The Renaissance Neighborhood History Project

As information is gathered on the small local grocers that dotted our neighborhood this post will be updated over time. These are the known groceries over time in and near the neighborhood. The ad below from 1928 helped me identify some of the neighborhood groceries, including the flat roofed store fronts that are still standing in the neighborhood on Atlanta Avenue and Delaware Place.  Tulsa World 1928   1137 S Atlanta Avenue:   Graham Market Owned by Harrison "Harry" Canfield Graham was a Tulsa grocery operator for 18 years.  In 1930, Graham  and his wife, Cora, and four of their six children lived in the neighborhood at 1336 S. Gary Place. Their home was a craftsman bungalow with a stately red brick front porch.   Following his death in 1938 he was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa.  Cora lived until 1975.  She was 99 years old.   Tulsa Tribune December 1938 Tulsa Tribune 1934 ad that mentions Graham Market Google Maps ...

The Signal Addition, where the property at hand is located, was established in 1923 by Miss Pearl May Alexander.   Miss Alexander was the daughter of Mr. C. P. Alexander, one of the largest property owners in Tulsa in the 20’s and 30’s.  He probably arranged for his daughter to have the property in her name since, according to the 1920 Census, she was 31 years of age and unmarried.    Mr. Jack Edmond Stegall bought a number of lots in the Signal Addition, possibly for development, but also, it turned out, for himself.    He purchased nearly the entire east side of Evanston Avenue between Twelfth  and Thirteenth  Streets. Jack Edmond Stegall Jack Stegall was one of those men who lived in the early 20 th century and blazed his own path.   According to his  granddaughter: “My grandad was a real self-made man. He was a cowboy, surveyed for the railroad, carpenter, house builder, cabinet maker and, most impressive, an antique clock hunter an...

Authors Note: The first time I saw Rocky Frisco he made an impression.  I had no idea he was a renowned musician, but I was immediately taken by his personal style, speaking voice and presence.  He wore a classic western shirt with pearl snaps tucked into jeans with boots.  I don't recall if he wore a large belt buckle but I feel certain he must have.  Although, he was of average height with a slim build, he carried himself in a way that stood out.  Probably from all the years of performing.  He was a compelling speaker with interesting points... like wanting to do away with leash laws for cats to help control the rat population.    Over the years I encountered him several times at our bi-annual neighborhood meetings and also corresponded with him a bit about the history of the neighborhood.  Some who will read this undoubtedly knew him better than I.  This post is not intended to be complete biography and I know I'm leaving out many imp...

I’ve been on a personal quest to try to find out if and where Addie Perryman lived on her land.   Several sources say that she raised her family on her allotment land, but US Census Records place her in rented homes near, but not on her land.   One very old tiny cottage, located at 1302 S. Columbia Avenue, has been rumored to be “the original farm house” for the entire area so I wanted to investigate if this could have been Addie's home.   I was able to contact the owner who shared some information and permitted me to check out the property abstract.   I’ll jump to the punch line.   Addie Perryman never lived there.   But!   Some interesting people with important history owned the property in years gone by.                                                                       ...

In the 1920's the front yard of a home was considered a public space and received the most landscaping attention.  In RNA many homes had trees, in pairs in the front of the home. Some of these original 'twins' survive and now tower over their homes. In contrast, back yards were considered a work or service area with clothes lines, garbage cans, perhaps a kitchen garden but were not typical for retreat or recreation. One a beautiful, blustery day in October 2019, my dad and I drove around the neighborhood, taking note of some most common species, their size and possible age.  My dad, Sand Mueller, is a retired horticulturist, trees are his passion.    Some of the most senior trees that we encountered included:  Pecan (Native and Paper Shell), Box Elder, Red Oak, Sycamore, River Birch, American Elm and Magnolias.  Left: Mr. Paul Trees planting a pecan tree in the mid 1930's. Read more about the Trees and their large Tudor Revival HERE . Righ...