RhinoVP

Why wouldn't it die? In over two years since the original posting, noboby has been able to come up with a clear, definant answer to this. I think though that isuredid, sure did, just do it! I had read before, that there was a ranch near the intersection of Hwy 6 & I10 (can't remember the name) and this clearly looks to be it. From that photo, it looks as if the mound would be the reminants of a "turnstile". I didn't grow up on a farm, so correct me if thats not the right name for it. That photo also supports what's been said before about the cross formation. If you notice though, there does appear to be some type of structure in what would be that star marking. It might be a windmill, well, etc. In any case I'd like to read about that surey myself, that would be interesting. Very well done isuredid, how did you find those photo's?

From that description, I'd say these were definantly the same places! The inside had a sort of "Mill" type decor or feel to it. You know..... One of the people I work with lives in Texas City, and swears theres still an Alfie's out there. Has anyone ever seen or been to an Alfie's in Texas City? If there is, and it's still the same, I'd make the drive out there. At least once, just for old time's sake. Alfie's put Long John Silvers to shame. Now as for Steak and Egg.... That was the original "greasy spoon"! I used to grumble every time someone suggested going there, and now I miss the place. I can't remember the fire pit at Taco Bell though. I do remember Taco Bell way before they came out with thier dumb value menu, back when they still had the Bell Beefer, but not the fire pit.

Details Scroll half way down the page.... As young as I was at the time, I can still vaguely remember this. EDIT - This is also in another thread. HERE

Right you are! I had completly forgoten about it ever being there. Link That would have been after it moved from 59 and Gessner, so this would have actualy been the last location of it. I don't recall ever going in it while it was here, but then again, by this time I was way past the age to enjoy it!

What year would this have been?? I'm thinking the Bingo place and Peanut Patch at Leawood.........There is a rather odd little shopping center on the west side of Leawood, but the parking lot would have never been large enough. Where was it?

Yes, Wards was a two story building.

This would have been the Courtyard, right in the center. It closed down back sometime in the mid 80's, Champs was on the corner where the gas station is now. By this time W. Belfort did go all the way through, however back in the 70"s it was "broken" at about the location where beltway 8 is now. You would have to kinda jog around where Rufffino Rd. is, then W. Belfort would pick back up on the other side. We lived in the Meadows back then and made this trip a lot. I was no stranger to the Texas Tumbleweed either! That one, or the one on Richmond.

I voted "Love it" and I still think it's ugly. C'mon it's a classic! My mother used to work in a building on Kirby with similar "sun shades" on it, and groing up I thought this was just how skyscrapers were supposed to look.

It was about a block north of West Belfort, on the west side of the street. There was a Jim's which later became a Champ's on the corner of W. Belfort and Fondren too. That was a "first date restaurant" if there ever was one! I remember that you could buy plates for a buck, and then throw them at the waiters feet while they danced tableside!

I sure remember that. It was "The Original Christmas Store" and it was a huge place! I think it moved several time's, with 59 and Gessner being the last location of it. I remember going there more than once on school field trip's, and being lead through the place in a single file line. Then at the end, we would all stop and get a brass ornament engraved with our names on it. I seem to recall that one of the first location's for it, was in the Town & Country area. ???? Is there still any place like this in Houston?

Would this have been the same as the Courtyard on Fondren? If so, then I do agree!

If your refering to this , then yes that would be an old section of Eldridge. Though I'm not sure when the road was realigned, even MSN maps list it as N. Eldridge. I've started researching the street names from Bear Creek park, to see if that turns anything up now. No good information so far though. After reading for so many times now that the cross was constructed sometime in the 70's by a group of hippy types, I'm starting to believe it. It's either that or someones idea a prank, even if it is an old one. The notion that it might have any historical significance has passed, at least as I see it. However, that star like patern that I pointed out in one of the previous post, I think might be one of the last traces of the town itself. It would be nothing more than a guess though, to try and say what it is. I'm going to make a trip out there myself, sometime in the future to check that patern out. I'll be in Memphis though till the end of the month, and might wait till winter anyway to avoid some of the snakes and bugs!

Wow, that's painfull! How many nights I spent in here stuffing quarters in pinball games and skee ball..... thanks for sharing.

I'm still searching around to see if there actualy was a "Funny farm"! Now, this really had me thinking. Were these places honestly such a bad idea? Would society benefit from having poor farm's and houses, right now? Personaly I feel that with limitations,,, it might not be such a bad thing. They sure would fill up fast though! (maybe a poll is in order) Regards, Rhino

I loved that clown too, not to mention the old building design which was actualy a box. Not sure thats the reason they got rid of it though. I think it was just a part of some goggle faced executives' plan to spruce up the company's image, and make it more upscale. This was the same time that they introduced the "steak sandwich" which actualy was a steak on a hoggie roll. It wasn't too bad either. The biggest goof they made though, was blowing up the drive thru clown in the TV comercials. Do you remember the lawsuit that resulted from that. One family sued the company saying that their child would no longer go to Jack in the Box because she was having nightmares about the clown exploding, and was even scared to pass by one on the street! If memory serves....they won! It was years before anyone saw "Jack" again.

Wow! So if you were "sentenced" to a poor farm or house, what hope did people ever have of getting out? It's a bit like being banished from society, or exiled even. I can't imagine any way that a person entering here, would not eventualy die here. I notice from looking at the map, it would have been well outside the city at the time. By debts, do you mean taxes? It's hard to believe that you could basicly be jailed like this, for failure to pay something like a loan!

Thanks for the reply marmer. What I should have asked in the first post, seeing as how this was a real place is - What did a person there do? The word "farm" would imply a working enviroment. Was this an actual working farm, or was it just a farm in name? Also.. Was this the type of place a person would be condemed to, or rather the "Star of Hope" of its time? A place where people could come and go freely from? I get this image of police rounding up the homeless, and hauling them off to the Poor farm where they would be put to work in the fields.

I can't tell you number of times as a kid groing up, I heard my folks tell me that I was going to put them in the "Poor farm". I never dreamed though, that this may have been a real place! I always thought it to be a sort of figure of speach. Recently, looking over so many old maps of Houston I came across this. Map Looking out to the SW side of town theres something refered to as the Poor farm. Was this that legendary place, or just the name of the person who owned the farm? Think I'd change my name! If there was, what purpose did it serve? Any info? Regards, Rhino

If anyone is still reading this thread.... I've pretty much crossed out the LH7 ranch and rodeo arena theory. Everything I've read so far put those in the Barker resevior, not Addicks. As far as the cross itself is concerned - While the cross itself is certainly not natural, I'm starting to feel that the surrounding circle is. It's most likely been altered with the addition of some type of berm around it, but otherwise natural. There are many other circular or oval features like this all over the reseviors. For me this has become alot less about the cross, and much more about the history of the town of Addicks. This seems to be a lost piece of history. A very long search on this has netted only a brief paragraph or two on the town. Yes, the Army in an effort to protect thier war intrest along Buffalo bayou decided to dam it off, thereby flooding the town causing everybody there to relocate to the south, where (what's left of) the town is now. Without even so much as a historical marker at the original location to let future generations know where or what it was. Anybody with a UT library card? Regards Rhino

Heck yeah I remember Games People Play/Putt Putt. Remember how if you got a hole in one while the colored light was on that matched your ball, you got a free game? Those were great times! Thoses were also some of the fastest go carts around.

Not sure about the motocross thing, but I'd say the date was mid to late 70's because I remember watching it being built. Now I may be way, way off but didn't this "mountain" begin as an abandoned attempt at some type of overpass or entrance/exit ramp for either Westpark, 610 or 59? I remember it sitting for a long time unused, then suddenly it was a ski slope made of plastic sheet's. There was a water slide down the north facing side of it for a while too.

Isn't that an Evergreen still on Murphy at West Airport? It's funny that you bring up that store, because that was the home of $10 twelve pack when we were a bunch of underage punk's

Just went through all previous post, and nothing about the Army corps knowing anything.

Would that have been an Eclair? I think you can still buy those and in Strawberry too.

All thoses blue baskets on 6 actualy belonged to one of the head mechanic's from AstroWorld. I found this out while working with his son years ago at Mac Haik Ford. There were also several of these in back of the park by the shop that served as employee break areas. I think he had some idea about making gazebo's out of them, but never did. About the train tracks being moved.... I could be wrong about this, but I don't think the tracks were ever moved. The park maps were not exactly what you could call accurate.