popturf

city: okemah

woody guthrie boyhood home

from woody guthrie posted in music by pete_nice

Previously located at this now vacant lot was the boyhood home of Woody Guthrie. Named the London House for the previous builder/owner, the home was built in the early 1800's.

It was purchased in 1962 by local booster Earl Walker who hoped to restore it to honor Guthrie. However, due to Guthrie's political views, Walker had difficulty in securing funding for the project. The city council also forced Walker to tear down the house in the late 70's due to people using it as a drinking haunt.

Walker kept the original boards that constructed the house, and an ongoing plan is in the works to recreate the Guthrie house in Okemah from the salvaged material.

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brick street café

from woody guthrie posted in music by pete_nice

The Brick Street Café is the main restaurant in Okemah, OK, and features live music as well as a substantial amount of Woody Guthrie paraphernalia and ephemera: newspaper clippings, photographs, and painted Guthrie slogans.

Outside the restaurant is a preserved concrete slab, ceremoniously framed in red brick, that has Guthrie’s embedded signature.

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woody guthrie statue

from woody guthrie posted in music by pete_nice

Dedicated during the 1998 Wood Guthrie Free Folk Festival, this statue stands in the town of Guthrie's birth.

Surrounding the statue are bricks engraved with Guthrie's song titles. The Woody Guthrie Coalition sold engraved sponsorship bricks that form a walkway around the statue and park. Part of the proceeds allowed the organization to form a scholarship for graduating seniors interested in the arts.

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