Pumpkin Center, Comanche County, Oklahoma

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Coordinates: 34°35′38″N 98°12′43″W / 34.59389°N 98.21194°W / 34.59389; -98.21194
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Pumpkin Center, Oklahoma
Unincorporated community
Pumpkin Center is located in Oklahoma
Pumpkin Center
Pumpkin Center
Location within the state of Oklahoma
Pumpkin Center is located in the United States
Pumpkin Center
Pumpkin Center
Pumpkin Center (the United States)
Coordinates: 34°35′38″N 98°12′43″W / 34.59389°N 98.21194°W / 34.59389; -98.21194
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountyComanche
Elevation
1,161 ft (354 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code40-61050
GNIS feature ID1096955[1]

Pumpkin Center is an unincorporated community in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located at the intersection of state highways 7 and 65, approximately 10 miles east of Lawton in the southwestern portion of the state.[1]

This is not to be confused with the Pumpkin Center located in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma which is about 10 miles northeast of the city of Okmulgee,[1] or with the Pumpkin Center located in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, which is about 14 miles east of the city of Muskogee,[2] or with the Pumpkin Center located in Cherokee County, Oklahoma which is about 7.5 miles northeast of Braggs.[3]

The origins of the name of the town are not known, and many theories exist.[4] One story has it that an old man’s pickup truck carrying pumpkins to market broke down in the area, and he had to sell the pumpkins to passing motorists to pay for the mechanic’s bill.[4] However, “Pumpkin Center” as a town name was widely publicized by one Cal Stewart, who was a popular spoken-word recording artist in the late 1890s and early 1900s.[5] He frequently played the character of a gullible individual by the name of Uncle Josh Weathersby who hailed from the fictional town of "Pumpkin Center" or "Punkin Center".[5] The recordings described life in Pumpkin Center, as well as the character’s collisions with modernity in New York City.[5] Perhaps as a result, there are at least 31 communities in the U.S. named Pumpkin Center scattered across 16 states, including Alabama (3), Arizona (2), California (2), Florida, Georgia, Indiana (2), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri (2), Mississippi, North Carolina (3), Oklahoma (4), South Dakota, Tennessee (3) and Virginia (2).[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Pumpkin Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Pumpkin Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Pumpkin Center, Cherokee County, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Pumpkin Center". Gary Horcher, The Oklahoman, July 22, 2000. July 22, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Smith, Jacob (August 4, 2008). Vocal Tracks: Performance and Sound Media. ISBN 9780520254947. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Pumpkin Center, Missouri (Dallas County)". RoadsideThoughts. Retrieved June 20, 2021.


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