The Johnson Hotel - Killing Albert Berch

: Lula’s handwriting is at the top: “Our—Hotel Where Almarian Was Borned,” and she placed an “X” over a ground floor window with the notation, “This Room.” The Berch couple and new baby lived in the hotel, though by the time of the murders they had moved to a suite close to the “writing room” located more centrally in the building. A key chain to Room #16 was discovered in Lula’s memorabilia, and it is unknown whether #16 was the room of Almarian’s birth, or more probably, the suite number for the Berch family at the time of the murders. (from the Hollingsworth family collection)

: Lula Berch in 1920, standing at the main entrance to Johnson’s Hotel. Grandson and author, Alan Berch Hollingsworth, in 2011, same location (from the Hollingsworth family collection)

: Lula Garvin Berch (left) on the Main Street sidewalk in front of the Johnson Hotel, circa 1920. Grandson and author Alan Berch Hollingsworth on the same sidewalk in 2011. The author is holding the key chain to room #16 of the Johnson Hotel (from the Hollingsworth family collection)

: Ad for the Thanksgiving Dinner at The Johnson Hotel Cafe, appearing in the Marlow Review, November 25, 1920.

: The Ad for “The New Johnson Hotel” in the Marlow, Review, December 4th, 1919. Lula Combs Garvin had been widowed for one year, and had probably not met Albert Berch at the time of this ad. She ran the hotel as Mrs. Lula Garvin, along with her son Guy.

: The only known photograph of the lobby of the Johnson Hotel. At the front desk is Lula Combs Garvin (shortly before her marriage to Albert Berch) and an unidentified clerk. The door behind them was originally the front entrance to the hotel beneath a porte-cochere. By the time this photo was taken in 1920, this front door had been nailed shut, and the main entrance was moved to the southeast corner (near Main and First) where the photographer is standing to take the picture. This would have been the view of the mob upon entering the hotel on December 17, 1923. Through the open door to the adjoining Café, an unidentified gentleman is seated at the counter, while the kitchen and formal dining room cannot be seen from this angle. The “writing room,” a partitioned section of the lobby and site of the murders, is barely out of view to the right. (from the Hollingsworth family collection)

: The back side of this print identifies the building as “The Berch Hotel – 1922.” However, the Berch couple never officially changed the name. Although referred to as “The Johnson Hotel,” the signage near the corner says, “Johnson’s Hotel.” The main entrance was not beneath the porte-cochere by the time this photo was taken; rather, it was located at the corner near the streetlight. The inset photograph of the woman in front of the railing is identified as “Lulu Berch – 1920, my mother,” written by Almarian Berch. Mrs. Albert Berch is standing on top of the porte-cochere with her back to Main Street, Marlow, Oklahoma (from the Hollingsworth family collection)

: Over the years, the Johnson Hotel changed hands many times, with an external deck added as seen in this 2011 photograph. At the far left, ground floor, one can see a picture window that was once marked with the word “Café,” noting the hotel’s signature restaurant. In “The Berch Family” gallery on this website, several photos were taken in front of the Café sign in March 1922, shortly after the birth of Almarian. On the night of the murders, the crowd outside pressed against the row of windows located along Main Street between the Café window and the main entrance at the corner. Those on the outside looking in were deemed innocent bystanders, while the seven men who entered the lobby (and exited the same door) were charged with murder (from the Hollingsworth family collection).

: In the 1950s and early 1960s, the Johnson Hotel became The Myers Hotel, operated by the Terry family (photo courtesy of Janet Loveless).

: In the early 1960s, Jr. Careathers operated “JR’s” café in the Meyers Hotel, formerly the Johnson Hotel Café. Later, he operated the White Rock Café where Marvin Kincannon made regular appearances after he was released from prison. (Photo courtesy of Jr. Careathers daughter, Lynne Howard)