With the first six of Guthrie’s historic markers ranked in the last issue of the Guthrie News Leader, it’s time to plow on ahead to the next group of scrutinized signposts. Unlike Guthrie’s selfappointed sign rankers Jacob Sturm and I, you will not have to plow through heat, a confusing map or another thousand steps to find the best sign in town.
#20: Office of E.P. McCabe
E.P McCabe, a lawyer, farmer and political activist was an interesting fellow. The sign says he was chiefly responsible for the establishment of Langston University, which adds to its historical appeal. Of all the things McCabe did, however, architecture was not one of them and ironically his sign showed a large crack at the bottom of the plaque and sported a sizable tilt.
#19: Reeves Brothers Casino
As the sign boasts, the casino was open day or night for 15 years, and there was no key to be found when prohibition forced the establishment to close. Points are awarded for such an interesting fact. The picture displayed on the sign is in good condition and illustrates just how many people thought they were the best poker player in town.
Like the key to the casino, however, the building shown in the picture is nowhere to be found. Apparently, the Reeves brothers knew when to fold ‘em.
#18: Same Old Moses Saloon
This isn't some ‘same old' sign.
The sign appears slightly weathered and the text is faded. There are enough words crammed into a small area to make a dictionary walk by without reading, which is unfortunate because it is content you will not be able to find anywhere else.
Moses Weinberger established a fruit stand selling bananas at 218 West Oklahoma before making the ever so slight retail change to rum. Weinberger added a sign to his saloon reading ‘All nations welcome except Carry’ in response to axe-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation who threatened his establishment.
#17: First Library
Reading is encouraged at the library. The beautiful stone sign cut in the shape of Oklahoma that has the Rio Grande river etched into the bottom begs eyes to look at the sign. Unfortunately, you have to be around 7 feet tall to take in all its glory at eye level. The sign is placed at the edge of library property just behind a drop off that could make children want to check a book out on how to avoid neck cramps.
#16: Original Masonic Temple
The sign for the birthplace of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma is not the birthplace of written creativity. The sign reads more like a formal legal document listing dates and architects than a snippet from a history textbook.
The saving grace of the sign is that it proudly displays a detailed rendering of the temple. The illustration pops off the green background and is the part of the sign most viewers will remember.
Next week we will examine the middle tier of our sign rankings, numbers 11-15.