Dr. Bragg's Fantasia Golf at Lowry Park, Tampa

Was Dr. Bragg a real doctor? Was he even an actual person?
Dr. Bragg's Fantasia Golf was two 9-hole putting courses with giant, wild-imagination figures located
on the east side of North Blvd. next to Lowry Park. Lots of Tampa natives remember it,
but did you know there were TWO in Tampa?

Dr. Bragg's Fantasia Golf image from circa 1960 Fairyland & Safety Village brochure.

FANTASIA GOLF HISTORY - WAS DR. BRAGG A REAL PERSON and WAS HE REALLY A DOCTOR?

Oris Kay Bragg was born on Nov. 7, 1913 in Tarpon Springs, Fla., the second of seven children of Georgia native John Auford Bragg (b. Feb. 7, 1886), and his Florida native wife, Elizabeth "Bessie" Stevenson Bragg.

John Bragg came to Tarpon Springs from Georgia around 1907 and worked as a house carpenter, then soon thereafter as a ship yard carpenter for the Anclote Shipbuilding Co. in Tarpon Springs. Oris's mother, Bessie, was a direct descendent of Capt. Samuel Stevenson whose family were pioneer settlers in North Clearwater. Bessie was also a direct descendent of William Luffman whose family were pioneer settlers of Ocala.

The Bragg Family
On the 1910 Census in Tarpon Springs, John Bragg was boarding in the home of Ben Gause and his wife Eva. John's age wasn't recorded, maybe due to him not being at the house at the time the enumerator visited, and so the information was provided by someone else in the home. John was single and working as a house carpenter. Ben Gause and another boarding in the home, George Gaines, were also house carpenters. Perhaps John and George worked for Ben Gause.

1910 Census, Tarpon Springs

A few pages away, in Tarpon Springs, Bessie Stevenson was living in her brother-in-law's home, William Moseley, who was married to Bessie's sister Alvia. Bessie was single, age 22.

Below: Right next door to Bessie on the corner of Reed Drive was William P. Lutz, the railroad engineer for whom Lutz, Florida is named.

1910 Census, Tarpon Springs

Bessie and John A. Bragg were married on April 25, 1910, just 5 days after Bessie's census was enumerated. This date is from the Florida Marriages Collection 1837-1974. A second marriage record for them exists in the same collection for Oct. 25, 1910 under the names Jno. A. Bragg (John abbreviated) and Bessie Stevenson, for reasons unknown.

LUTZ, FL

The wood stop just north of Stemper was named by early Tampa Northern railroad engineer William P. Lutz, naming the refueling stop after himself around 1907. William was from West Virginia and his brother Charles, ran a sawmill in the Odessa area. See history of Lutz at TampaPix.com.

William P. Lutz, circa 1920
Photo courtesy of Citrus, Sawmills, Critters, & Crackers
Life in Early Lutz & Central Pasco County
By Elizabeth Riegler & Susan MacManus

THE BRAGG CHILDREN
John and Bessie's first two children, Harry Lester (1911) and Oris Kay (1913), were born in Tarpon Springs. For reasons not yet known, their next child, John Woodrow, was born in 1916 in Petersburg, Va.

In the 1920s, the Bragg family moved to New Port Richey, where the rest of their children were born (except for Kitty). They were Vesta Virginia (1918), Esta Mary (1920), a baby boy who only survived 1 day (1923), Kathryn Elizabeth "Kitty" (1924, in Hudson, FL), and finally, Braxton Jay Bragg** (1927) who went by "Jay."

1930 Census, Pasco Co., New Port Richey
(Edited to conserve space.)

(Joy B. is an error, should have been JAY B., son.)

Article at right: In May of 1933, 19-year-old Oris was one of 19 boys from Pasco County to take exams in Lakeland in order to enter government reforestation camp. [See Government Reforestation Camps (GRC) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) below.]

CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg
Photo from Wikipedia

**Jay Bragg's first name could indicate a relationship to Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

In an attempt to trace the ancestry of John Auford Bragg, good evidence was found that he could be a son of Andrew P. Bragg (b.1850, GA) and Lou Powell Bragg (b. 1857, GA) of Terrell Co., Ga. (where John was born.) On the assumption Andrew P. Bragg is John's father, there is fair evidence he was a son of J.T. Bragg and Adeline Bragg of Henry Co., GA. J.T. born c.1814 on the 1850 census of Henry Co. was born in GA. Gen. Braxton Bragg was born 1817 in Warren Co., NC, so if John and his children were related to the general, it probably wasn't as direct descendants.

From Geni.com:
Gen. Braxton Bragg, son of Thomas Bragg, Sr. and Margaret Bragg.

Husband of Elizabeth Brooks Ellis

Father of Nathan V Bragg; Sarah Frances Bragg; Alma Myrtle Bragg; unknown Bragg; unknown Bragg and 1 other brother of John Bragg, U.S. Congress; Thomas Bragg, Gov., U.S. Senator, Attorney General CSA; Alexander J. Bragg; William Bragg; Dunbar Bragg and 5 others.

The Government Reforestation Camps (GRC) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

THE GREAT DEPRESSION
President Herbert Hoover was slow to acknowledge the scope of the Great Depression which started with the Wall St. crash of Oct. 1929. He rejected recommendations of direct aid to Americans, believing the problem was simply a cyclical swing that could be remedied by “voluntary cooperation” between business and government, with business taking the lead. Since no businesses were willing to take the risks necessary for such a scheme to have a chance to work, Hoover’s plan failed.

By the time of the 1932 presidential election, unemployment was rampant, soup lines were long, agricultural prices were hitting bottom, and Americans were desperate for drastic remedies that only the government could put into action.

THE NEW DEAL
New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt handily won the presidency in 1932. Sworn into office on March 4, 1933, Roosevelt quickly pushed a package of legislation, termed the “New Deal,” through Congress setting up myriad new federal agencies to funnel direct payments to suffering Americans. Most were designed to provide work on specially created government projects. Each agency targeted a particular segment of the economy — agriculture, industry, local jobs, the arts — with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insuring banks against losses.

In his presidential inauguration speech on Mar. 4, 1933, FDR said:

Our greatest task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would threat the emergency of war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our national resources.

FORMATION OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
Five days after his inauguration, FDR met with the secretaries of Agriculture, Interior and War to outline his proposed conservation relief measure. On March 21st he submitted the Emergency Conservation Work bill to Congress. The proposed Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) would recruit 250,000 unemployed young men to work on federal and state owned land for the prevention of forest fires, floods, and soil erosion, plant, pest and disease control. In his message to Congress, Roosevelt declared that the bill would "conserve our precious national resources" and "pay dividends to the present and future generations." "More important," he added, "we can take a vast army of the unemployed out into healthful surroundings. We can eliminate to some extent at least the threat that enforced idleness brings to spiritual and moral stability."

President Roosevelt signed the bill enabling legislation on March 31, 1933, naming Robert Fechner, a former machinists’ union leader, director of the agency.

ENROLLEES START WORK
On April 17, 1933, an incredibly fast two-and-a-half weeks after Roosevelt signed the legislation, the first enrollees arrived at the first camp, appropriately named Camp Roosevelt, in the George Washington National Forest near Luray, Virginia. By July 1, more than 270,000 enrollees were living in 1,330 camps across the country.

At that time, it was the fastest large-scale mobilization of men (including World War I) in U.S. history.

Originally, the program was created to employ young single men from ages 18 to 25. Later, the minimum age was dropped to 17, and the maximum fluctuated, going as high as 28. Two-thirds of enrollees were 20 or younger.

Originally called Emergency Conservation Work, early on, the agency was dubbed the Civilian Conservation Corps by the press and that name became official in 1937.

The average CCC enrollee began his experience by applying at a local selection board. "Junior" applicants, who composed 90 percent of the corps had to be single males between seventeen and twenty-three years old, unemployed, in need, U.S. citizens and not attending school.

If chosen, a candidate enrolled for six months and agreed to send at least $22 (some sources say $25) of his $30 monthly wage home to his dependents (the average CCC enrollee came from a family of eight). He underwent a physical examination and vaccinations, took the CCC oath and received his clothing and supplies. His clothing allotment included shoes, socks, underwear, a blue denim work suit and an old army olive drab uniform (surplus from WWI) for dress purposes. He also received a toilet kit, a towel, a mess kit, a steel cot, a cotton mattress, bedding and a round metal disk with his service number inscribed on it.

World War veterans leaving the Battery in a drizzling rain this morning for dollar-a-day jobs at government's reforestation camp at Fort Slocum.
By World-Telegram staff photographer, Library of Congress

They had to be capable of physical labor, not too short (below 60 inches), not too tall (over 78 inches), nor too light (less than 107 pounds). Other conditions that might disqualify an applicant included varicose veins, venereal disease and a lack of at least "three serviceable natural masticating teeth above and below."

The large public projects were mainly in rural areas so that the CCC’s low wages would not compete unfairly with private businesses.

Initially, CCC camps were established as tent communities, but as winter approached, permanent structures were usually constructed. In 1936 camps were standardized to include four or five barracks, a mess hall, an officers' quarters, a schoolhouse, a bathhouse and latrine, a doctor's office and dispensary, and various other service buildings.

The buildings' exteriors were creosoted or covered with tar paper. The interiors were simple; the floors, wooden. Although the buildings had electricity, they were usually poorly lit. The enrollees added exterior amenities, like gravel-lined walkways and flowers.

General view of CCC Camp, TVA #19, located between the Clinch and Powell Rivers, near New Tazewell, Tennessee. In the foreground is the foundation for the winter barracks. These boys will be engaged on the reforestation work on the Clinch River watershed above Norris Dam. By Lewis Hine, Nov. 17, 1933. National Archives photo.

A regular army officer or a reserve officer called to active duty commanded the camps. The commander's staff included a junior officer, a medical officer, several members of a technical agency from the Agriculture or Interior departments, sometimes a chaplain and, after 1934, an educational advisor. Work details were commanded by a project superintendent and assisted by area residents known as "local experienced men."

Despite the army's role in administering the CCC, the camps were civilian rather than military in character. There were no military drills, no manuals of arms and no military discipline. An enrollee could be verbally disciplined or given KP duty. If he was AWOL or was caught stealing, he could be fined a maximum of $3.00 a month or given a dishonorable discharge.

During its nine-year existence, the CCC distributed more than $2.4 billion in federal funds to employ more than 2.5 million jobless young men (up to 519,000 were enrolled at any one time) who worked in about 3,000 camps.

In the agency’s first five years, enrollees planted more than 1.3 billion tree seedlings, most in forests that had been clear cut and abandoned. They erected fire towers, built truck roads and firebreaks, reclaimed thousands of acres of land from soil erosion, and constructed facilities for visitors to national forests. They also developed national, state and local parks.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was probably the most popular and successful of the New Deal agencies. It employed thousands of idle young men and trained them in useful jobs. Their work provided money for their families, as well as income for businesses near CCC camps, where CCC administrators purchased camp supplies. The enrollees taught farmers how to prevent soil erosion, and they left a legacy of forest and park improvements all over the nation that Americans continue to enjoy today.

Read more about this program at the website where the above information is from, "Roosevelt's Tree Army: Michigan's Civilian Conservation Corps at the Michigan History Center and the Texas State Historical Association

ORIS KAY BRAGG

On April 1, 1935, Oris Bragg was living in San Antonio, Texas. (This is known because the 1940 Census asked each adult where they lived on April 1, 1935. On the 1940 Census, while living in South Carolina with his wife and twin daughters, Oris indicated that he lived in San Antonio on April 1, 1935.) It is highly likely that Oris was in San Antonio while enrolled in the CCC, from some time after he took the government reforestation exam in Dade City in May, 1933.

The U.S. Army, which ran the Civilian Conservation Corps, divided the United States into nine “corps areas.” Texas shared the 8th Corps Area with Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and most of Wyoming, with headquarters at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Between 1933 and 1942, CCC enrollees in Texas built lodges, cabins, picnic pavilions, refectories, concession buildings, support buildings, footbridges and restrooms, usually from native rock and timber. They also constructed swimming pools, strung telephone lines, planted thousands of trees, developed hiking and equestrian trails, installed guardrails, built dams to impound lakes, and constructed culverts to provide drainage.

See Civilian Conservation Corps in Texas, at Texas Almanac.

By the time of the 1935 Census, which was probably in June, 1935, Oris was back from San Antonio and living in New Port Richey with his family.

On this census, Oris was 21, had a high school education, and worked as a truck driver. He was living with his parents and siblings.

ORIS BRAGG IN NORTH CAROLINA
It appears that Oris may have moved to High Point, NC to attend High Point University there.

Marriage certificate from Ancestry.com courtesy of Jeannette Tamborello	On July 1, 1939, 25-year-old Oris Kay Bragg married in Danville, Va. to 21-year-old Alma Carmon Deese of Matthews, N. Carolina. She was a daughter of Arthur T. Deese and Marie Elmore Deese. It's not yet known why they married in Virginia. Maybe it had something to do with marriage laws there. Possibly, they eloped. Danville is just north of the Virginia-N. Carolina state line. Oris was living at 213 Lindsey St. in High Point, NC, on the outskirts of Winston-Salem, where Oris probably was attending High Point University for his college education. His marriage license indicates his occupation as "Advertising." Carmon was living at 500 Lindsey St. in High Point, NC. Carmon was born May 6, 1921 in Charlotte, NC. She was 18, not 21 when she married.
The 1930 Census of Vance Township, Union Co., N. Carolina shows Carmon (Alma) Deese was one of seven daughters of Arthur & Marie Deese. Her mother married at age 16.
Oris and Carmon settled in Beauty Spot, Marlboro County, South Carolina. On Sept. 10, 1939 their twin girls, Carmon Fay and Nina Kay, were born in Spartanburg, SC. (A little over two months after their parents' marriage.) On the 1940 census in Beauty Spot, Oris was 26, still working in advertising and now had 1 year of college education. C1 meant one year of college education, H2 meant two years of high school.
1940 Census, Marlboro County, Beauty Spot, S. Carolina, where Oris indicates he was living in San Antonio on April 1, 1935. Carmon Fay and Nina Kay were 7 months old.

ORIS AND CARMON BRAGG IN TAMPA

By March 24, 1941, Oris, then 28, and Carmon, were living at 8410 Huntley Ave. in Tampa when their 3rd daughter was born, Margaret Ann Bragg.

Google street view image of 8410 Huntley Ave.

See whole article.

Though this is a 1931 map at right, it shows the location of 4201 Florida Ave. as the northeast corner of Florida & North Bay St. This was a couple of blocks north of Buffalo Ave.
(today's M. L. King Blvd.)

Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the Univ. of Florida digital maps collection.

ORIS BRAGG THE CAB DRIVER
BRAGGS MOVE TO HANNA AVE.

1944-May 2: Thirty-one year old Bragg was working as a cab driver in Tampa when he was one of twenty drivers arrested due to the city's sudden decision to start strict enforcement of the taxi laws. Bragg was charged with not having his permit posted. His home address was given as 106 W. Hanna, but this is an error and should be 105 W. Hanna. (See whole article.)

ORIS BRAGG THE USED CAR SALESMAN

By Feb. 1945, Bragg was selling used cars at 4201 Florida Avenue as "Kay's Used Car Lot." The month before, that location was a used car lot belonging to Walter Roark. This was the first ad located for Bragg:

A wood frame dwelling and store were located here in 1931.

For most of the years after Bragg, through the early 1970s, this location of 4201 thru 4205 has been used car lots. W. F. Mullis, who took over after Kay Bragg in the mid-1940s, was there through mid-1952. Then Oris Bragg's brother, Jay B. Bragg, had a successful used car business there at 4205 and a second lot at 4116. Bragg was at 4205 through mid-Jan. 1950 at which time it became Avis Used Cars. They went out of business in Aug. 1960 and it became Mr. G's Used Cars. By Jan. 1961, the property was up for sale and in May 1961, W. F. Mullis was back and gone by Feb. 1962. Superior Motors moved in at that time and was rather successful through mid-1969. In late 1969, Boyd & Boyd moved in. In Aug. 1971, Boyd & Boyd shut down and the property was up for sale in Nov. 1971. In late 1972 it was still for sale. In 1975 and 1976, this one article on a page full of founding years for many Tampa businesses, indicates Whaley's Market was there, but no Whaley's business ads for those years could be found for this location.

In the present Google street view, it is home to Little Care Bears Learning & Child Care Center.

1944-Nov. 2: MRS. BRAGG ATTACKED A VICE SQUAD OFFICER, BRAGGS CHARGED WITH CREATING DISTURBANCE

See Estreat and Nolle Prossed

Alma (Carmon) Bragg and her husband Oris were charged with creating a disturbance outside a court-room when Carmon attacked a vice squad officer who had testified against her sister, Patty, and another female, Rosie Ingle.

Apparently, Patty and Rosie had been cleared of municipal charges of loitering but the case was reopened on Oct. 31. The reopened case mistakenly listed Alma Bragg as one of the defendants.

1945-June 5: ORIS BRAGG CHARGED WITH ASSAULT AND BATTERY

Oris Bragg was charged with assault and battery by "business associate" Arthur Avery. After Bragg told the J.O.P. he was considering doing the same against his associate, and "I didn't want to hurt him because I like him. He is awful smart--beat me out of some money on several deals," the case was dismissed. Bragg was 32.

WHO WAS ARTHUR AVERY and WAS HE REALLY BRAGGS BUSINESS ASSOCIATE?

Arthur B. Avery is on the 1945 State of Florida census with parents and siblings at 5658 Orange St. Arthur was 18 years old. His father James D. Avery was a mechanic, his brother, James Jr., was a service man. The whole family was from New Jersey.

How and why would Bragg have an 18-year-old business associate? These articles below cast some serious doubt on the character of Mr. Avery and his "business" dealings.

In mid-October, Avery evaded police for a reckless driving / speeding charge and was released on $50 bond. Two days later, the reckless driving charge was dismissed, but he was fined $5 for running a red light.

1945-Nov. 4: Just over 2 weeks later, he was charged with reckless driving again, fined $15, and had is license suspended for 30 days.

1945-Dec. 14
A month-and-a-half later, at age 18, Avery and a 16-year-old male, William Herbert Olds, pled guilty to an assault charge on a 16-year-old-girl. City deputies were pushing for an attempted rape charge. Sentence was withheld until Dec. 20, with the judge stating "I want to think this thing is over, I don't know what to do." Avery already had a record of charges for hauling illicit whiskey from Tampa. A juvenile judge had already described him as "incorrigible."

1945-Dec. 30: Two weeks later, Avery was arrested in Savannah, Ga. on charges of being the leader of a juvenile auto theft ring and being an accessory to the theft and attempted sale of a car. He had already served probation several times. The December 20th sentencing hearing before Judge Fisher apparently did not take place, continued or simply not covered by the press.

1945-Jan. 5: Avery's charge of involvement with an auto theft was dismissed by Judge Fisher due to the theft not having taken place in Pinellas County. He was promptly arrested by Hillsborough County "police" on a charge of buying (should be "selling") stolen property. Notice the sale was to a Tampa used car dealer.

1946-Jan. 9: Herbert Olds, now 17, was labeled as having a "definite criminal mind" and was to remain in the county jail until Judge Bogue could decide on proper action. Old's "rap sheet" included previous auto thefts, falsification of age to gain entry into the army, escape from a Boy's industrial school in Mariana, and the recent charge of assault on a teenage girl. The "third youth" was Johnny Jordan.

It could be that the "business deal" which Avery beat Bragg out of back in July might have been the attempted sale of a stolen car. Perhaps Bragg was going to buy a car from Avery but when Avery didn't have title to the car, Bragg figured they were stolen cars, and demanding his money back, a fight may have resulted.

Later that year, in June, Bragg would be charged on five criminal counts of violating OPA used car regulations, two of which were for false representations on titles.

Nothing more can be found in the newspapers pertaining to Arthur Avery.

THE BRAGGS ON THE 1945 FLORIDA STATE CENSUS

In 1945 the Braggs lived at 105 W. Hanna in Tampa; Oris reported his occupation as "merchant." (He was a used car lot owner and salesman.) His wife was an office clerk (probably at the lot), their twin girls, Kay and Fay, were 6. Others at this address were 30-year old Martha McCloud with her newborn daughter Helen M. McCloud, and Frank, Rabbittar(?), a mechanic--probably working for Oris's used cars.

105 W. Hanna today, Google street view

On August 10, 1945, Bragg was still selling used cars from 4201 Florida Avenue;
and in this ad, a fish display case.

On Aug. 19, 1945, a Mr. Elliott was selling from there.

SCHOOL DAYS HERE AGAIN, Sept. 11, 1945 --With the usual regularity of the calendar, school days arrived in Tampa again yesterday with thousands of children going back to books. Fay and Kay Bragg, twins, were some of those entering classrooms for the first time (Tribune photos.)

KAY'S USED CARS MOVED CLOSER TO DOWNTOWN--1508 FLORIDA AVE.

This Dec. 12, 1945 article shows Bragg was in business as "Kay's Used Cars" at 1508 Florida Ave. He was fined $99 in treble damages (triple $33) for selling a used car over the OPA assessed price.

THE OPA
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established on August 28, 1941, within the Office for Emergency Management of the U.S. government. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price controls) and rents after the outbreak of World War II.

The OPA had the power to place ceilings on all prices except agricultural commodities, and to ration scarce supplies of other items, including tires, automobiles, shoes, nylon, sugar, gasoline, fuel oil, coffee, meats and processed foods. At the peak, almost 90% of retail food prices were frozen. It could also authorize subsidies for production of some of those commodities.

OPA poster and info from Wikipedia.

In February of 1946 Bragg was fined for another OPA violation.

The first good publicity Kay's Used Cars would receive in the papers in 1946 was 3 weeks later when, ironically, Bragg was listed in this endorsement of reputable dealers of the Tampa Used Car Dealers Association. It appeared on Feb. 24, 1946 and continued several times throughout the year.

This article has been edited and pieced together to better fit this space.

LOCATION OF KAY'S USED CARS
SEPT. 1945 - NOV. 1947

Though this is a 1931 map, it shows the location of 1508 & 1510 Florida Ave. situated behind the Rialto Theatre between Franklin St. and Florida Avenue, and between the alley and Henderson St., north of Estelle.

It has not yet been determined if the used car lot on the opposite side of Florida Avenue was still in business.

The upper left portion of this block, between Henderson St. and the alley that runs below the Rialto and 1508 Fla Ave, is occupied today by the Salvation Army building (in the former auto sales/garage at Fla. and Henderson) and the parking lot for the Salvation Army building.

As the Tampa Used Car Dealer Association endorsements ad (above) repeated every 4 to 5 weeks, there were articles regarding Bragg's violations.

Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the Univ. of Florida digital maps collection.

Notice the structure outlined in red in the photo below was added to the main building sometime after the 1931 map. That portion of the present structure seems to occupy at least half of the 1510 lot on the map. The rear of the Rialto can be seen as the red brick building, with the lettering still visible.

The alley can be seen at the left side of the photo, behind the iron gate.
At the top of the 3-story building can be seen the original name of the building "Holtsinger" and the year built, 1928.

Below: Taken Jan. 16, 1936 from the intersection of Henderson and Franklin Street,
this building was home to the Holtsinger Motor Company at 1514 Florida Ave.

Photo by the Burgert Brothers from the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative

CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED

On June 6, 1946, Bragg was arrested on five OPA criminal charges; three were for selling cars above the ceiling price. It was the first time criminal action was alleged under the OPA regulations. Bragg was 33.

Count 1 - Sold a 1940 Ford for $850, $259.40 over the OPA price.

Count 2 - Sold a 1938 Plymouth for $277 over the OPA price.

Count 3 - Sold a 1939 Nash for $124 over OPA price.

The other two charges were for false representations on title transfers.

This "wanted" ad of June 19, 1946 repeated numerous times throughout the year.

It was followed by more bad press.

The address given in this article was from June, 1945; his old car lot address. At this time, Kay's lots were at 1508 & 1510 Florida Ave. 4201 may have been the address when the alleged violations were committed. In 1946 W.F. Mullis's used car sales was at 4201 Fla.

In United States law, treble damages is a term that indicates that a statute permits a court to triple the amount of the actual compensatory damages to be awarded to a prevailing plaintiff. Treble damages are a multiple of, and not an addition to, actual damages.

Bragg's first sales ad at his new lot appeared
on Sept. 6, 1946

Wrong address again.

In Sept. 1946, Bragg plead not guilty
to the OPA charges.

BRAGG'S USED CAR BUSINESS PROSPERS WITH UNIQUE NEWSPAPER ADS

In the next couple of years, Bragg's ads began to grow in size and frequency, and soon his skill at advertising began to show as his ads became more engaging.

Notice the first ad shows Kay's lot was next to Holtsinger's.

When he didn't run a sales ad, he ran this one.

BRAGG PARTNERS WITH CHARLIE DRINARD
In this Nov. 17, 1947 ad, Bragg announced a new location at 1710 Grand Central Ave. and new company name upon having Charlie E. Drinard join him.	Previously, Drinard was announced as the new manager of the Time Loan Company on May 1, 1947, even though the company's ads first started on April 26 with Drinard already listed as the manager.

Even though the map below is from 1931, it shows that the location of 1710 Grand Central (today's Kennedy Blvd.) is on the south side of the street between S. Rome Ave. and Packwood. (Caddy-corner from this block was the location of the original Goody Goody drive in which closed this location in 1934.) Today, the entire block is taken up by the Primrose School of South Tampa, a private preschool/educational daycare center. Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the Univ. of Florida digital maps collection.
Evidently, the Braggs were avid anglers. On Jan. 21, 1948, the 1946 OPA charges were dismissed when Bragg made restitution totaling $660 to all three purchasers.

1948-Feb. 20: It is not known yet what this lawsuit was about. It probably concerned a used car sale.

BRAGG & DRINARD'S UNIQUE NEWSPAPER ADS

Bragg & Drinard's advertising was quite different from the other car ads. Whereas the others were straightforward, to the point--make, model and price, B & D's was similar to the Burma Shave roadside ads of the 1930s through 1950s. Bragg's early career was in advertising, so he had learned what got the consumer's attention, and he may have also been influenced by the popular, award-winning ads found in Tampa's newspapers by Carl Stayer of the Goody Goody drive-in on Florida Avenue. They were conversational and personal and probably quite expensive for their time.

The ad below was one long column. The vertical space has been edited out and the text cut into three sections to better fit this space.

Image from an original Burma Shave promotional booklet.

Readers were kept in suspense...

Meanwhile, a different series running in the Tribune:

The one on the right was another long column ad rearranged to fit here.

See FOUR Bragg & Drinard ads in their long column format

BRAGG & DRINARD EXPAND TO A SECOND LOT

Bragg & Drinard expanded to a 2nd lot in March, 1948; 1401 Florida Ave.

Business was booming for Bragg & Drinard

"Monday" was March 22. See the ad here.

The 1931 map below shows the location of Bragg & Drinard's second lot at 1401 Florida Avenue. It was occupied by a 2-story wood frame dwelling but by 1948 most wood frame dwellings would have been replaced by brick or block buildings.

Place your cursor on the map to see this area in recent times.

1931 Sanborn fire insurance map from the Univ. of Fla. Digital Maps collection.

The ad below has been cut into 4 columns from 1 long column.

Place your cursor on the image to see the text enlarged.

ARMY DAY AD - THE TAMPA TIMES, April 6, 1948

This full page ad in the Tampa Daily Times on April 6, 1948 sponsored by many Tampa businesses, including Bragg & Drinard Motor Co., announced an open house at Ft. Homer Hesterly armory in West Tampa. Construction of the armory began in 1938 and the armory was completed in 1941, dedicated and named for Lt. Col. Homer Wynne Hesterly on Dec. 8, 1941 (the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor).

ORIGINS OF ARMY DAY (from military.com)

Army Day should not be confused the Army's Birthday, which is celebrated on June 14. The origins of Army Day can be traced back to a little-known Defense Test Day, which was observed only twice: once in 1924 and once in 1925. Congress then disallowed any further observances of this day. In response, the Military Order of the World War under Colonel Thatcher Luquer established Army Day. Army Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1928. That date was chosen in hopes of dampening Communists' celebration of Workers' Day, which also occurs on May 1.

But, starting in 1929, Army Day was changed to April 6, the anniversary date of the United States' entry into World War I. Army Day was established as a nationwide observance to draw public attention to national defense and to acquaint the public with Army activities. In addition, the day was used to stress the need for military preparedness, which the nation had lacked as it entered earlier major conflicts. "

The failure to make adequate preparation for the inevitable struggle, the consequent suffering from disease and death entailed upon the armies which were hastily raised, the prolongation of the conflict far beyond the time which sufficient and equipped forces would have required for victory, and the heavy costs of reconstruction" were caused by the lack of preparation of the nation. On April 4, 1936, President Roosevelt issued a proclamation that Army Day be recognized by Congress as April 6 and observed nationwide. On March 1, 1937, Congress passed Resolution #5-75 which officially recognized Army Day.

Army Day was last observed nationally on April 6, 1949. READ ABOUT FT. HOMER HESTERLY ARMORY AT TAMPAPIX

At left, the first ad where Bragg made clever use of his name as an advertising slogan.

Surprisingly, Bragg didn't make use of his first and middle initials, "OK", such as "O.K's cars are better than OK."

1948-June 2: Oris and Carmon's twin daughters, Kay and Fay Bragg, participated in a Brownie Troop bake sale for a cancer fund.	In the summer of 1948 for only $1, Bragg would provide you with his recipe for turning milk into butter by adding 3 readily-available ingredients to it.

"Place your trust in the knowledge of the dependable used car dealer."
B & D ads such as this one were used to educate and gain the trust of the consumer.

1948: BRAGG AND DRINARD GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS
In late 1948, Bragg appeared to be divesting himself of property or has become a real estate agent. The appearance of "Drinard Motor Co." ads for 1710 Grand Central Ave. are indications that he decided to make a change in his career.	The last ad found for Bragg & Drinard appeared on September 23, 1948.
Bragg advertised to sell a 2-story five-unit apartment building in Tampa Heights. Possibly one of his own investments?	Bragg advertised to sell this boat, probably his fishing boat. This ad ran several times ending on Dec. 4, 1948.
CHARLIE DRINARD TAKES OVER THE LOT ON GRAND CENTRAL This September 25, 1948 endorsement of used car dealers was the first indication that Bragg had split from Drinard who now sold cars as DRINARD MOTOR CO. at 1710 Grand Central. Numerous Drinard Motor Co. ads followed with this address.


	1949: ON TO ANOTHER CAREER FOR BRAGG Oris Kay Bragg was pretty much done with selling used cars for a living by November of 1948. There were some loose ends to tie up in early 1949, as seen by the lawsuit at left where a Bushnell man had defrauded Bragg, but no more ads for his car lot business. ORIS BRAGG SOLD BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Starting March 20, 1949, Bragg began advertising under business opportunities for sale. These ran through June 16, 1949.
After the June 16, 1949 ad, Oris Kay Bragg vanished from the Tampa advertising radar.

ORIS BRAGG'S BROTHER TAKES OVER AT 1710 GRAND CENTRAL In May of 1949, Oris's brother Jay B. Bragg entered the used car lot business. This ad ran from May 23 through May 26. With an advertising blitz in the style of his brother, Jay Bragg ran ads for his lot at 1710 Grand Central almost daily. Jay's last ad for this location ran on Sept. 17, 1950 and on Oct. 19, 1950 his ads continued for his new lot at 1515 Florida Ave. He often ran full-column ads such as this one below on Feb. 3, 1950: In March of 1950, Jay Bragg engaged to marry Miss Edna King. "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. Doctor, Lawyer, Merchant, Chief" became a clever sales ad. By Nov. 18, 1950, Jay's former lot on Grand Central became an Avis Rental used car lot. On Jan. 23, 1952, Jay Bragg has expanded to include a lot at 1801 Fla. Ave. On May 25, 1952, Jay moved to 4205 Fla. Ave. where he continued selling used cars at least through the 1950s.

A list of registered voters in the Tribune was the only mention of Oris Bragg in Tampa from June 1949 to March 1953.

1950: ORIS KAY BRAGG IN DAVENPORT, IOWA

Almost a year after he vanished from Tampa newspapers, Oris Bragg turns up in Davenport, Iowa's Daily Times because of an auto accident. According to a later ad listing his credentials, he was attending the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport. It's not known if his family was there with him.

Bragg's car rolled out of a parking space and down a hill, hitting another parked car and causing it to strike a third car.

AT RIGHT: Bragg's address is between the Mississippi River and the main campus of the Palmer School of Chiropractic.

Bragg lived in the historic Fred B. Sharon House built in 1891 at 728 Farnam St. . He was probably renting an apartment room there. The car that was struck by Bragg's car belonged so someone with the same address.
Photo at right from 1981, National Register of Historic Places.

Photo above from Wikipedia
See the Architectural/Historical Survey of this house

DAVENPORT, IOWA--KAY BRAGG WAS BACK IN BUSINESS

So far, efforts to locate any evidence of Bragg's previous courses or one of the "hundreds" he has helped has been unsuccessful.

1951-Sep. 23: Two years and a month had passed since his last Tampa ad, when Bragg was back in the newspaper. Now he was...

"KAY BRAGG of Florida, Noted Relaxologist"

at Jansen Reducing Studio.

"A Splendid Body - A Mind Supreme
Increased Power of Body, Mind and Soul -
will help each human entity to become a live personality, enabling you to live fully, joyously..."

A few months later, Bragg offered some slightly submerged somewhat inaccessible island that needed filling, to the locals in Davenport. It appears that he was working a Christmas tree lot at a service station. Financing available.

Now and then, Bragg had a car to sell.

A new address.

The Jansen salon moved on to another fad--"Gyroducing."

The Gyroducer

Gyroducing was a fad starting in the 1940s after the "Gyrolator" which made claims of curing just about anything.
Postcard image courtesy of HipPosting

Ads from the Davenport Daily Times, 1949 - 1952

TAMPA BUILDING PERMITS

1952-July 26:
Bragg had this building permit to have his house painted.

1953-Mar. 26
Nine months later, Bragg is having awnings installed at 2732 Florida Ave. These are probably for parking shelters as Bragg is getting ready to begin a new career.

ORIS KAY BRAGG, THE CHIROPRACTOR, AGE 39

After approximately 4 years of absence from Tampa, Oris K. Bragg returned to the Tampa public eye on March 28, 1953 as a chiropractor at his own clinic.

"Formerly associated with the B.J. Palmer Chiropractic Clinic, he attended the Texas Chiropractic College and practiced in Watertown, NY. He received his degree from the Palmer School in 1951.

Texas Chiropractic College (TCC) is a private chiropractic college located in Pasadena, Texas. Founded in 1908, it is the fourth oldest chiropractic college in the United States. TCC was originally located in San Antonio, Texas before moving in 1965 to Pasadena due to increased demands for a larger campus.

(Recall Bragg's 1940 census on which he stated he was living in San Antonio, Texas, on April 1, 1935. Bragg would have only been 21 at that time. Evidence shows he was in San Antonio while enrolled in the Civil Conservation Corps. He may have become aware of TCC while there, then went back to attend sometime from 1948 to 1953.)

Texas Chiropractic College

Photo enhanced from Wikipedia

Palmer College of Chiropractic is the founding college of chiropractic and is located in Davenport, Iowa. It was established in 1897 by Daniel David Palmer and is considered "The Fountainhead," as it was the first school of chiropractic in the world.

When D.D. had developed chiropractic, he felt the desire to keep it secret for fear of others stealing his ideas. Following a near-fatal train accident that D.D. was involved in, B.J. convinced his father, to teach chiropractic to others so that it would not be lost. D.D. was reluctant to allow B.J. to learn chiropractic, but eventually gave in and allowed B.J. to study under him. B.J. assumed control of the school that his father had founded in Davenport, Iowa. As a result of his development and promotion of the profession, B.J. became known as the "Developer" of chiropractic.

The college's name was originally the Palmer School and Cure and later became the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Most early chiropractic schools were founded by Palmer alumni.

The main campus of Palmer College of Chiropractic is located at 1000 Brady Street in Davenport, Iowa. This is the original school founded by Daniel David Palmer in 1897. The campus is located on a bluff in the Mississippi Valley area overlooking the Mississippi River. It is only blocks away from the location of the first chiropractic adjustment performed by D.D. Palmer in 1895.

Bartlett Joshua "B. J." Palmer at Wikipedia Today's Palmer College of Chiropractic

WHEN WAS ORIS BRAGG PRACTICING IN WATERTOWN, NY?
No newspaper articles in New York state could be found that mentioned Oris or Kay Bragg from 1951 to 1953. An analysis of the days between Tampa ads and Davenport ads shows 331 days had passed from the date of his last business wanted ad in Tampa to the date of the auto accident in Davenport. From the date of the auto accident to the date of his "Relaxology" clinic at Jansen's was 498 days.

His Tampa chiropractor ad states he received his degree from Palmer in 1951. Assuming he was still in Davenport on 3/21/1952 when he placed the cars for sale ad, he would have had 1 year at most, from March, 1952 to March, 1953, to practice in Watertown, NY, if we assume his wife obtained the permit to paint their house in July, 1952, and if we assume his time in Watertown wasn't concurrent with his enrollment at Palmer.

Ad Date	Ad subject	Location	Days until next article	Years in Davenport
6/16/1949	Last business wanted ad	Tampa	331
5/13/1950	Auto accident	Davenport, IA	498
9/23/1951	Relaxology presentation at Jansen's	Davenport, IA	17
10/10/1951	Dollar off coupon for Relaxology treatment, Jansen's	Davenport, IA	66
12/15/1951	Florida Island for sale ad	Davenport, IA	97
3/21/1952	Must sell two cars	Davenport, IA	127	3.1
7/26/1952	Building permit to paint house	Tampa	243
3/26/1953	Building permit to install awnings at clinic	Tampa

The Bragg Clinic in Tampa was located a block north of Columbus Drive at E. Euclid Ave.

Google images from May, 2017.

In May, 2017, the site of Bragg's clinic was a vacant lot at Florida Ave. and E. Euclid.

1953-May 2: In just a little over a month, Dr. Bragg's Tampa practice was successful enough to warrant two waiting rooms, "one for white and one for colored." He had also become a specialist in nervous disorders, cardiac ailments, arthritis, sinus and stomach troubles. This ad was accompanied by the same photo used in his first ad. The two waiting rooms were probably more for the reason of segregating his patients and less for accommodating more patients.	1953-May 6: Bragg was co-instructor with motivational speaker James B. Gibson in a course of "Growing Younger Through Friendship" and "Blue Print for the Future." The first two classes were free and open to the public. Bragg was also in charge of the 30 minute "friendship period" after the class.

Dr. Bragg, age 40.

1953-June 6: This ad, and others similar to it, appeared in the newspapers almost daily through the ensuing months.	1953-Aug. 29: Dr. Bragg announced the addition of two new treatment rooms and a larger X-ray unit. He also added new equiptment for "aerosol therapy" and "plasmatic therapy."

1953-Oct. 15: Bragg announced the opening of a St. Pete office for around Nov. 1, at 629 First Ave. North in the Brownell Building.

1953-Oct. 24: Dr. Bragg returned from a seminar in Miami, where in four days he learned the latest developments in Chiropractic technique and X-ray analysis.
Parker Chiropractic Research Foundation

1953-Nov. 29: This St. Pete Times ad appeared the day before Bragg's St. Pete office was opened. Dr. Bragg listed several maladies on his list of treatable problems--asthma, sinus, prostate, nervousness, back pains, arthritis, neuritis, female trouble, constipation and headaches as ailments that can be cured with chiropractic methods.

This ad was repeated very often throughout 1954 & 1955.

1954-April 11

Bragg promoted his practice like he sold his cars, only this time he is your body mechanic.

"Your chiropractor is your body mechanic. The X-Ray reveals the scientific facts and Dr. Bragg interprets them in everyday mechanical language for the benefit of the patient."

"If you remove the cause, complete healing will follow."

"Find out if yours is a case for chiropractic."

1954-May 8

Bragg's clinics had become so popular that he could no longer treat his patients on his own. So he hired a clinical director for his St. Pete clinic--Dr. O. C. Woodruff. Many of his patients attended a testimonial dinner held at the "Crystal Ball" and gave Bragg great credit for his work. An 81-year-old patient demonstrated her flexibility by bending over and touching the floor without bending her knees.

"Dr. Bragg has taken special courses in the study of geriatrics, the study of the diseases of the aged."

WHAT AND WHERE WAS THE "CRYSTAL BALL?"

WHO WAS O. C. WOODRUFF and WAS HE A DOCTOR? Not much could be located about Dr. O.C. Woodruff, Bragg's St. Pete clinic director. There weren't many Woodruffs in Florida on the 1945 Florida census. In fact, there were only three male head-of-house Woodruffs. One was living in Green Cove Springs, Clay Co., . a 38 y.o. O.K. Woodruff from Illinois, whose occupation was "Army," married to Helen and having a newborn daughter, Jackie. Another was 30 y.o. William O. Woodruff from Florida whose occupation was "Navy" with wife Marguerite at 2404 Prospect Rd. in south Tampa. And finally, this one, 37 y.o. O.C. Woodruff from Georgia whose occupation was "Machinist" and living at 318 E. Hillsborough Ave. He had wife Bessie and son Oscar III.
1945 State of Florida state census

Though his name is spelled "Woodriff," a later article naming Oscar Woodruff, III as a scout earning an award is evidence to show his name was Woodruff.
There are numerous articles in the 1950s and 1960s mentioning this Oscar Clifford Woodruff, Jr. in Tampa, including obituaries of his father (Oscar Clifford Woodruff, Sr.) and his mother (Mrs. Mary McKenzie) and , a class action libel suit, and removal from active voters lists, but none attribute the title of "Dr." or "Doctor" to his name.
	Some articles describing his and his wife's catches on fishing trips indicate they shared an interest with Oris Kay Bragg. Notice in both of Woodruff's parent's obits, their spouse is not mentioned. They probably divorced and Mary may have remarried. She had a surviving brother with a different surname--Beverly. It is not readily apparent that O.C. Woodruff, Jr. was a doctor.

1954, June 26

Dr. Bragg brags about his qualifications to practice "physical medicine," including Ultrasonic therapy, of which his clinic was among the first in Florida to use in treating various degenerative disorders.

He also expresses his qualifications and experience to use the X-ray exam as a valuable tool to locate the exact spot where patients need treatment.

Finally, he touts his qualification to use prostatic therapy to treat diseases of the aged, having taken a special course in its use.

Notice that in Dr. Bragg's ads, in various ways, he qualifies the success of his treatments based on whether the patient's problem is due to chiropractic causes.

Dr. Bragg offered help and hope to thousands who suffered the misery of high blood pressure and failed to respond to other methods of treatment.

"You have but one life and one body. Protect them now while you may."

He also offered an "amazing new treatment for prostatitis--without the use of massage, electric therapy, drugs--or even the use of the catheter."

Find out now if yours is a case for chiropractic.

1954-Aug. 28: BRAGG CLINICS INCREASE IN POPULARITY

The Tampa clinic was managed by Dr. Kay Bragg and Mrs. Bragg. Due to the clinic's popularity, the number of treatment rooms was increased and the building completely remodeled in the rear, with parking space added.

Dr. Bragg appealed to the common sense of his patients with his "up front" approach:

"Dr. Bragg believes in sincerity and honesty when dealing with problem-sick people and will not take a case where he knows chiropractic treatment will not aid the sufferer." The ad goes on to say that through the use of modern methods, Dr. Bragg has had great success with many stubborn cases that have not responded to other methods of treatment.

The Bragg clinics offer prostatic therapy that has helped many aged men through chiropractic methods. "Disease is often caused by misaligned vertebrae in the spinal column. This results in the spinal nerves being pinched and cuts down on the nerve supply to some organs...when this happens, the organs have to work under a handicap and often disease and ill health are the result."

1954-Sept. 19: BRAGG'S DAUGHTERS IN THE NEWS

Oris & Carmon Bragg's youngest daughter, Margaret Ann (13), and one of their twin daughters, Nina Kay (15), are two of three students honored as Pepsi-Cola Merit Award recipients. Ann attended Memorial Jr. High and Kay attended the Sacred Heart Academy. Notice the portraits are by Tommy Eure.

1954-Sept. 25 & Oct. 16

Dr. Bragg teamed up with another graduate of the Palmer School--Dr. Platteborze, who specialized in the use of "analytical instruments to detect the malfunctioning of the heart." Dr. Platteborze also was qualified to treat patients who had failed to respond to other forms of treatment, by using a high-frequency ultrasound to "massage the molecules of human flesh." He also reported the addition of several new treatment rooms in which to use the new equipment.

Dr. R. A. Platteborze, heart specialist with the Dr. Kay Bragg Chiropractic Heart Clinic, uses the latest scientific methods in diagnosing and treating patients afflicted with the various kinds of heart ailments.

The heart clinic opened this past month and is already well known throughout the Tampa area.

WHO WAS R. A. PLATTEBORZE?
Robert Andrew Platteborze, born Oct. 3, 1924, the third of 8 children of Charles and Margaret Platteborze of Sharon City, PA. Married by Nov. 1942 to Doris P. Wolfinger, b. June 5, 1924, PA, daughter of Stephen and Pearl Wolfinger. of Sharon City, PA.

Robert enlisted in the Army in Nov. of 1942 while living in Sharon City. According to his enlistment record, he was already married, had 2 years of high school, and his occupation was semiskilled chainman, rodman, axman; in surveying. Private in the Air Corps, Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) 20 Feb 1943 Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law. Event Place: Miami Beach, Florida, United States.

(Miami Beach, "the most beautiful boot camp in America," where one fourth of the officers and one fifth of the enlisted men of the entire Army Air forces were trained.) See Miami Beach wartime training center, Camp Miami Beach, and Miami Beach training center.

In November of 1943, Platteborze began advanced aerial navigation training at San Marcos, Texas.

Apparently his wife moved to Texas as well; their son, Wayne David Platteborze, was born Jan. 16, 1945, in Ward, Texas. Mother: Doris P. Wolfinger Platteborze.

According to the Bragg ad, and the ads below, Platteborze graduated from Palmer School in Davenport. The one on the left below appeared in the Times quite regularly but with different messages.

Doris Platteborze died Nov. 1, 1978 in Pinellas county at age 54.

Robert Andrew Platteborze married again nearly two months later, Dec. 23, 1978 in Pinellas County, to Ethel. (Name based on the following divorce record.)

Robert divorced Ethel Platteborze on Sept. 21, 1979 in Pinellas Co.

Robert then remarried on Nov. 18, 1989 in Pinellas County. He was age 65.

Robert and Doris's son, Wayne D. Platteborze, married and divorced no less than 4 times, two times was with the same wife.

1955-Mid-September: DR. BRAGG MOVED HIS CLINIC FROM FLORIDA AVE. TO GRAND CENTRAL AVE.

These ads below appeared repeatedly in the Times and the Tribune throughout the year. The clinic address shows that in mid-September, Bragg moved to 2124 Grand Central Avenue but didn't make any announcement at this point.

Above - Dr. Bragg's last ad from his Florida Ave. location.

Below - Dr. Bragg's first ad from his new Grand Central location.

Even though the map at left is from 1931, it shows the location of 2124 Grand Central--the southeast corner of Grand Central and S. Westland.

Today, Grand Central is named Kennedy Blvd.

Place your cursor on the photo to see the area in present times.

The brick structure on the right which housed an upholstery shop is still present today as Encore Broadcast Solutions.

The two wood frame dwellings on the left became the location of Bragg's new clinic.

Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the Univ. of Florida digital maps collection.

Below, the location of the clinic is marked with a red square.


The blocks outlined in green were in the Oscawana Subdivision, which still exists today. Courier City-Oscawana boundaries today are John F. Kennedy Boulevard to the north, Armenia Avenue to the west, Swann Avenue to the South, and Rome Ave. to the east.

Today, a few businesses are located here at 2124 W. Kennedy Blvd. It is not without possibility that the building there today is the same one that housed Bragg's clinic, but with significant modifications.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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