It’s clear that Broken Arrow wasn’t just a one-horse town. I can see five or six in the picture, pulling wagons through the heart of the Rose District. We don’t see those except on special occasions, these days.
Main Street has changed a lot over the ten years we’ve been selling books here, but some things are pretty much as they were back in the horse and buggy days.
If you look closely at the image (click on it for a larger view, courtesy of the BA Historical Society by way of the Ledger newspaper) you can recognize the Main Street Tavern’s brick building centered in the background. I once mentioned to the building’s owner that he had lost the pointy-thing on the roof. He assured me that it wasn’t lost at all, but was simply in storage. He said he was worried it might fall off and land on someone.
He was kidding, I think.
The building was constructed to house a bank, but these days it is home to some upscale dining with an interior and menu of the sort you might find in Dallas or Kansas City. It has been an anchor for the developing Rose District with its continued popularity, but there were plenty of evenings when The Tavern was the only establishment with the lights still on.
The north corner of the intersection – on the other hand – bears no resemblance at all these days to the structures in the picture. I’m sure it’s more readily visible in the photo down at the museum, but I can only make out the words “Meat Market” on the sign where the book shop’s awning and signage are today. By 1930, the market was known as Bynum’s Mercantile.
Books and lunchtime fare have replaced the mercantile offerings and butcher shops, but we still love our parades down Main Street. Horsepower has replaced the actual horses for the most part.
And – thank goodness – we’ve got a little pavement down Main Street these days. (Can’t imagine trying to keep the floors clean when it rained back then.)
Lori Lewis is in charge of the town’s history, and has just been elected to the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Museums Association. Her articles about the “good ol’ days” of BA are a regular feature in the Broken Arrow Ledger and help us to appreciate how far the little town has come along since statehood.
Broken Arrow is already one of the larger cities in the state, with what has to be the largest high school enrollment in Oklahoma. The Rose District is making its own history, and – I’m happy to point out – our Main Street is home to the only bookstore and Irish Bistro in the Midwest.
So, saddle up quick and – come visit!
McHuston
Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main Street, Broken Arrow OK!
