Renaissance in Tulsa in Tulsa County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
Bama Pie Company
2487 E. 11th Street
| — | Tulsa's Historic Route 66 | — |
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2019
1. Bama Pie Company Marker
Henry and Alabama Marshall founded the BAMA Pie Company in Dallas in 1921. Mrs. "Bama" Marshall baked the pies, while Mr. Marshall handled the marketing. What began as a small operation selling pies at the Woolworth's soda fountain quickly grew as the Marshalls gave money to each of their seven children to start businesses in other cities: Dallas, Houston, Waco, Shreveport, Memphis, Oklahoma City, and, of course, Tulsa.
Paul and Lilah Marshall moved to Tulsa in 1937. They opened a one-story shop on Route 66 where Lilah baked and Paul managed sales. From this little shop, the Bama Pie Company steadily grew its local presence. Famous for its pastries and desserts, Bama Pie Company, now headquartered in Tulsa, built a business on packaged desserts. The Marshalls eventually replaced the original Route 66 building with a much larger plant and constructed two additional plants in Tulsa to handle the daily volume of pies, cookies, dough, and biscuits.
Route 66 provided not only a constant stream of retail customers, but it served as a part of Paul Marshall's delivery route to local restaurants and was the road to Chicago where Marshall cemented the company's future success. Now, under direction of CEO, Paula Marshall, The Bama Companies sell their pies, biscuits, pizza dough, hotcakes, and graham shells to some of the world's largest fast food chains.
Erected 2019 by Tulsa Route 66 Commission. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Food & Drink • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the U.S. Route 66 series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
Location. 36° 8.874′ N, 95° 57.045′ W. Marker is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Tulsa County. It is in Renaissance. It is on East 11th Street
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Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Muscogee Nation, specifically in the Cherokee Nation, and in Northeast Oklahoma—Green Country. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Casa Loma Hotel (Campbell Hotel) (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Borden's Restaurant (about 500 feet away); The University of Tulsa. (approx. ¼ mile away); Wolf Robe Hunt's Indian Trading Post (approx. 0.7 miles away); Dry Cleaners (approx. 0.8 miles away); Tulsa Monument Company (approx. 0.8 miles away); Whittier Square (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2019
2. The newer Bama Pie Company buildings and marker.
Also see . . . Bama Company history. (Submitted on November 6, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 22, 2019
3. Reverse side of marker looking east on Old Route 66.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,098 times since then and 82 times this year. Last updated on September 24, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 6, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
