JHC

You may be referencing the same monorail car I've been trying to research for several years now without any success. I lived in the Westwood subdivision off Stella Link in the late 1950's and early 60's. And I clearly recall seeing an old abandoned monorail car sitting in a field off the west side of South Main back in those days. As a child, I was positively fascinated by this beast . I vaguely remember that it was light blue or turquoise in color and that it was <possibly> repainted orange at some point. And, yes, it had a completely 'different' look - sort of 'Buck Rogers' or 'Disney' as I recall; it looked nothing the the stuff in photos of the other monorail cars associated with Houston in the 1950's. This thing obviously came from somewhere else. I would absolutely love to learn the history behind that old car. That was so long ago that I honestly can't recall if it was located in a field near Fondren Road. I do associate the memory with family trips through Missouri City and Sugar Land, though, which were way the heck out of Houston in those days. I wonder if this is the same monorail you are writing about.

Anybody remember Wee Wild West? I remember Peppermint Park. I was 4 in 1963, so I may have been at that party. Unfortunately, my favorite part of these parties were the cupcakes...still are!

I do remember going to Wee Wild West a couple of times back in the early 1960's. It was located off Westheimer just a little west of what is now the Galleria and, unlike Playland Park, it catered to the younger kids. I lived in <what was then> southwest Houston, and I suspect that the park drew traffic primarily from the west side of town -- for birthdays, etc. I remember my Mom getting all excited and dropping her purse from the little roller coaster there; I still get a chuckle out of that. I don't have the link, but you can watch a wonderful little video shot at the park in the ealy sixties on YouTube. It will no doubt stir some wonderful memories for you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did <and still do>.

Good grief, Carol I was at Shearn in 1957...I exchanged disks with a girl named carol...do you remember a Mrs. Collins teaching? I kid you not, the girl I remembered (Carol M.) was shot dead in a bar about forty years :-( I found out way late in life. sorry to have to blurt out this stuff called nostalgia.

So sorry to butt in here, but I couldn't help noticing your reference to Ms. Collins at Shearn Elementary School. I'm certain that I do remember her. I attended Shearn from 1959 to 1964 with Ms. Montgomery (Kindergarten), Ms. Scarcella (formerly Ms. Wright) for first grade, Ms. Grimm (Second), Ms. Pemberton (Third) and Ms. Kelly (Fourth). While Ms. Collins was never my teacher, I can mentally picture her to this day for one very compelling reason -- her reaction to the Kennedy Assassination. Interestingly, the school did not announce the President's assassination to us that Friday back in 1963. What is remarkable, however, is that I remember the principal, Ms. Jorgensen, calling my fourth grade teacher, Ms. Kelly out into the hallway in the afternoon. The classroom door was open and I, along with my classmates, could observe what was obviously an intense discussion between Ms. Jorgensen, Ms. Kelly and Ms. Collins -- and that Ms. Collins was crying almost uncontrollably. When Ms. Kelly returned to the classroom, she looked like she'd had the wind knocked out of her. There was all manner of speculation amongst us youngsters as to what could have caused Ms. Collins to cry like that. Of course, sadly, we all learned the reason soon enough.

I enjoyed your post, because I've thought of Shearn so many times over the years -- and all of those wonderful teachers (albeit I didn't think they were so very wonderful back then). Again, I'm sorry to intrude here, but if you do know what became of some of the teachers we had at Shearn back then, I'd love to hear about it. Westwood was a wonderful place to be a child back in the late fifties and early sixties; I miss that time and place so very much now. And, thank you for <inadvertently> rekindling a childhood memory.

I've certainly enjoyed the posts here - as well as the photos. A lot of old memories for me here as I grew in the Westwood Park neighborhood off Stella Link back in the late fifties and early sixties. I do remember the supermarket at the south end of the mall; I believe it was a Heinke-Pilot; I could be mistaken about that, though; it might have been and 'A&P.' Most of the time my Mom shopped the Weingartens on Stella Link up near the bayou. But, on occasion, we'd drive over to the supermarket at Meyerland Plaza to buy our groceries. It was kind of a big deal with us kids, because it was simply something different. I remember Playland Toys, and I suspect that 'Santa' purchased more than a few toys there, too. Anyway, I'm almost positive that there was a bank with drive through service in the parking lot on the north side of the mall that we used back then - Meyerland State Bank, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe someone can confirm (or correct me on) that. It's been over forty five years since I've seen Meyerland Plaza. So, again, thank you all for the wonderful posts here.

Hey Carol802,

I think I can see your house from here:

http://www.historicaerials.com/?poi=3380

Wow. This site is fascinating. I spent almost entire day yesterday studying the old aerials of Houston and then comparing them to more recent ones. For an old native Houstonian like me who has been away for well over forty years now, this site opens up some incredible opportunities.

I'm very happy that someone started up this topic, because I'm really enjoying the posts here. I lived on O'Meara Street in Westwood from 1958 to 1964 before my family moved to Spring Branch and then on to Central Texas in 1967 (I started Kindergarten at Shearn Elementary in 1959 when the school itself was probably only five years old). I remember seeing "The Longest Day" at the South Main Drive In way back in the early 1960's. I also remember being eaten alive by mosquitoes during such excursions!

Thank you so very much for sharing this link!

Thanks JHC.

Yeah, after you clarified the location of the Weingarten's I figured it must now be the Sellers Brothers store. That one is several notches above the Davis Food City that closed.

There's a Spec's next door to the Sellers Brothers, and a dollar store, and a Burke's Outlet in the strip.

There's a Shipley's down there still near the strip mall and a funny little restaurant run by a Korean family that can deep-fry the hell out of anything you want two different ways. (London-style or Cajun.) It's really good, but every meal you eat there probably takes 12 hours off your life.

Further south, closer to Shearn, there's a Vietnamese-run "You-buy, we-fry" seafood store that is said to be very good. I've only bought raw seafood there, and it was good.

Bleak as my portrait was, I meant to leave you feeling somewhat encouraged. Things have turned around a lot in just the 15 months I have lived near there. What's more, the difference between now and 10 years ago is huge. That little pocket of ghetto is getting smaller every month. Cruddy apartments are being replaced by nicer townhouses, and there's even a Catholic Montessori school back there now too.

Farther south, there's a huge Jewish school (the Weiner School) and some of the ball fields for the newly merged West U and Brays Bayou little leagues. Yes, it's still kinda sketchy around Bellfort, but again, nothing like it was five or ten years ago.

Thank you, again. Your insights on the area have been wonderful, and I enjoy reading them so very much. BTW, I played ball in the Braes Bayou Little League about forty five years ago!

JHC, here are some photos of your old house. They are from an MLS listing. The house is currently a rental. It leased for $900 in April 2007. Here is the listing info: Just minutes from the Texas Medical Center, downtown, and University of Houston. Convenient to bus lines. Hardwood floors, living, den, large back yard and spacious kitchen

What a pleasant surprise for me to get these photos!

I've got to tell you that - incredibly - after well over forty years now, the place looks much the same. I am so very happy to see those hardwood floors and the pine paneling in the Den still in tact. These are just some of the features that give these homes a lot of charm from both an architectural and a nostalgic standpoint (something worth preserving, I believe). Anyway, the kitchen is recognizeable; however, it is the one room that appears to have undergone significant renovation.

Thank you so very much. I've shared these images with both my Sister and Mother in Fort Worth. They were delighted to see them, too.

You are very kind. And, I might just try to grab that old house if it ever goes on the market...dependent, of course, on how the area holds up and/or continues to improve.

Warmest regards from S. California,

Jeff, aka 'JHC'

I live between Brays Bayou and Bellaire a mile or so up Stella Link from Shearn.

There are still some rotten apartment complexes east of Stella Link, although they are relatively small and it does seem to be getting better slowly but surely. There have been a few shootings there the last couple of years -- I often see the 3800-4000 blocks of O'Meara (and adjacent cross streets) in crime reports. (The most recent one was back in January -- a Saints fan and a Bears supporter got into it over a playoff game and shot each other dead.) I have also been propositioned by skanky ladies of the night at what probably used to be the U-Tote-Em of your youth.

Just inside the loop, the hyper-ghettodelic Davis Food City supermarket (maybe the old Weingarten's) just went out of business. You couldn't even take shopping carts in and out of the shopping area there -- they had turnstiles before you got to the food. I am assuming it closed for lack of clientele, so that is probably a good sign.

The crumminess of Shearn is holding the property values down for now. If they can turn the school situation around, there's no real reason that neighborhood would not take off, almost to the extent of Braes Heights and Ayrshire.

Wow.

Thank you so very much; that gives me a really good picture - albeit bleak - of where the area is today. Ironically, my father installed a lot of the AC systems in those apartments east of Stella Link that went up in the early sixties - roughly across from Shearn. You can correct me if I'm wrong here, but my understanding is that those older apartment complexes constituted what eventually became known as 'Link Valley.' My family relocated to Central Texas in 1967, so I had no idea how bad that area in and around Stella Link eventually became until I started reading reports about the criminal activity there in the LA Times during the early 1990's. I've looked at satellite images of the area, and it looks to me like a lot of those apartments are gone now (?!). Good riddance, perhaps?

I also remember my Mom complaining about all of the apartments going up in the area back then; she must have had some sense of things to come.

Unbelievable about the present activities around the old U-Tote-Em store! It's not surprising, though, based on what you've told me about the area. Shearn's demise is especially sad, though; it was truly a top notch little school at one time.

I wouldn't know whether or not the Davis Food City was the old Weingarten's. I do know that the Weingarten's was located on the west side of Stella Link - just south of Braes Bayou. I also remember that there was a small toy store located on the north side of the associated strip mall, facing Braes Bayou. I wonder if anyone else might remember that? I did learn recently that the Three Brother's Bakery, just north of this location, is still in business. I remember when the family opened that location - again - back in the early sixties.

It's good to hear that Braes Heights and Ayrshire have taken off, again. And, thank you - again - for your information on the area. Very interesting stuff here.

If anyone does have photos - then and now - of the area, I'd love to see them.

I'm very interested in learning more about the old 'Westwood' subdivision which lies just south of the Loop and west of Stella Link. I grew up in this neighborhood in the late fifties and early sixties and attended Shearn Elementary School from 1959 to 1964. I have so very many fond memories of my childhood there but have not visited or had any contact with the area for well over thirty years. I currently live in Southern California and have heard and read reports that the area had fallen on some pretty tough times in the past three decades. I do not know if my old neighborhood avoided the problems associated with the general area or not. I lived at 4118 Omeara Drive, and I recall that Oboe Drive bisected Omeara right where our house was located. I believe that most of the homes in this neighborhood were built in the fifties. They were small tract houses but had a lot of nice features - a lot of windows, hardwood floors, tile bathrooms and kitchens, nice yards, etc. I also remember that there was a UTOTEM Store near the corner of Omeara and Stella Link and a Weingartens further north near Braes Bayou.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows about this area - where it's been, where it is now...and, where it's going. Westwood was truly a wonderful and secure little world back in the fifties and early sixties with a lot of young, upwardly mobile families (still at the height of the Postwar Baby Boom).

Jeff C in Apple Valley, California

A friend of mine mentioned a kiddie place called Wee Wild West. I went there as a kid (60's) but have no idea where it was. Anybody remember that one?

I do remember it. It was a smaller amusement park, and I believe that it was located off of Post Oak Road - roughly where the Galleria is now (at least somewhere in that vicinity). I remember it being a smaller version of the much larger Playland Park on South Main. My impression is that Wee Wild West probably catered to the smaller kids. Anyway, I do remember going to the park with some friends for my 7th or 8th birthday back in the early sixties - and that my Mom's purse fell out of the little roller coaster there .

South Main drive-in, from drive-ins.com

I really enjoyed this photo. I remember seeing 'The Longest Day' at this Drive In as a kid back in the early 60's (and being eaten alive my the mosquitoes). I lived just north of the theater in the neighborhood of Westwood (not to be confused with what is currently known as Westwood, which I believe lies to the East of this area). I vaguely recall that the screenings were partially visible from our house on O'Meara Street in the evenings. This really brings back some memories. I live in California now, but I am trying to learn more about what became of my old neighborhood, which was East of Stella Link Rd. (just north of where Stella Link intersects South Main) and South of Shearn Elementary where I started school in 1959. Anyway, thank you. This is a wonderful old photograph.