Pumpkin Center, Comanche County, Oklahoma

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

Pumpkin Center, Oklahoma
Unincorporated community
Pumpkin Center Location within the state of Oklahoma Show map of Oklahoma Pumpkin Center Pumpkin Center (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 34°35′38″N 98°12′43″W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Comanche
Elevation	1,161 ft (354 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code	40-61050
GNIS feature ID	1096955[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, no less than 23 towns called "Pumpkin Center" exist in the US, scattered among at least 15 states.[6]

References

1. "Pumpkin Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. "Pumpkin Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
3. "Pumpkin Center, Cherokee County, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
4. "Pumpkin Center". Gary Horcher, The Oklahoman, July 22, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
5. "Vocal Tracks: Performance and Sound Media". Jacob Smith, University of California Press, 2008, p28 (retrieved on the Google Books website). Retrieved June 23, 2020.
6. "Pumpkin Center". Fascinating Names. Retrieved June 23, 2020.