mwkellner

it was an elementary school. i had a cousin who was there in the 70's

Thanks. Your great, and fast. I love this site.

What school was originally in the building that currently houses the school for criminal justice? It is near St Thomas HS. I really appreciate ALL of the first hand knowledge available at this site. Thanks alot

Thanks alot! was it a middle school? When did it close?

What school was originally in the building that currently houses the school for criminal justice? It is near St Thomas HS. I really appreciate ALL of the first hand knowledge available at this site. Thanks alot. George Washington Junior High School At 4701 Dickson St.

Frenchy's - yep, every location I've been to says that on the sign. That's neat about Guy's - I love their burgers and chili but didn't know they'd been around that long.

If you want to count Bibas One's a Meal on West Gray as a One's a Meal, that chain dates to 1933.

Prince's - 1929 in Dallas, in Houston from 1934, but out of business for some time, I don't remember how long, ca. the late 1990s.

More from Galveston: Gaido's, 1911; Original Mexican Cafe on 14th - dates differ according to the sources, 1913, 1916, 1918. Up until a few years ago anyway always the same family but I don't know if that's still true.

Anybody know the history of Bering Hardware? When I was researching my blog in the 1920s I saw frequent ads for Bering-Cortes Hardware in the papers - the ancestor of the current store?

Thanks Bruce for the info on Someburger. Interesting. I think that I will eat at the one in the heights sunday after the walking tour.

A note on guy's. My Dad drives from Baytown to get their brisket rub (several pounds at a time) I have never had any better, seriously. I had no idea that they were that old though.

Can think of at least 3 burger joints, etc.

Someburger - Heights

Poppaburger on N Main (been there forever) my aunt ran it for years too.

Cozy Kitchen barbecue on Lockwood

El Jardin Mex restaurant on Harrisburg

Crespo Funeral Home on Navigation (very old)

Morales Funeral Home on Canal

There is a someburger in Baytown that has been there for at least 40 years. I wonder if they are connected some how? If I ate at the one in the Hieghts, I would know instantly. Where is it in the heights?

Thanks for sharing that. I am not sure I've ever seen it before. Does anyone remember the old Best building out on I45 South? It was made to look like it was collapsing as well. I think it was eventually torn down.

I was also on the wlaking tour in January and try to attend as many as I can, I love them.

I was very young but can remember a store near sagemont (pasadena) that had a uge pile of bricks made to look as if they had fallen off the front of the building. I am not sure if the one I remember was on I45 or not, but it must have been near.

Man Greaser, that is some excellent 411. I thought I had a criminal mind myself, but I am apparently NOT as crafty as you. You don;t live in my neighborhood do you ? LOL!

It really works too! Haha. My sister's house was broke into this way in San Antoino. Police man told her it had become quite common (about a year ago). I wonder what this world would be like if every one who was smart enough to figure stuff like this out would think of productive ideas?

the paper is due sometime mid march but my teacher wants a topic paper in soon...i just need something to get some sources on and research a little

I find the Camp Logan story (mentioned earlier) very interesting. I show a PBS video to my to my class about it every year. I think it would be very easy to develope because there were mistakes made on both sides (police and soldiers). The fact that it was such a large courtmatial and execution and very few people are aware of it is curious as well. Good luck with your paper.

Yeah, Bobby Wright was my government teacher. He used to turn his Rice ring upside down and bop me on the head with it. He was one of three different guys who QBed the Owls in 1958. I used to see him around when I'd go back to Baytown from time to time. Crazy cat. I knew Sultis was a Rice grad. Mr. Pete still had a mind like a steel trap when I'd talked to him about six years ago. Don't forget that Henry Armstrong also played football at Rice and coached football at Del Mar JC in Corpus Christi. I still think they should have named the new high school for him.

I recognize your name as well, MWKellner, from the old Suicide Squad days!

Henry Armstrong actually coached Ron Kramer at Del Mar. I just saw Mr. Pete last week. His wife passed away. I bet you are thinking of my dad, he is the one that would have coached you on the suicide squad. I was the little kid on the sidelines that was just in the way and extremely excited to be there.

My old high school, Baytown REL was full of Rice grads and the football team had long and old ties to Rice. My coach, Ron Kramer, played on the 1957 SWC championship team with King Hill and Dial and Frank Ryan who QBed the Cleveland Browns to the 1964 NFL championship. Our family doctor was George Walmsley an REL gridiron great and a member of the Owls' 1947 Orange Bowl Championship team.

Rice's beating of Purdue in West Lafayette on the same day in 1934 that Texas beat Notre Dame in South Bend help give the SWC national recognition. Rice Stadium (opened in 1950) was built to hold 72,000 because people were crazy for SWC football and the Owls often played before capasity crowds. Rice is one of only a few universities that has played in the Orange, Sugar and Cotton Bowls. The Owls were the SWC's 1994 co-champions.

Retama, I don't know when you graduated, but you probably remeber Bobby Wright at REL. He was a qb on the same rice team (SWC Champs 1953?) with Coach Kramer and the rest that you memtioned. Pete Sultis was also a Rice Grad.

Quick question for anyone out there:

I read somewhere that National Geographic once did a story on Brownwood. I've searched the local library's collection of NG's, including NG indexes, and can't seem to find anything on it.

Does anyone know if Nat'l Geo ever really did a feature on Brownwood? If so, when did it appear? I'd like to find it if such an animal exists.

The National Geographic article was really on subsidence or the flood insurance problems. There was a picture and short caption used in the article from Brownwood. I don't know the issue though I would guess in the early 90's. I remeber reading the article and surprised to see the picture.

Not in Houston it wasn't. Are you from the mid-west?

Handy Andy Home Improvement Centers was a mid-western chain of big box home improvement centers led by president Richard George and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. The stores operated in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The stores were highly visible and well known for their very large vertical stripes of brown and white that would typically cover the entire building. In 1987, Handy Andy acquired the Forest City lumber chain with stores in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois from Forest City Enterprises.

Bankruptcy

Handy Andy declared bankruptcy on October 17, 1995 due to creditor pressures, which led to the closure of about 20 of its stores. At that time, Handy Andy had over $120 million in debt and was planning to reorganize into hardware supermarkets. However, in early 1996, creditors forced Handy Andy to liquidate its assets to repay its outstanding debts. On January 25, 1996, Handy Andy announced it would be closing its remaining 54 stores, laying-off over 2,500 employees. By June of 1996, Handy Andy Home Improvement Centers ceased to exist

I know there was a Handy Andy grocery store on the north side of San Antonio when I was in college (1990-94).

From "Wave of the Gulf"

I will wait a couple of days to see what you posted from "wave of the gulf". The sanborn maps that you posted in this post showed up about three days later. I don't know why. ISureDid, I really appreciate you (and others) sharing you knowledge with me. Thanks again.

The structure was built in 1925 as Albert Sydney Johnston Junior High School. Sometime during the 1950's (when the current Johnston on Manhattan was built) it became William E. Miller Junior High. In the 1970's it became The Contemporary Learning Center High School which occupied the 1st and 2nd floors, the 3rd floor was called Staff Development. Contemporary Learning Center Middle School was at 4100 Chartress (the corner of Chartress and Cleburne) in temporary buildings. Around 1980 the middle schoold moved into the third floor of the 1925 structure and CLC had both it's middle and high schools in the same building. I believe today it is also used as CLC night school. I attended the middle school in 1977-78 (8th grade) and the high school in 1978-79 (9th grade).

Thanks for the information about the school, I have seen it for a long time of 288, it is beautiful. TBird said the students feed into SanJacHS. Is that the building on Fannin where the HCC is now? Iwould like to know as much about the old schools in Houston as possible, but I might have to break that into seperate threads.

Y'all are great, I appreciate the information.

If there was an earlier school it was not at that location. Here is the 1924 Sanborn Map of that location and it shows no structures:

Thanks isuredid for the reply and info. That is a huge Jr High building. What High School would that have fed into in the 20's and 30's. I wonder why the building is still not used as a regular campus if it is fit for an alternative campus. I know that HISD has a very confusing history with its buildings due to its size, but I would like to find out as much as I can. Is there something I need to do to view the map you referenced? It didn't show up in the post for me. Thanks again.

First, I would like to say what a wonderful site this is. I happened upon it a few days ago and have been up very late since trying to catch up on the past posts. The lost sleep has been worth it. I am not very familiar with downtown Houston (I'm from Baytown), so I will probably have more questions than information to share. I hope that is all right, because I am fascinated with the old structures and growth patterns of cities (especially local ones).

Soooo... here is the question:

There is a beautiful red brick three story school on Cleburne between Chenevert and Chartres. It has 1925 on the top and is now used as an alternative campus of some sort. What school was originally in this building? 

Is there a web site or document that focuses on the growth of/information about the school system in Houston? I have discovered several links from these posts about local history, I know if one exists on the schools y'all would know.

Thanks in advance for all of the information I will enjoy from this site in the future.

Well, while we're at it, if any one has any info on the old Addick's High School or Cedar Bayou High School, it would be appreciated.

I am fairly confident Addicks closed in the late 1940s when construction started on the reservoir. But what happened to the students and the district itself? I live on Westheimer and Gessner, and according to an old map, the northwest corner of that intersection was the southeasternmost part of the Addicks school district. Now it's part of HISD. Apparently, the district was split between Katy, Spring Branch and HISD, and perhaps Cy-Fair too. Anyone know about that or the history of the school?

As for Cedar Bayou, I know the school became a junior high in the Goose Creek ISD in 1953 when the Cedar Bayou district was absorbed by GCISD. Anyone know the history of that school?

Reason I'm asking is that I'm doing a history of my high school's football team and we played both of these schools in the 1940s.

Firebird, I grew up in Baytown (Goose Creek CISD) and attended Cedar Bayou Jr. High in '83-'86. I can tell you that the whole Cedar Bayou school system was located there (K-12) before consoldating. The campus was piecemilled together from the older seperate schools. The oldest building being used was built in 1928 and had about 8 classrooms. It said Cedar Bayou High School on it, but I know that one of the other buildings on the block was used as the high school at a later date (it appeared to be from the '30's). there was a brick building on this same block that was built in 1921, but had a bad foundation and did not last long at all. Before this school was held in the old masonic lodge about 1/4 mile down the street right on Cedar Bayou. There were additions in 1942, a cafeteria in 1947, more additions in the forties and a seperate gym in the 50's(?). The older gym was turned into the auditorium. Additions continued through the70's. The whole complex was razed about 6 years ago and a new campus with the same name was built. Even the football stadium went, it was old and apparently there were some very good class B football teams there. I do know that the Cedar Bayou people wanted their FB coach to be hired at Lee HS when consolidation took place and there was bitterness over the fact that he was not. He did have success elsewhere, but I can not think of his name right now. At this time Lee HS also had HS student from Channelview because they didn't have a high school until 1955(?) Sterling HS was opened in '66 and many of the cedar bayou families chose to attend there because of the bitterness that lingered toward LeeHS. I do know from old schedules that CB and Lee played the first game of the year many time despite the difference in size. One of my Dad's friends went to Aldine in the mid fifties and said he remebered the Cedar Bayou gym (it was the auditorium when I went to school there) had a low ceiling that made shooting the basketball difficult because it looked strange and the CB boys were used to it.

There is alot of random info that I remeber. If you have specific questions I can answer them of find out. The baytown historical museum has some info on the school as well. I hope that is helpful. It is not often that I find anyone interested in the history of local schools. Do you know of any publications on the history of HISD or surrounding school disrticts? I got a good book several years ago on Pasadena ISD.

Well, while we're at it, if any one has any info on the old Addick's High School or Cedar Bayou High School, it would be appreciated.

I am fairly confident Addicks closed in the late 1940s when construction started on the reservoir. But what happened to the students and the district itself? I live on Westheimer and Gessner, and according to an old map, the northwest corner of that intersection was the southeasternmost part of the Addicks school district. Now it's part of HISD. Apparently, the district was split between Katy, Spring Branch and HISD, and perhaps Cy-Fair too. Anyone know about that or the history of the school?

As for Cedar Bayou, I know the school became a junior high in the Goose Creek ISD in 1953 when the Cedar Bayou district was absorbed by GCISD. Anyone know the history of that school?

Reason I'm asking is that I'm doing a history of my high school's football team and we played both of these schools in the 1940s.