In 1912 D. M. Erwin moved his Drug Store from Looney, Okla. to Gould. He was a pharmacist and ran the Drug Store until his death in 1922. For more information about the Erwin family, the Drug Store and Post Office, please read the excerpt from “Planning the Route I” which follows Bettye's Article.
In 1912 W. G. Husband bought into the corner Drug Store. It was here he realized the need for a surgeon and decided to go to Medical School. He later built a hospital in Hollis and was a very devoted doctor to Harmon County.
The Post Office was in a separate room of the Erwin Drug Store for a time and Mrs. Erwin was Post Mistress.
In 1910 Gould had five doctors, namely: Dr. J. H. Scarborough, Dr. Charles Anderson, Dr. Joe Lee, Dr. Stanley and Dr. Collins.
Later came Dr. Ray, Dr. Street, Dr. J. M. Allgood and Dr. E. J. Allgood; the Allgoods worked out of the Drug Store. Their office was West of the Bank and Printing Office located across the street South from the Drug Store. E. J. later moved to Altus, he and J.M. built a Maternity Hospital. After World War II E. J. would return to Gould one day a week; at that time the Doctors Office was located in a room back of the Drug Store. John Hill had an Insurance office back of the Doctors Office. Ed King had an apartment in the last room to the west.
After Mr. Erwin's death the Drug Store was sold to Ed and Sam King. It had a marble soda fountain, they sold double dip ice cream cones for a nickel. If the person behind the soda fountain liked you they would give you a glass of ice water, but they really had to like you. The Store sold prescriptions, patented medicine, poultry and livestock medicine, along with cosmetics, jewelry, cameras and fountain pens. Customers set at glass tables that had space under the glass tops to display merchandise. They also had curb service, you could drive up, sound your horn, they would come out and take your order, then bring it back to you.
Sam King was a very smart man. He filled prescriptions the old way, making each by it's own formula and pouring it into a bottle and put the instructions on with a label. He was almost as good as a doctor at taking care of the sick. He could recite poetry for hours. He used his spare time to learn the poems. When Neff Bullington was in high school he and Mr. King spent hours at night reciting poetry to each other, trying to find something the other could not identify. While Mr. King was in Pharmacy School he helped formulate the Coca Cola formula for the first Cokes, we are told that later on he sold his “rights or interest” in this formula.
In 1950 Fred Shaw took over the Drug Store. Followed by the Buckners. Elton and Pauline Rodgers put in an Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop. Later Smith and Geneva Pitman had a Cafe there. Then Hoss and Abbie Noller had the Cafe. I. J. McCauly bought the building and put in a Grocery Store. Pat Theademan also had a Grocery Store; after Pat's death, her daughter Tammy Caswell kept the Grocery Store open for a time. In Summer of 2003 Stockman's Bank renovated the building as an Annex.
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In the photograph of the outside of the Drug Store there is a bench on the South side; out front on the east side there is a pole that seems to brace the porch. It is told that fellows in those times loved to “spit and whittle”; the pole was wooden and if the men were not sitting on the bench you might find them leaning against the pole and often times they were whittling on that pole. In time the pole became smaller and smaller; finally in an effort to save the post from becoming so small it would no longer hold that corner of the porch the owner wrapped it with metal stripping to discourage the whittling.
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Excerpt from “Planning the Route I, at Page 283
In 1899, D. M. Erwin came by train to Quanah, Texas, and then to Looney, Oklahoma, after three years he returned to Tennessee and married Miss Lou Edgemon and returned to Looney where he taught school and farmed. In 1912 they sold the farm and moved to Gould where he bought a drug store and was a pharmacist until his death.
The Post Office was in a separate room in the drug store and Mrs. Lou Erwin served as Postmaster. Gould was a thriving little town and at one time there were five doctors; Dr. Ray, Dr. Collins, Dr. Anderson, Dr. Starley and Dr. Scarbrough.
(Comment: Doctors came and went, you will that note other doctors names in the above story.)
In the community, the churches were always considerate of one another in planning for church meetings. In the summer of 1922, while at one of the meetings. Mr. Erwin expired with a heart attack. Mrs. Erwin continued with the business until she retired.
NOTE
Read the original HOMER R YOUNG article on page 431 "Planning Route 2" Harmon County History Book II ©Copyright 1987 by Harmon County Historical History Book Committee, Edith Carter - Chairman
