Norman Drug, a wellknown Wewoka landmark, will be hosting a special celebration recognizing their 100th year of business this Saturday, April 11. The public is invited and encouraged to visit Norman Drug, located at 109 N. Wewoka Avenue in Wewoka between 11 A.M. and 2 P.M. to join in the celebration of their 100th Anniversary.

Current owner John Norman is the third generation to operate the family pharmacy. He explains that his grandfather, Ed Norman Sr., had originally started his business in Cromwell, but the town was just too rough for his taste, so he moved the store to Wewoka in 1926.

At about that same time, the Greater Seminole oil boom was taking off, and by a year later Wewoka’s population had exploded from 1,500 to almost 20,000 people.

A late-1980’s article in the Oklahoma Pharmacist publication focusing on Norman Drug states that at the peak of the boom, there were 16 drugstores operating along the paved and muddy streets of Wewoka, where thousands lived in tents and one-room shacks due to the housing shortage.

“Of course, in those days anybody could have a drug store,” John explains. “And there weren’t a lot of drugs, frankly, in 1926.”

“…16 drugstores and 47 lawyers,” John adds.

The article tells how the drugstore became a popular gathering place for oilfield workers, lawyers, businesspeople, and drifters from dawn until midnight during the oil boom. John refers to a large photo on the north wall inside the business that was taken in 1927, pointing out his grandfather behind that cash register on the far right side of the picture. Also present in the picture are an oil filed hand, a lawyer whose office was upstairs, and three “soda jerks” who worked behind the fountain.

He continues showing a collection of pictures that document the store through the years while he tells how his father, Ed Norman, Jr. served in World War II before joining his father in the business after he returned home.

After running across a picture of himself working behind the fountain when he was still in high school, John recalls, “I began working here when I was 13-years-old,” adding that he’s worked there all of his life except for the time he spent in college.

“I went to pharmacy school, John states, “because this is obviously a family affair, and for the past 100 years we’ve tried to take care of Wewoka.”

John greatly appreciates the community support the business has enjoyed over the past century, and invites everyone to join in celebrating their success as they continue serving the people of Wewoka.