Back Bar

In the fall of 1912, Dr. and Mrs. Hardin Walker opened a drug store in Rosston, Oklahoma.  Dr. Walker ordered this backbar and used it in the store. In the late 1930’s, Dr. Walker became camp physician in a CCC camp in Wyoming and his drug store was closed.  Mr. Harry McMillan purchased the backbar and had Mr. Vaughn Redding and Mr. Seth Seivert move it by truck to Mr. McMillan’s drug store in Freedom,  Oklahoma.  Upon arriving in Freedom, they discovered that the backbar was too large to fit into the McMillan Drug Store, so Mr. R.M. (Bob) Daughhetee and Mr. Walter Bishop, the owners of the B&B Café across the street, purchased the backbar for their place.

In 1946, the B&B Café, along with the backbar, sold to Mr. Roy Wilson and Mrs. Sinah Welty. The café was put up for auction in 1963 and Mr. Simpson Walker, Jr purchased the backbar for $200.00.  He then decided to buy the café so that he would have a place to keep the backbar. Mr. Walker sold the café in 1970.  The backbar was moved to another restaurant across the street, and eventually to the Freedom Museum for a short time.

In 2022 the backbar was moved to Walker’s Western Store in Woodward, Oklahoma.  The store is owned by the grandson of Mr. Simpson Walker, Jr,  Mr. Wade Walker.

The backbar is thought to have been made in the 1880’s—1910’s.  The     bottom was originally refrigerated.  The backbar was made by the Liquid Carbonic Company which had offices in Chicago and New York.