braeburn legend

Anyone have any memories of thease events. It has been along time since I do 1968

I believe that one was identified before in another thread. I am trying to figure out how to research property records and maybe make a connection but my knowledge base in this area is limited.

Well you can see it in the Historical Aireals. Definately remember it was accessed from Fondren,and the track streched out in a field visable from Hwy.90. I went to Summer Camp with a boy named Charlie Goddell and he always talked about how his Dad owned a Company which was designing Monorails. Never tried my hand at sleuthing records but I just gots to know more As a child I must have driven that thing to the stars and back in my imagination.

I know this has been discussed in a grouping of other Monorails in previous Threads but after reading them all there is still no resolution on this particular one. I remember the others but this one had a totally different design. Several posts were from those who visited the site as I did many times. Its a curiousity to me.

That was more than likely an Atmospheric Cooling Tower. There was a time when much of the A/C systems were water cooled instead of Air Cooled. The heat rejection you have on your present day outoor Condensing Unit is outoor ambient air drawn through a coil by a fan thereby remove heat absorbed by the freon. These systems you mention id so by using water pumped through nozzels which then rejected the heat it had absorbed in the water cooled condensor usually located by the compressor which I have seen in garages or small mechanical rooms attached to the house and at times in the house. This process was not very efficent due to the high dewpoint Houston has most of the time.

I may have some pics of these. I remember working on some in River Oaks and Tanglewood areas.

I use to mop the floor of that store some Saturdays for a role of nickles listening to Donovans Mellow Yellow. I went to Bonham but I never knew anyone who lived there. Across from the Handy was a small Professional Bldg. along the bayou. Did you start the topic on Robindele sic Center Sharpstown Bill? Heck this is better than reading a book.

The house was a large white house , two story. There was a white rail fence which encircled the property. On an aerial map you would have seen a confluence of a stream with the bayou> On the other side of the road Riceville was where the expansion of Braeburn Valley would eventually be. On the other side of Braes Bayou was the golf course (Braeburn Valley CC). Across Riceville was several houses and a large horse facility. I believe it was called Chatsworth Farm. At the corner of Bissonet and Riceville/Gessner there was a field which had jumps arranged for horses. Before Braeburn Valley West was added I use to pasture my horse on that land. I grew up in the origional B.V. but left in 73. I am waxing nostalgic in my old age and have loved finding this site. only it seems the posts to the area threads are dated a few years prior to my discovery. Really don't want to bore anyone but I have a vault full of memories and several questions this being one of them. I do remember this house and across the bayou at Chatsworth I thought I had heard of some association with Ash Robinson and Joan Hill. probablly urban gossip. I miss Houston.

In the 60s there was this large house at what now must be Gessner and Braeswood. I remember it from my youth and I believe it said C W Abercrombie on the mailbox. I remember going by it and stopping only to find it abandoned and open. Anyone know about this and why.? It was what I would consider a very nice place at one time.

I have been a partaker of the opening of a closed wharehouse of memories located in my mind. Thank all of you for your detailed reccollections. I grew up in Braeburn Valley and wish I could have saved so much of the pictures of the times. So many people have never had the chance to see Houston as a oil boomtown.

Was doing a search and I stumbled on to this site and thread!! I have read the whole thing. DrFood has many of my same recollections, same age as well.

Here is my attempt to stir the cobwebs!

We moved to Edgemore and Cannok in (second house from NW corner) Oct'58 from Dallas. I was 7 months old.

Hurricane Carla hit September of ’61 when I was 3. We had a lot of roof damage and all of the fences were down. Some folks had much more, some less. We were two houses from the corner, so the water was pretty deep at the intersection. More than � the way up to the porch. One image that I can still recall was when I looked out the window at one time in the storm, there were horses walking down the street! Many years later when I mentioned this to my mother, she did recall that the neighbors across the intersection (SW corner) had put their horses in the back yard for safety. And of course the fences were now down.

I still have a newspaper clipping that Leon Hale (correction: it was Alisson Sanders- I just found the clipping)did back in ‘62 where I am the subject. Seems I was moving all of my furniture around in my room when my dad inquired as to what was going on. I answered that I was making room for the astronauts!

I had learned that the astronauts were going to be doing the parade in Houston, and I far as I knew, my house WAS Houston!! Do not know how Leon got word of this little ditty, but, there you go.

Went to Sutton for kindergarten.

I still know, and are friends with folks that were in kindergarten with me. Some went all the way through high school and beyond with me.

My dad worked for a commercial window covering firm at the time and that was why we were transferred from Dallas in the first place.

My mom was expecting her 4th child and we needed to move on up from the small digs on Edgemore. Dad was doing some measurements at the new Sharpstown Bank Building. He was friendly with Frank from working on several projects. Looking west you could see where they land was being cleared for Jesuit. Bellaire was a little 2 lane asphalt out to the site and stopped. No Fondren, No Gessner. Frank said he was opening a new section along the golf course called Country Club Estates. Section 2 was along the west side of the course, 8th and 9th fairways at the time. He showed my dad a layout of the soon to be section. He pointed out several streets and lots that were not going to be available right off the bat due to model homed going in for “The Parade of Homes”.

My dad bought one of the very first non-parade lot and held it for about two years before he built.

On Dashwood and De Moss, Sharp built about 10 or so very nice homes for the models on those streets. Burning Tree and Redding stopped at Hornwood, but Hornwood was not there yet. Nothing but country to the North but little FM1093, and nothing West to where, Sealy!! 

We moved to our new house there in June of ’64. We were right across from what would have been the 8th fairway tee-off back then.

In fact, in 1965 they held the Houston Classic Pro golf tournament at Sharpstown.

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, all the big wigs.

My little brother, about 3 years old at the time was sitting on his little tricycle in our driveway ringing the little bell on his bike over and over as any kid would do. They sent someone over to the house to stop the distraction!!

Men in the neighbor hood would walk over to the fields where Strake was going in and hunt quail and dove all the time. (did they have hunting seasons back then?)

The folks had to drive all the way to the Triangle to grocery shop at the time. Food Giant was not yet opened.

Later when I was around 10yo, several of us would climb on the Bellaire/Downtown bus and ride all the way to downtown and go to Archie’s Fun Shop! Black soap, itchy powder, flash paper, all sorts of gags and tricks. Would you let your kid do that today????

Of course back then in the summer, you would leave on your bike in the morning and come back when the street light came on. Getting lunch at whomever’s house you happened to be at. Also spent the summers swimming in the “clear” lake on the golf course, when we were not in the Sharpstown pool. Learned to jump from 3meter board when I was around 6yo.

I went to SFDS for 1st and 2nd grade, then to Neff, then the Sharpstown Jr.Sr. High

Remember the race riot? Helicopters, police everywhere. I was in 7th grade I guess.

Then to SHS(76)

Worked at Rice Food there in the strip center. Remember Wackers 5&10c store? Later became Hondo’s country bar in the 70’s. Ace Hardware was in there at first I think.

The taco place was a Church’s chicken originally. We had a dog that would disappear all the time, turns out she found her way to Church’s, and was begging food all day. We wondered way she was so fat!

Dad took us to see Marry Poppins, Chitty Bang Bang, 2001 Space Odyssey at

Gaylyn (sp) when they all first came out.

We used to ride our bikes, then mini-bikes along the trails next to the ditch on what would become Gessner between Bellaire and near Beechnut.

Worked at Lewis and Coker for quite a while sacking groceries. I can STILL sack groceries better than anybody!! And I regularly do just to keep things from being ruined. Canned food on top of bread! WTF?

Family used to load up the car for a night at the Lowes Drive-in

I remember the Super Slide by the mall.

Climbing the big dirt hill for the Music Theater

Alphie’s Fish and chips

Gene’s model shop at the mall. The rotary cases had Matchbox cars in them.

Estes rockets taped on the back of Pinewood Derby cars and sending them down the street at high velocity.

After Jesuit was completed, we had to go to the other side of St. Agnes out onto Smith Ranch to shoot our guns.

Bikes behind the skeeeeeeeeeter trucks – nnnnnothing wroooong witttttth meeeeee.

Skimboarding in 1970 on the golfcourse during hurricane Celia. Dad came out and found us all having fun. He was not happy.

Skateboarded in Landsdale and Parker many times in the mid 70’s, Pipeline too.

Climbed the Sharpstown Water tower over on Bentliff on the inside.

Purple Cow

Buying 45’s at Kmart – Crimson&Clover was one of the first, Time of the Season, Hot Smoke and Sassafrass! Many more. Still have them.

From 2004 until his passing this June, my dad was the Deeds Chairman for the Sharpstown Civic Association. With out his diligent work, Sharpstown would not be, at least, as good as it is. It was his mission to shut down the front yard auto dealers, continuous junk sales, derelict cars, you name it. Especially along Bellaire and Gessner.

What a tough and thankless job. I hope some one has stepped up to the job.

I moved to Austin in 83 but I am back home on a regular basis.

These memories are the tip of the ‘ol iceberg!

I am sure I would know some of you folks.

This site is way cool.