000 business and residence lots. The Jennings Company advertised investment in the growing town and new factories and industries of various kinds soon located in Asher.
Asher and the new settlers had hopes of creating a large city. However, the settlers were disappointed when the towns of Seminole and Konawa were built and took away much of Asher’s trade. The people of Asher would not give up, and pulled together town resources and constructed a bridge across the Canadian River. The state then used the bridge in its construction of Oklahoma State Highway 18, drawing a small amount of trade to the city.
Asher, originally a cotton farming community, suffered in its early years from crop losses caused by boll weevils. Farmers were then dealt a further blow when the town’s first two cotton gins were destroyed by fire. These set backs compounded the loss of trade and left the town in dire straits.
In 1927, oil was discovered in and around the town. Asher sprang up almost overnight to serve the needs of the oil workers. It was also around this time that executives moved into Asher and purchased enormous amounts of supplies and merchandise at inflated prices. There were many businesses in town including feed and grocery stores, jewelry stores and drug stores as well as banks, barber shops, hotels and a small theater. Many leading families of Oklahoma, such as the McAlisters, the Campbells and the Byruns, lived in the town. There were also many doctors with offices in Asher. For a while, Asher became prosperous.
[edit] County Seat potential
Tecumseh, Oklahoma was originally the county seat of Pottawatomie County. In late 1930, a long-standing war between Shawnee and Tecumseh escalated when voters approved measures to move the seat to Shawnee. A spin-off of this feud was the move for the creation of a new county, to be named Petroleum County. The new county would be composed of prime oil-producing land, including the southern half of Pottawatomie County and portions of Seminole, Pontotoc and McClain Counties. The move was started by Tecumseh supporters who wanted to make Shawnee’s county seat victory as hollow as possible by removing the most valuable section of the county. Asher was slated to be the county seat and it was planned that the greater part of Tecumseh would move down to form an impressive community. There was a paper--The Petroleum County Times—produced, meetings held and petitions circulated. However, the measure never progressed further as times were not favorable for the creation of a new county [2].
[edit] End of the oil boom
The oil boom ended when only four wells proved to be profitable. Once again, Asher was in danger of dying out. Fortunately, another oil well was found just west of the town. This time the people connected to the well were local citizens and were cautious and conservative in their estimates and spending. This lead to a small but steady production of oil in the community [3] [4] [5]. Asher was dealt another setback in 1967 when SH 18 was taken out of commission and traffic was diverted west of town on the new US Highway 177. Businesses migrated to the new highway and many storefronts in the original town were closed. The final business, Green's Market, which was located on Division Street (old SH 18) closed in 1985, after serving the community for 40 years [6]. Several businesses on US 177 remain, mostly serving those traveling through the area.
[edit] Timeline of major events
Below is a time table of major events that occurred in Asher as well as surrounding communities whose events affected Asher's history.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1847 | Jessie Chishom establishes trading post 2 mi. E of Asher [7] |
| 1849 | Avoca area (Wewaukee Springs) a regular stop for adventures on way to the gold rush in CA [8] |
| 1862 | Chishom post abandoned [9] |
| 1892 | First members of Asher family move to OK to est. home [10] |
| First school in Avoca (near what is now Avoca Cemetery) [11] | |
| 1893 | First general store in Avoca [12] |
| 30-Oct-01 | Asher townsite opened up [13] |
| 26-Nov-01 | Post Office established [14] |
| 26-Nov-01 | Public sale of lots ($750) [15] |
| 1902 | George Stone (Dep. Sheriff) moves to Asher [16] |
| Asher townsite platted, G.M. Asher supplies land [17] | |
| 26-Apr-02 | Shawnee-Tecumseh railroad expands to Asher / Old Beck began service [18] |
| Early 1900s | Asher Altruist begins [19] |
| Asher FBC then First Methodist est. [20] | |
| Town became center of baseball interest [21] | |
| 1904 | District Judge J. Knox Byrum born in Asher [22] |
| 1906 | Asher Merchantile Co. established [23] |
| 13-Dec-06 | Asher State Bank robbed [24] |
| Up to 1920s | 2 hardware stores, 2 banks, jewelry store, lumber yard, dry goods store, general store, and (until 1907) 6 saloons --per Annie Roe [25] |
| May. 1921 | Canadian River Bridge opens [26] |
| 1922 | Fire destroys 2 blks of businesses [27] |
| Jan. 1925 | Fire destroys blk of business, incl. Canadian Valley Bank [28] |
| 1927 | Pearson oil discovered [29] |
| 2-Sep-27 | Canadian Valley Bank robbed [30] |
| 1928 | Water well drilled to supply water to oil fields [31] |
| c. 1928 | Oil workers/executives moved in; Asher prosperous [32] |
| 1929 | Oil discovered in Asher [33] |
| Asher School current building built [34] | |
| 1931 | Petroleum County/Asher county seat talks [35] |
| 1940s | Asher School gym built [36] |
| 10-Feb-42 | Shawnee-Asher railroad branch ends [37] |
| 1985 | Green’s Market closes after 40 years [38] |
| 2006 | Asher School main building renovated [39] |
[edit] Asher School
[edit] Brief history
Asher Public Schools is an independent school district. It has an elementary school (grades Pre-K to 8) and a high school (grades 9 to 12) [40]. The school was established as early as 1913 (and most likely sooner). In 1913, there were four other school districts within three miles of Asher—Clover Dale, Gravel Hill, Avoca, and Pleasant Hill. The schools were small, consisting of only a room or two. Basic facilities were at a minimum. Talk began of consolidating all of the schools into the Asher district [41]. This was later accomplished, presumably around the time Asher’s new school building was built in 1929.
[edit] Original building
Asher Schools’ main and original building (after consolidation) was constructed in 1929. The building would later receive two additions, to either end. The center of the facility originally served as the schools’ gym, before being converted to an auditorium when a new gym was built in the 1940s. An extensive renovation was completed in late 2006 on the original building. The work was made possible by a $1.295 million bond issue that was approved by residents in February of 2005 [42].
[edit] Extracurricular activities
Asher School, the Indians, participates in baseball, softball and men and ladies basketball. Probably no small town is known as well for a sport than Asher is. For forty years, from 1959 to 1999, Asher had the winningest high school baseball team in the nation. No high school in history, public or private, has won as many games as the Asher Indians. In those forty years, Asher won 2,115 games, lost only 349, hauled home forty-three state championship trophies, and sent dozens of players to college and minor-league baseball [43].
Asher also has chapters of the Business Professionals of America (BPA), Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and the National FFA Organization (FFA) [44]. Asher 4-H and FFA regularly captures the top sheep honors at livestock shows [45].
[edit] Media
[edit] Television
Asher receives the following television stations off-air [46].
- KFOR-4 NBC (Oklahoma City)
- KOCO-5 ABC (Oklahoma City)
- KWTV-9 CBS (Oklahoma City)
- KTEN-10 NBC (Sherman-Denison, TX)
- KXII-12 CBS (Sherman-Denison, TX)
- KETA-13 PBS (Oklahoma City)
- KOKH-25 FOX (Oklahoma City)
- KOCB-34 CW (Oklahoma City)
- KAUT-43 MNT (Oklahoma City)
- KSBI-52 IND (Oklahoma City)
- KOPX-62 i (Oklahoma City)
[edit] Newspaper
The following newspapers are circulated in Asher.
- The Canadian Sands (Monthly Regional; Wanette, OK)
- The Ada Evening News (Daily; Ada, OK)
- The Shawnee News-Star (Daily; Shawnee, OK)
- The Oklahoman (Daily; Oklahoma City)
[edit] Notable persons
- District Judge J. Knox Byrum. Born in Asher in 1904, Judge Byrum was admitted to the bar on 1927, elected to the state legislature in 1928, served as a Shawnee municipal judge from 1930 to 1934, elected county judge in 1934 [47] and later became a district judge. Knox is now deceased [48].
- Coach Murl Bowen. Bowen coached the Asher Indians from 1959 to 1998. Coach Bowen's teams won 2,115 games, lost only 349, hauled home forty-three state championship trophies, and sent dozens of players to college and minor-league baseball [49]. Coach Bowen is now retired from Asher and lives north of town.
- Ron Williamson. Williamson is the primary character in John Grisham's first work of non-fiction, "The Innocent Man." He graduated from Asher High School in 1971 and played baseball for the Indians. Williamson went on to play minor-league ball for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees before beginning a downspiral that ended with him being arrested and sent to death row for a crime he was eventually cleared of [50]. Williamson died December 4, 2004 due to cirrhosis of the liver.
- Will Hunt. During his high school years at Asher, he won multiple state titles and was named the 1989 Oklahoma Player of the Year. In college, he won national honors at Seminole Junior College (now Seminole State College) and Louisiana State University (LSU). Later he was drafted into Minor League Baseball by the Detroit Tigers and also played with the independent Northern League [51]. Hunt briefly coached the Indians in baseball and basketball following the retirement of Coach Bowen. He is now a firefighter in Oklahoma City, but resides south of town.
- Cody Whitney. A 1999 Asher graduate and current resident, Whitney was an actor when he was young, in the television shows "Young Riders" and "Webster" and the TV movie "Red River." Whitney is now a PBR (Professional Bull Riders, Inc.) bullrider [52].
[edit] Additional photos
 Brandenburg Bros. Store, one of the first stores in Asher |
 George "Matt" Asher |
 An early Asher gas station |
 An Asher Theater |
 Asher Baseball Players, c. early 1920s |
 Original South Canadian River Bridge, opened 1921 |
 Asher Masons, on steps of the First Baptist Church. |
 An Asher State Bank Check, from 1910s |
 Albert Browder's Station (Joseph Lessie Speers, pictured), 1956 |
 Asher Water Tower 1, 2006 |
 Asher Gymnasium, 2006 |
 Bowen Field, 2006 |
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Town Website
- School Website
[edit] Further reading on Wikipedia
- "Old Beck" Train Engine
- Rock Island Railroad
- Avoca, Oklahoma
- Chisholm Spring, Oklahoma
- Sacred Heart, Oklahoma
[edit] References
- ^ "Asher Police Chief Vigilant...", Shawnee News-Star, 09 Sept 1989.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ "People Worked for Town", Shawnee News-Star, 1990.
- ^ "Looking Back", Wanette Newsletter, January 1988.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ "Sleepy Hamlet Sees 'End of an Era'", Shawnee News-Star, 9 June 1985.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ "Looking Back", Wanette Newsletter, January 1988.
- ^ "Asher Townspeople Struggle to Keep Hamlet Alive, Well", Shawnee News-Star, c. 1985.
- ^ "Looking Back", Wanette Newsletter, January 1988.
- ^ "This is Oklahoma", Oklahoma's Orbit (Oklahoman), 06 March 1960.
- ^ "Looking Back", Wanette Newsletter, January 1988.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ "Looking Back", Wanette Newsletter, January 1988.
- ^ "Crack Safe, Get $4,000", The Oklahoman, 14 Dec 1906: 1.
- ^ "Asher Prepares for Town Celebration", Shawnee News-Star, 1977.
- ^ "Asher Bridge Brings Vast, Inaccessible...", The Oklahoman, 12 May 1921: 4.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ "Asher Bank is Doing Business", The Oklahoman, 26 July 1925: 44.
- ^ "Asher Townspeople Struggle to Keep Hamlet Alive, Well", Shawnee News-Star, c. 1985.
- ^ "Man Shot by Asher Bandits Improving", The Oklahoman, 05 Sept. 1927: 5.
- ^ "Asher Townspeople Struggle to Keep Hamlet Alive, Well", Shawnee News-Star, c. 1985.
- ^ "Asher Townspeople Struggle to Keep Hamlet Alive, Well", Shawnee News-Star, c. 1985.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Holt, Brad. asherok.info :: School Renovation. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Holt, Brad. asherok.info :: School Renovation. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ "Old Becks Last Gasp", The Oklahoman, 1 February 1942: 62.
- ^ "Sleepy Hamlet Sees 'End of an Era'", Shawnee News-Star, 9 June 1985.
- ^ Holt, Brad. asherok.info :: School Renovation. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ Asher, Oklahoma (OK) Detailed Profile. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ "The Alligator", Asher High School, Oct 1913.
- ^ Holt, Brad. asherok.info :: School Renovation. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ Grisham, John (2006). The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. Doubleday, 29-30.
- ^ Asher School. Retrieved on 03 Nov 2006.
- ^ "Sheep Trophy Goes to Asher's Thompson Family for 10th Year", Shawnee News-Star, 13 March 1998.
- ^ Broadcast Media in Oklahoma City. Wikipedia. Retrieved on 10 Nov 2006.
- ^ Fortson, John (1936). POTT COUNTRY.... Shawnee, OK: Herald Printing, 72.
- ^ Oklahoma Baptist University Alumni. Oklahoma Baptist University. Retrieved on 23 March 2007.
- ^ Grisham, John (2006). The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. Doubleday, 30.
- ^ Grisham, John (2006). The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. Doubleday, 31-37, 347, 352.
- ^ "Hunting for Home (Former standout athlete returns to Asher as coach)", Shawnee News-Star, 1998.
- ^ "Asher's Whitney is Riding High", The Oklahoman, 28 Jan 2005.
