VANOSS

CHAPTER IV

Histories of Some of The Towns and Communities In Pontotoc County

Vanoss

by Mrs. Luther (Wanda) Parish

400 W. 2^nd St.; Ada, Oklahoma

580-332-1264

Taken from:

HISTORY OF PONTOTOC  COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

VOLUME II

Compiled and Published by Pontotoc County Historical and Genealogical Society

221 West 16^th

Ada, Oklahoma 74820

Copyright 1977

Pontotoc County Historical and Genealogical Society

(A copy of this book is located in the Ada Public Library, Ada, Oklahoma)

Vanoss, located, in western Pontotoc County, R-3-N, R-4-E, ten miles west of’ Ada, Oklahoma, had its beginning in 1908 when the tracks for the Oklahoma Central Railroad (OCRR) were laid and the depot erected there. The rail road construction was financed by a Dutch bank, so the townfolk named their new town after the Dutch banker, Mr. S. F. Van Oss, The Hague, Holland. The already established town of Midland had been missed by the railroad by just one and. one half miles, so the people of Midland moved to the railroad and the new town.

During the first year of operation the OCRR had three agents at Vanoss: Arthur Ray, D. P. Verdrey and Mr Bradley. Mr. McNeff and Moran Roy were agents in 1909. In 1913, William Alfred Balmain was the depot agent. Mr. Balmain was one of the pioneers of the Midland-Vanoss area, hawing been the first postmaster of Midland, Indian Territory.   This was not known by me at the time of the the writing of the history of Midland, I.T., in the first volume of “History of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.”

The Vanoss Post Office was established on 23 January 1908, with James W. Bohannon as Postmaster, as he had been when the post office was located at Midland, I.T.  He was appointed Postmaster at Midland in the Chickaswa Nation, on the 4^th day of February 1904.  In August of 1908, the OCRR began carrying the mail to Vanoss two times daily, which made the mail from one to four days earlier than before.  There was also one overland mail from Roff.  Vanoss now had three mails daily, however, by fall the overland mail was discontinued.  Ben Allen was the mail carrier from Hart to Vanoss.  (Hart is located about eight miles south of Vanoss.)

The Vanoss Post Office was located on Main Street, in the Vanoss Drug Co. building (block 13, lot 5).  My grandfather, Charles L. Berger, was the druggist, and was one of the prominent businessmen of Vanoss until his death on the 6^th day of May 1940.  He was appointed Postmaster at Vanoss on the 16^th day of September 1914.  In addition to being druggist and postmaster he was a merchant, dealing in groceries, school books and supplies, clothes, shoes, etc.  He represented two Chicago tailoring firms, where orders were taken for tailor made suits, and he was the agent for the Holdenville Marble Works (tombstones).  In 1909 he worked as ginner for the Ada Oil and Cotton Gin at Vanoss.  In 1919 he bought block 21, lot 11 and moved his business, where he remained until his death.

As there are only a very few of the early residents of Vanoss remaining, I had to get the information on the early history of Vanoss from some other source.  I chose “The Roff Oklahoma Eagle” of 1908 through 1913, a weekly newspaper, featuring the Vanoss news.  Most of the following information comes from these newspapers.  It is possible the news items were hand written and were sometimes misspelled, misread, and misprinted, so please forgive any errors.  I am certain all the residents and businesses were not mentioned in these newspapers; there was a lot of information on the school, churches, residents and the town in general.

Along with the OCRR, the post office and the drug store, the first doctors to locate at Vanoss were:  Dr. F.S. Sturdevant, Dr. J.W. Crews, and Dr. Mitchell.  Dr. James Cone came in 1912.  Other business firms that opened that first year or so were: Ada Oil & Cotton Gin, Vanoss, E.C. Ward, manager;  E.A. Butt Lumber Co.;  W.J. Collins, blacksmith;  Foster Bros., Gin and Grist Mill (Vanoss Gin Co.), Mr Hood, Manager;  A.D. Jones, Grocery;  J.S. Jones & J.W. Bohannon, real estate;  Jones Hotel, Mrs. W.H. Roberts, prop.;  K.E. Kinsey, grocery, barger, clothing and restaurant (located on 2^nd St.);  W.L. Miers, merchant’;  Mr. McGee, photographer;  Charles M. Long, merchant-cold drink stand, ice cream parlor and restaurant, toy store and grist mill;  J.R. Owen, gin foreman:  Pioneer Telephone;  J.A. Parker, restaurant;  W.J. Standridge, general merchandise;  Standridge & White, merchants; W.S. Tinsley, restaurant and barber shop;  R.L. Walker, dry goods and general merchandise;  Walker Bros., sand elevator;  W.J. Walker, well drill (driller of the public wells—this may be the well that was located in the middle of Main Street) and J.I. Watson, restaurant, which he soon sold to J.A. Parker.

 One of the first orders of business facing the new town was to organize a school.  A mass meeting was held in July of 1908 and bond was made for $2500 to build and equip a school.  A school election was soon held and the first school board of Vanoss was elected:  J.C. Andrews, Trustee;  E.H. McClary, Treasurer; and Dr. F.S. Sturdevant, Clerk.  They also voted a term of nine months school and the location of the new school (southwest part of Vanoss) and voted to elect Prof. W.L. Baker to teach the fall and winter term of school.  Prof. Baker was the teacher for three years, returning in 1913 along with Miss May Duty.

In February of 1909 the contract was let for the construction of the new school house to Mr. Brandon of Paoli, Oklahoma.  It was to be a four room building, “thoroughly modern in every particular”.  By spring the building was progressing nicely and the WOW and IOOF lodges made arrangements to have their meeting halls built over the school.  A contract was closed at the cost of $500 for a 25 by 50 foot hall.  The building was completed by summer and the lodges moved in.  They had previously been renting from the Masons.  On 30 August 1909 school began in the new school house, with an enrollment of 110 pupils.  T.F. Pierce, County Superintendent, game the annual report of Vanoss School for 1908-1909 as follows:  Teachers salary, $591, Term of school: 9 months, Assessed Valuation: $63,159, 8^th Grade Graduates: 0, Enrollment: 110 and one teacher (Prof. Baker).

The officers elected for the lodges that year were:  Woodman of the World (WOW), Midland Camp No. 75:  J.W. Bohannon, C.C.;  A.G. Richardson, A.L.; Samuel F. Berger, Banker;  Charles L. Berger, Clerk;  W.S. Tinsley, Watchman;  J.H. Mullins, Sentry;  J.W. Crews, Physician;  and J.H. Andrews, Manger.  Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), Lodge No. 174:  J.S. Jones, N.G.;  C.M. Long, V.G.;  J.W. Bohannon Secretary, and J.E. Kinsey, Treasurer.  Other lodges of Vanoss were: Masons, AJTA, organized April of 1911 and Woodman Circle, organized January of 1911, by Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Edwards, who came down from Stratford and instituted the circle with about sixteen members.  Mrs. Mamie Strong was elected Guardian and Mrs. J.W. Bohannan, Secretary.

 The political scene soon began to form.  The primary election of 4 August 1908 saw only ’32 votes being polled.  There should have been a hundred or more.  (Women’s Suffrage not passed until 1920).  The people didn’t seem to be interested as there were no candidates spoke here.  Some people did not know there was going to be an election.  A Democratic Club was organized with J.W. Bohannan, Chairman and township officers nominated, subject to the action of the Democratic primaries. They were:  G.P. Mills, Justice of the Peace;  Charles L. Berger, Constable;  W.J. Walker, Trustee;  J.T. Walker, Treasurer;  and W.E. Black, Road Overseer.  A Bryan& Kern Club was organized, also a “law and order league, as Vanoss is like a great many other towns, sometimes had too much booze and too many bootleggers”.  The following served as Vanoss Deputy Sheriffs:  J.S. Jones, 1910; Rev. S.H. Winn, 1911;  G.W. Mills, 1912 and 1913;  and Bob Walker, 1914.  J.T. Walker served as Township Clerk in 1911.

The early churches of Vanoss in 1908 through 1913 were:  Methodist (on Oklahoma Street), Missionary Baptist, Methodist Episcopal (south of Vanoss) and the Baptist church.  Ministers were:  P.A. Templeman, Baptist;  W.A. Strong, W.L. French and G.W. White, Methodist Episcopal;  also E.M. Hill, A.W. Soloman, T.C. Martin, J.W. Winn and J.H.L. Owen.  Rev. and Mrs. W. H. Strong help a revival meeting in August of 1909, with ninety-three conversions.  Several joined the Methodist and some joined the Missionary Baptists.  A joint baptizing was held, with fourteen Methodists emmersed and nine sprinkled and eleven Baptists baptized.  Four to five hundred people witnessed the baptizing.  That same month the Baptists Church building was moved from the old town (Midland).  A box supper was held with total receipts of $43.50, which went to buy an organ for the church.  Miss Edna Alten was awarded the cake for the prettiest young lady and Prof. E.N. Jones the cake for the laziest man.

13 November 1909 saw the first OCRR passenger train through Vanoss and in December there was talk of organizing a bank.  The stockholders held their first meeting and a lot was bought at Main and California Streets.  J.M. Griffice of Yeager, Oklahoma and J.B. McCauley of Olivett, Kansas were the principal organizers of the bank.  With a few months the bank building was completed.  The safe had arrived from Oklahoma City and the charter for the First State Bank of Vanoss, Oklahoma had arrived 23 July 1910.  The bank was ready for business.  The officers were:  J.M. Griffice, President;  E.A. Butt, Vice President, and J.B. McCauley, Cashier.  The bank remained at this location about three years then moved into a new brick building with a brick vault at the corner of Main and Oklahoma Streets, were it remained until it was destroyed by fire.  (The vault ruins still stand.)

Vanoss continued to grow and within the next three or four years the businesses at various times included:  Leon Baker, Photographer and son of Prof. Baker;  Charles Black, Barber;  Berger and Bohannon, drug store;  Brooks Mercantile, D.M. Brooks, owner  (sold to Charles L. Berger, 1915);  W.T. Buck, grocery;  Choctaw Cotton Oil Co.;   T.P. Cowger, blacksmith;  Carry Lombard, Young & Co., Lumber Yard, J.S. Browning, manager;  Mr. Grogan, blacksmith;  H.K. Smith, blacksmith;  Tucker and Webb, hardware & furniture;  Surprise Store; W.J. Walker, wood mill on Day Creek;  J.T. Willoughby, restaurant and W.J. Walker, grist mill.

As the town grew so did the communication system.  There had previously been only one phone in town, so arrangements were made to tap the line running from Stratford to Center, and run it into Vanoss.  The stockholders of the Vanoss Telephone Company of 1913 were:  A.H. White, President;  J.S. Jones, Vice President;  J.B. McCauley, Treasurer, and Charles L. Berger, Secretary.  In June of 1913, J.S. Jones and R.L. Walker launched a short lived newspaper know as “The Vanoss Enterprise”.  It was to be a weekly newspaper, unfortunately, it became only a “two week” newspaper.  There were two editions published and I have a copy of each, dated June 2 and June 14, 1913.  I can probably be safe in saying these are the only copies of these papers in existence.)

Much like The Vanoss Enterprise, the town of Vanoss was also short lived.  About 1918-19, after the first World War and with the motor car becoming more and more popular, Vanoss began to go down.  People began to move away and fires destroyed buildings that were left until virtually nothing remained of this once thriving little town.  After the death of my grandfather in 1940, his oldest son, Christian Allen Berger (my father), carried on the family business and was appointed postmaster on 20 July 1940, and carried on in the same position (postmaster, grocer, etc.) at Vanoss as his father before him had, until his own death on 16 April 1969.  Other stores remaining were: W.J. Standridge, grocery and general merchandise for approximately twenty-five years; Dean McCauley, grocery until about 1970; and the railroad, which was discontinued in 1969.  There are no businesses left at Vanoss now.  All that remains are about twenty-five or thirty residential homes and a very fine consolidated school which busses students from all parts of western Pontotoc County.

The following is an exact copy of a letter my father received in 1963 from Mr. Van Oss, for whom the town was named.

Dear Mr. Postmaster of the city of Vanoss, Okla. USA

     Some 55 years ago my bank financed the construction of the Oklahoma Central Railroad, which is now part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe system.

     In those years I came frequently in Oklahoma, which was then still “Indian Territory” and I was also interested in the oil region of Tulsa, which was then just opened, and Tulsa was in those days a little village of a few hundred population, whereas it is now a city of some two or three hundred thousand inhabitants.

     Well the reason I write you today is:  could you address to me some envelopes with several stamps, stamped clearly with the name of the town of Vanoss.  Naturally I am very much interested in the existence of this city and of its developments, as I was practically one of the people that founded the city that bears my name. 

     If you could procure for me, in addition, an official stamp or seal of your city on some letter or document, I should greatly appreciate that as well.

     I enclose a one dollar bill, to refund the cost to stamps, etc. that you will use in sending some mail to me.  If there is a local newspaper, please send me also a copy of that.

     Thanking you in anticipation for the trouble I may have cause dyou, and your courtesy which I shall be glad to return at any time.

                                                                                                                   Sincerely,

                                                                                                                   S.F. Van Oss

Daddy sent the Vanoss postmark and also sent some pictures of the then remains of Vanoss, but needless to say there was no official stamp or seal of the city.  Mr. Van Oss was not heard from again.

     Pictures (courtesy of Mrs. Wanda Parish)  included in this publication are: Vanoss Depot  (1920s); Vanoss Missionary Baptist Church (1920s); Charles Lafayette Berger and wife Ida Lee (Hill) Berger; Vanoss Main Street Kinsey Café, Berger Store and Post Office, Walker Store(later Standrige (1920s); Vanoss Main Street Garage, Buck’s Dry Goods, Whites General Store, McCauley General Store, Bank (all burned one night in late 1920s); Vanoss School (1920s); Vanoss Methodist Church (1920s).

THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF VANOSS, OKLAHOMA

Sumbitted by Wanda Berger Parish

     The following list was found not long ago, among some papers that had belonged to my father.  Had I found this list before I researched and wrote the history of Vanoss, Oklahoma for the book, “History of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma”, published by the Pontotoc County Historical and Genealogical Society, I very possibly would have had more to add to that history, as it is a list of businesses of Vanoss, about the years 1910 to 1920.  I find it to be quite interesting, as it is some of the memories of my daddy, Christian A.Berger, about “his town”.  Daddy was born in 1904 just west of Vanoss, at Midland, IT, and was the first son  of Charles L. Berger and Ida Hill Berger.  Vanoss, Oklahoma was established in 1908, and Charles L. Berger was a merchant there from the beginning and became postmaster there in 1914.  He remained in these positions until his death in 1940, at which time my daddy stepped into his father’s footsteps, and he too was a merchant and the postmaster at Vanoss until his death in 1969.

1 telephone exchange

1 hotel

2 drug stores

2 (or 5?) doctors

2 public water wells

3 churches and brush arbors

            1 Methodist

            1 First Baptist

            1 Landmark Missionary

1 blacksmith shop     

1 shoe shop    

2 garages and service station

2 barber shops

1 clean and press shop

1 hardware and general store

4 dry goods and grocery (general)

1 café

1 meat market, butcher shop

1 bank, “First State Bank”

2 cotton gins

1 lumber yard

1 flour and grist mill

1 warehouse

1 hay barn-warehouse

1 post office with 68 boxes, all rented;

also general delivery service; rural route (Vanoss, Route #1) with 90 boxes

Justice of the Peace and J.P. Court

Constable

1 Union Lodge Hall, used by Masons, Oddfellows, Woodman of the World and Woodman Circle

1 summer theatre

1 dray line

1 railroad section gang

1 railway agent

1 Western Union agent (telegraph)

1 produce house – cream, chickens and eggs, pecans, fur buyer; also scrap iron and other metal

1 fine, grade and high school, also junior high

Some 500 population in Vanoss alone, and all rural folks in town on Saturday.

The following names were shown to be Mr. & Mrs. In the 1908-1909-1910, in The Roff Eagle: