JRH_1948

Thanks for the photo, JR. I can see the Scott-Attwater sign on the right.

I was trying to find Prince's, but I can't see a sign for it. It should be just to the right of the GAS*OIL sign.

Are you sure? That sorta looks like a Prince's sign at the lower right of the GP sign. And it looks like it is in front of rows of awinings like they had a Prince's. But that would on the other side of the freeway from where you remember.

Does anyone remember Stroud motor co downtown? It was there from the 50s to 1973,does anyone have any pics?

I remember that there was a Stroud Motor Co. downtown but that is about all. No pix, sorry.

Here's a few of the old commercial tags from way back when:

GP for me, naturally.

What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Falstaff, that's our beer! (said by "The Old Pro"

Jax, the real beer! (from the Mike Nichols and Elaine May cartoon commercials)

Hamm's

There is a photo posted in Traffic & Transportation that shows the Grand Prize billboard on the Gulf Freeway. I remember this because I had to look up what Grand Prize was. The thing is I can't remember which topic it was.

I found one here

Talking about old car dealerships, no one mentioned Frizelle Pontiac. They had a plane fly slowly over the city with a loudspeaker proclaiming, ""You'll get a whale of a deal at Frizelle Pontiac."

I remember one of the kids in my neighorhood ran home and told his parents that he heard God telling everyone to buy a Pontiac. He was crying because his father only bought Fords and he was afraid they were all going to hell.

I remember a lot of skywriting too. I don't remember what they were selling.

ISTR DeMontrond Buick used a speaker plane sometimes. In 1964, I was dating a girl whose father was Service Manager at DeMondtrond.

Per a 1950s aerial photo in "Houston Freeways", the Grand Prize billboard was on the south side of the Gulf Freeway at the Cullen Exit, across from Buff Stadium. There was a Budweiser billboard directly across the freeway, on the north side.

At that time, it appears there were many alcohol billboards along the Gulf Freeway - there was a large Pearl and a large Jax billboard a few blocks before the Grand Prize billboard. The beginning of the freeway at downtown was flanked by a Falstaff billboard and a Seagrams #7 billboard.

While on the subject of old beers - when did they stop making Southern Select?

Thanks for that. My memory is better than I thought. I just missed the Bud and Seagrams but I remember the Seagrams 7 sign now.

According to wikipedia Falstaff discontinued Southern Select in 1953 when they acquired the brewery. FWIW, I have a Southerm Select bottle opener in my small churchkey collection.

I believe the Grand Prize sign was at the exit for Buff Stadium right next to (or over) a boat place at or near the corner that sold Scott-Attwater boat motors. I remember that because I got a small boat for Christmas with a motorized Scott-Attwater outboard motor on it, so there was that name recognition.

Yeah, across from Buff Stadium would be logical place for a beer sign. ISTR a couple of more there, maybe Pearl and Falstaff or Jax but Grand Prize had the most lights.

I remember a weatherman on Channel 2 in the early '50s named John Wisinger. Sports was done by Pat Flaherty. Don't recall who the news anchor was.

Just J, I never realized that was Satterwhite's on 6th and Yale. Didn't they also have a place on North Shepherd somewhere?

I have wondered if that car was still up there. If I remember, wasn't a 52 Ford?

I never knew about a shop on N. Shepherd. David and I ran around together and spent a quite a few Saturdays at the Yale shop rebuilding an old James motercycle. I think I would have heard about a 2nd shop. OTOH, they may have moved there after I left Houston...or may have been on N. Shepherd before moving to 6th & Yale.

Yes, the call was a 52 Ford, sectioned down the middle.

I don't remember the Gulf Fwy Grand Prize Beer sign, but I do remember a GP sign way out on South Main not far from Missouri City. It was on the northbound side of the road, and it was there well into the 70s, long after GP had gone to the big bier halle in the sky.

The one I remember was definitely on Gulf Freeway. It seemed like it was lit with about a million bulbs. ISTR another one that wasn't lighted. It may be the one on S. Main.

When i was about 4 or5 years old (1952-53) , I strarted noticing brightly lighted and moving signs for some reason and certain ones became almost like landmarks for me whenever we were driving around: the Markle Steel sign and the GP beer sign on GF, the neon, running V8 engine at Texas Motor Exchange downtown, the Tower Theater, the buffalo at the Buffalo Town House motel on Buffalo Drive and Waugh. the rock of Gibraltar on the Prudential Bldg, the Christie's shrimp, a Puritan or Pilgrim Cleaners sign on Yale (the guy's arm was motorized), and of course, the rotating Gulf sign downtown.

The name of the soft drink company was GOLDEN AGE... gone and maybe forgotten - a few brands include Sun-Up Ice Cream, Westmorland Dairy and Milk, Dentler potato chips, and Grand Prize Beer( we were too young for that though )...Just take the time to check links in other HAIFcategories and the memories will come flying back.

"Golden Age is the perfect drink for you,

There are more delicious flavors too,

Sparkling, tangy, [la-de-da-de-doo],

For quality, economy,

Golden Age is the drink for you!"

There used to be a big, lighted Grand Prize Beer sign on the west side of the Gulf Freeway. As I recall, it wasn't too far from where Markle Steel was.

Google maps shows 6th and Yale Paint & Body at 6th and Yale (of all places). When I lived in Houston, this was Satterwhite's Garage (I went to school with the owner's son). The car on the pole went up in the mid-50's so if it is still there, that car has been sitting on that pole for over 50 years.

My friend's mom used to work at Hamilton Junior High (intersection of Heights Blvd. and 20th or 19th) and always told us stories of that school being haunted, especially the auditorium. I've also always heard that Reagan High School on 13th is haunted. I've never seen this school, but the stories always related to the second or third story of the school being vacant and haunted. Anyone know if the top story of Reagan was left vacant for a long time and if so, why?

I went to school at both between 1960 and 1965 and don't recall any stories of either being haunted.

There was a U-tote-M at the SW corner of Ella and Grovewood in the early '60s when I lived near there. Google maps streetview shows the building for lease. It was across the street from Sinclair Elementary

ISTR There was a 7-11 at the NE corner of Shepherd and 13th. This one was across the street from Love Elementary. Location, Location, Location.

I didn't see the sling before, but now I do. And I can remember now you had broken it and couldn't participate.

Just so as not to exclude any others from the post, the boy next to JRH in the photo we are talking about is Kenneth Williams who has/had the veterinary office in the 1400 block of Shepherd. He was in practice with Dr. Fickes, and then had the clinic by himself for a while. Don't know if he is still there or not. Some of you old Heights people may remember him.

So as not to exclude anyone, pic is attached

I finally found the photo I was looking for. It was an 8X10 glossy photo of me and my Cub Scout troop at the Coliseum making necktie rings for some Scout function being held there.

I am sitting at the end of the table, and guess who is standing right behind me?

LOL! I think I have the same pic. If the kid has his left arm in a sling, that would be me. I had a bad accident with a picket fence while roller skating and it took over 150 stitches to close the wound.

YEAR DATE Inches

1949 30-Jan 2.6

1958 12-Feb Trace

1960 12-Feb 4.4

1961 25-Jan Trace

1961 13-Dec Trace

1963 14-Jan Trace

1963 12-Feb Trace

1964 21-Feb Trace

The weather center may have recorded a trace in 1958, but I distinctly remember 4 inches on our picnic table. And the pics I have of 1949 (attached) look like 6 inches or more on the ground. In fact, my mother's note says 5-6 inches. Also, she dates the snowfall as Jan 31 - Feb 1, not Jan 30.

Don't need any link because that day is etched in my memory. I was in Mrs. Tillinghast's 6th grade class at Love Elementary on Shepherd at W 13th. It was a Friday, not long after lunch when it started snowing. We didn't even get out of class early, and the wait until the 3 o'clock bell was excruciating.

As I recall, I was in 7th grade at Hamilton Jr. High. (When I was at Love, I had Mrs. Tillinghast for 5th Grade and Mrs. Bernard for 6th.)

I recall it snowing 2 or 3 years earlier as well. It was about 4 inches but melted quickly. And somewhere I have some real neat pix of the show in 1949, That was a pretty big one.

Does anyone remember this? I was in the 6th grade at Horn Elementary in September of 1959. They told us to go straight home, but would not tell us why.

I knew that Kolter Elementary was named after one of the teachers who died. A few years ago I worked with a lady who was the substitute that took over Jeanne Kolter's classroom after her death.

You will need to scroll down to read the part about Poe School.

http://www.texasranger.org/dispatch/7/Gooding.htm

I remember it. The "Juanita Weidner" referenced in the story was my cousin.

The reason I didn't go to Kiddieland as a rule is because we had a small park near the Heights called "Happyland" that I went to often. In fact, until your post, I couldn't remember which of the two was Happyland and which was Kiddieland.

Happyland was at Shepherd and (I believe) Martin. Happyland had horses that ran along fenced trails, but that changed to a merry-go-round type setup, possibly due to liability. They also had one of my favorite rides

I was born in Houston in 1948, grew up in the Heights and Timbergrove before we moved to Dallas in 1965. These are some of the places I remember:

Hamburger House. (2 locations in the Heights, 1 was on 11th a few blocks east of Heights Blvd. I think the other was on 20th)

Prince's Hamburgers on N. Shepherd @ 14th?

Pig Stand on N.Shepherd

Kaphan's (once a year on my parent's anniversary)

Christie's on S.Main (Fired Shrimp!!!)

Albritton's Cafeteria

Clear Creek Inn in Kemah

Doyle's Delicatessan on 34th near Waltrip High. (still the best pizza I ever had)

John's Shephard Drive BBQ. (He closed every year to go to the World Series)

The Enchanted Cup. (A coffe house on Westheimer)

Rettig's Ice Cream Shops

Somebody mentioned J&J Barbecue on Herkimer and 11th. The BBQ was good and one year we had them smoke a turkey for us. Some idiot used pine!!. Have you ever had a turkey that tasted like Pine-Sol?

I remember a place on Katy Rd. (Now I-10 I guess) called Katy Road Kiddyland or something like that. There was another kids playground out on N. Shephard, around 43'rd as I recall but maybe farther out.

My father worked at the S. Main Sears from 1947 to 1965. He was manager of the Farm Store and then the buyer for the Farm Stores and Garden Shops in Houston before transferring to Dallas in 1965.

I practically grew up at that store. I don't recall the building being refaced before we moved to Dallas in 1965, but I do recall my mother talking about how bad it looked when they visited there in 1968. The 1968 date for the refacing may be correct.

The "Open t 9" sign was used when the store was open late. In the '50s, the normal closing time was 6pm but on two days a week (Tues and Thurs I think)it was open until 9pm and the sign was turned on.

The taller section of the store was where the executive and Houston Merchandising Group offices were located.

The Farm and Garden Shop was located across the street from the main store on Fanin. In the '50s they sold tombstones. When they closed the sales office for tombstones, my father took the desk and chair home. I am typing this while sitting at that desk.

The chimes/dings in the store were pages. The store had a switchboard operator answering the phone and when a call came in for a department, she would page the department with a chime code. A sales person would pickup the phone (a direct line to the operator) and the operator would connect the call.