azchows

I remember a young girl, about 6 or 7 years of age whose father was the minister of a Baptist Church near where I lived on Gulf Bank Road. Her father was serving in WWII as a chaplain. I can't remember the name, but it is possible that her father was the minister of the church to which you are referring. PBays

I also remember the Okabayski farm. It was the largest in the area. The reason that I remember it was because of their practice of protecting the young plants with little white paper hats. As a child, this intrigued me to see an entire field with little white paper hats. PBays

The only other thing I remember is the name of the family that ran the saw mill or lumber mill. It was Kenidine.(sp). Also as an aside, I was looking at a map of the Gulf Bank Road area and saw that there was a Walla road. That road is just about where the Walla's used to live. Just wondering if there was a connection. PBays

I remember a young girl, about 6 or 7 years of age whose father was the minister of a Baptist Church near where I lived on Gulf Bank Road. Her father was serving in WWII as a chaplain. I can't remember the name, but it is possible that her father was the minister of the church to which you are referring. PBays

pbays, I've responded to the e-mail you sent me about the Aldine Band.

As for your post about Gulf Bank, oddly enough, at the same time you were posting this, I was at the Texas Room library looking up some of the very information you posted.

According to the Kriss Kross Directory of Harris County, the grocery store you mentioned was named the Airline Food Shop. Sometime around 1948 or 1949 it became Hilliards. In around 1956, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, that store was rebuilt and became the Fairview Food Market (Lucky 7), which it remained until the 1990s. The address today is 9000 Airline; however apparently in 1944 Airline was renumbered when it changed from U.S. 75 to L149. Prior to that the address was something like 8410 (sorry, don't have my notes in front of me as I'm writing this).

The gas station was Harvell's Service Station, located right next to the grocery. I believe it was a Texaco station, although the 1944 directory doesn't say (a later one does call it a Texaco).

There apparently were three gas stations in that imediate area at that time: Harvell's, Tony Lorino's and Sprads (a Humble station?). As best as I can determine, Sprads opened in 1939. I have no idea when Harvell's and Tony Lorino's opened as unfortunately the Kriss Kross directory doesn't give much info about areas outside of the Houston city limits during this period.

Because of that, I am also unsure of when two other business right in that area came into being and sure hope you or someone you know can enlighten me. There was a hotel or some sorts just north of the grocery store at 9020 Airline. In the late 1950s, it was called the Ranch Court Motel. In the early 1950s, it was called the Benoit Tourist Courts. It appears that prior to 1950, it might have had the name Faber, but the directory is kinda vague. It seems like its the same O B Faber who lived on Gulf Bank and for whom the Faber subdivision is named.

I was amazed to discover that in the late 1940s the Wind Swept Inn Restaurant was located right next to this hotel at 9010 Airline. Most people know it as being further down Airline next to the skating rink (today it's a Tacos del Julio). But according to the Kriss Kross directory, it was at 9010 Airline until about 1950, when it moved to 13000 Airline (today's North Freeway at Greens Road) and then moved to 10719 Airline in 1963.

Was the Memorial Baptist Church there when you lived in the area? I've heard it opened in 1932. What other business do you recall?

If you can add anything to this, please do so!

The only other thing I remember is the name of the family that ran the saw mill or lumber mill. It was Kenidine.(sp). Also as an aside, I was looking at a map of the Gulf Bank Road area and saw that there was a Walla road. That road is just about where the Walla's used to live. Just wondering if there was a connection. PBays

57Tbird has kindly been working with me to achieve actual picture posting and I think I have finally achieved the methodology.

First a picture from native_Houstonian of Hallie Pritchard's showing the entire spike of the Witch's Hat:

Then if we are very lucky, a pro shot of me in my Daisy Mae outfit for tap recital, which Miss Hallie held at the old Coliseum.

Hi, I was a student of Hallie Prichart in about 1939-1940. I was trying to remember where I took my dancing lessons. What I do remember is that there was a stage of sorts in the dance studio. Do you recall a stage in the building where you took your lessons?

Thank you for your reply to my inquiry re Incarnate Word Convent. I attended the Incarnate Word Convent Boarding School from the first grade until the fifth grade from 1939 until 1942 or 1943. Later, I attended Incarnate Word Academy in about 1950 for three years. I am especially interested in learning whether or not Sister Agustine or Sister Camillus are still living. If they are, they would be very old. Again, Thank you for replying to my inquiry. Patricia

My mother attended Kindergarten there, I believe, before she went to St. Vincent's. That would have been about '40 or '41. I know that my uncles would serve as alter boys for some of the Masses for the Sisters. I had the opportunity to attend Midnight Mass there in about '80 or so, before the convent moved to Bradford St. I thought that chapel was one of the prettiest in the city.

The Incarnate Word Academy on Texas Ave and Jackson St.. is run by the Incarnate Word Sisters. The convent and noviate on Bissonett in Bellaire was built in 1931 on property acquired in 1924. This was the home for the nuns and novices of the order. A boarding and day school was openned in 1932, but the academy dowtown was the sisters only high school in Houston until 1955. That is the year they openned Marian High School, a co-ed campus, on the back side of the convent property facing Gulfton St. (now Fournace Pl.). The Incarnate Word sisters continued to operate both high schools until the late 70's when they decided to close Marian High School and sell the Bellaire property. Marian High was then operated for several years as Marian Christian by the Christian brothers from St. Albert's parish on W. Bellfort. It was no more successful that the Incarnate Word attempt, so it too was closed by the mid 80's.

The Incarnate Word sisters used the funds from the sale of the Bissonett property to undertake major renovations to Incarnate Word Academy downtown. These overdue upgrades would have never happened without these proceeds. It was not until the early 90's that the Episcopal Church acquired the property from the original purchasers. Apparently the city of Bellaire had changed it's mind by then about allowing more high rise deveoplment along the West Loop.

I attended Marian High School in 1970-71. The high school students used the convent cafeteria, swimming pool, chapel and sometimes the convent library. but the convent itself was off limits to students. The boarding and day school was no longer operating by then. The chapel was indeed unique. It had seating that faced the center, similar to an old english abbey. I'm sure the current Episcopal's appreceite this.

The Incarnate Word Academy students would come out to our campus to use the Marian High School auditorium for their school events. These girls wore different colored plaid unifroms than our girls did, so us guys immediatley new when they were on campus. Most of the IWA girls were bow-wows anyway, so we were very cruel to them as I remember.

Is there anyone except for me that went to the Incarnate Word Convent, located on Bissonet in Bellaire?

It was a Catholic boarding school for girls during the 40's. It housed 50 girls from the 1st to the 8th grade. The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament was the order of nuns that taught there.

Just hoping someone else who went to the school will read this and respond.

azchows