Vertigo58 Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 If you drive down 610 East Frwy from Downtown and exit Lockwood make a left and head about 3 miles to Englewood Freight Yards. Cross overpass and your in Englewood. The lots were very inexpensive in the 1940's especially after WWII. This little neighborhod is very close to Kashmere Gardens. Not to confuse with Denver Harbor (south of Freight Yards). Englewood consisted of huge undeveloped lots as in 1946 photo below. This specific area in photo is densely populated now. As vets returned from the war they quickly built new homes and started families in this working class part of the city. The railroad was just next door along with numerous trucking and distribution plants further down Liberty and Wallisville Road's. As the city boomed and new development headed west, these parts of Houston were basically forgotten. Would surprise me if any long time Houstonian's remember it. A travel back in time indeed. Check out the newly planted Magnolia tree! http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x107/ro...-27-2007-09.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 If you drive down 610 East Frwy from Downtown and exit Lockwood make a left and head about 3 miles to Englewood Freight Yards. Cross overpass and your in Englewood. The lots were very inexpensive in the 1940's especially after WWII. This little neighborhod is very close to Kashmere Gardens. Not to confuse with Denver Harbor (south of Freight Yards). Englewood consisted of huge undeveloped lots as in 1946 photo below. This specific area in photo is densely populated now. As vets returned from the war they quickly built new homes and started families in this working class part of the city. The railroad was just next door along with numerous trucking and distribution plants further down Liberty and Wallisville Road's. As the city boomed and new development headed west, these parts of Houston were basically forgotten. Would surprise me if any long time Houstonian's remember it. A travel back in time indeed. Check out the newly planted Magnolia tree! http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x107/ro...-27-2007-09.jpg Awww, that's a great pic. As someone who loves our local history, I will be checking out Englewood real soon (it is on my way home from work)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Awww, that's a great pic. As someone who loves our local history, I will be checkingout Englewood real soon (it is on my way home from work)! Ironic as it sounds, our old street was called Easy Street (anything but) and it just got sidewalks about 1 year ago. So it took the city just 65 plus years to install. Not bad huh? This area was left to fend for itself decades ago, thats why most families fled. PS, Kashmere Gardens was one of the 1st schools in Houston and in the nation to utilize the Head Start Program circa 1965. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houwest Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 My father told me that during the depression (1930's) the area south of Liberty near Wallisvile was a huge Hooverville migrant camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Ironic as it sounds, our old street was called Easy Street (anything but) and it just got sidewalks about 1 year ago. So it took the city just 65 plus years to install. Not bad huh? This area was left to fend for itself decades ago, thats why most families fled. PS, Kashmere Gardens was one of the 1st schools in Houston and in the nation to utilize the Head Start Program circa 1965.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_StartEasy St...that IS ironic. I used to be the Business Manager at a local Culinary school and one of my friends was a recruiter...She said that when she went to Kashmere HS to recruit, she felt like Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds because of the fencearound the front of the school??...not sure because I have never been there.It was funny to hear her tell the story, but of course the decline of the area is not funny.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 My father told me that during the depression (1930's) the area south of Liberty near Wallisvile was a huge Hooverville migrant camp.That is very interesting and worth checking into!Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Well, its sort of funny but the Kashmere Gardens I was referring to is on Lockwood Drive near 1-10 a bit further north from Englewood and it is an Elementary School. Your friend might be thinking of McReynold's Jr High. Thats a whole other hot potatoe! Yikes! I only attended Kashmere Grdns briefly as a Kindergartener and at that time the school was a mix of all races. It was very clean and well kept up and I remember the teachers were so pretty and nice. This was when you had recess and everyone had a little bath towel with their names embroidered (mine was by mom) on them. All the kids would rest on them at a certain time. Sounds really camp but it was 1966 after all. Dr Seuss Books were everywhere it seemed. I think the part of the area the other person is trying to refer to is Frenchtown? There is another short conversation about Frenchtown under Historic Houston. It could be very possible, since my brother knew an older man that owned a junk yard near N Wayside & Liberty Road that spoke French. He also had another junk yard in the neighborhood across the other side of Lockwood called "El Crisol" that was the nickname for the neighborhood. There is a Catholic church called Our Lady of Sorrows in there. Just off of Cavalcade. Now that is another forgotten nabe of Houston. We will say it's "frozen in time". Boy if someone here could speak of El Crisol, I would do a backwards flip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 (edited) I read up on Frenchtown in the recent past. I found that area very interesting as well. Maybe it was a middle school...but it WAS quite a potatoe Dr. Suess books everywhere sounds like a great time. My aunt who is almost old enough to be your mother, graduated in 1963 (Well she could be old enough these days....geez). Anyway...when she tells me stories, I think of how wonderful it must have been, growing up in that time period. She said it was wonderful, it was a great time to grow up and stop at the different drive-ins to buy a coke and see your friends. I want to go back to the 60s.... I was born in the 70s.... Edited November 15, 2007 by EatSleepMOD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 This should take you to the 60's and beyond. Can't beat Bailey Studios archives: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00451/cah-00451.html Click on - "Click on Images" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 This should take you to the 60's and beyond.Can't beat Bailey Studios archives: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00451/cah-00451.html Click on - "Click on Images" VERY COOL. I am checking it out... like stepping back in time it is... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootycat Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Well, its sort of funny but the Kashmere Gardens I was referring to is on Lockwood Drive near 1-10 a bit further north from Englewood and it is an Elementary School. Your friend might be thinking of McReynold's Jr High. Thats a whole other hot potatoe! Yikes! I only attended Kashmere Grdns briefly as a Kindergartener and at that time the school was a mix of all races. It was very clean and well kept up and I remember the teachers were so pretty and nice. This was when you had recess and everyone had a little bath towel with their names embroidered (mine was by mom) on them. All the kids would rest on them at a certain time. Sounds really camp but it was 1966 after all. Dr Seuss Books were everywhere it seemed. I think the part of the area the other person is trying to refer to is Frenchtown? There is another short conversation about Frenchtown under Historic Houston. It could be very possible, since my brother knew an older man that owned a junk yard near N Wayside & Liberty Road that spoke French. He also had another junk yard in the neighborhood across the other side of Lockwood called "El Crisol" that was the nickname for the neighborhood. There is a Catholic church called Our Lady of Sorrows in there. Just off of Cavalcade. Now that is another forgotten nabe of Houston. We will say it's "frozen in time". Boy if someone here could speak of El Crisol, I would do a backwards flip! When we used to go visit my aunt and uncle in Denver Harbor we would pass through an area that my family called "El Crisol". I also had family that lived off of Liberty road, so it is possible we were going to visit them, I just can't say for sure. I remember the area had a funny smell, someone said it was creosote. I remember passing by some railroad tracks. I wish I could be more specific, but I was only 5 or 6. Could this be the "El Crisol" you are remembering? If so, start doing a backwards flip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 When we used to go visit my aunt and uncle in Denver Harbor we would pass through an area that my family called "El Crisol". I also had family that lived off of Liberty road, so it is possible we were going to visit them, I just can't say for sure. I remember the area had a funny smell, someone said it was creosote. I remember passing by some railroad tracks. I wish I could be more specific, but I was only 5 or 6. Could this be the "El Crisol" you are remembering? If so, start doing a backwards flip!You're right about the creosote, sootycat. Crisol actually translates to crucible but maybe the spanish slang might've been crisol because it was the closest sounding spanish word to creosote, which is creosota in Spanish.Here's an excerpt from the Houston History website ;"By 1900 approximately a thousand people of Mexican origin called Houston their home. Most of these people were Texas-born Americans of Mexican descent, but they were soon joined by friends, relatives and newcomers from Mexico itself. A Mexican community, called a colonia, began to develop as people joined together to celebrate the traditional social and religious events. As they found housing close to work and to relatives and friends, they formed their barrios, or neighborhoods. These same barrios continue to be inhabited predominantly by Mexican-Americans today. El Crisol (now Denver Harbor), was close to the Southern Pacific railyards and derived its Spanish name from the pungent chemicals used to preserve railroad ties." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 When we used to go visit my aunt and uncle in Denver Harbor we would pass through an area that my family called "El Crisol". I also had family that lived off of Liberty road, so it is possible we were going to visit them, I just can't say for sure. I remember the area had a funny smell, someone said it was creosote. I remember passing by some railroad tracks. I wish I could be more specific, but I was only 5 or 6. Could this be the "El Crisol" you are remembering? If so, start doing a backwards flip! Hey! Sootycat, I just did the double Charlie Brown flip I promised! This is the same place I described alright. We only visited the church (Our Lady Of Sorrows) on occasion other than that, I never had a reason to venture to this area. Those chemical aromas would be the nearby Englewood Freight Yards. In a topic a few months ago I described how the evacuations of the area were common. Tank leaks etc. These days the whole nabe would be suing the city but oh well. Yes, I never understood where the nickname "Crisol" came from, but thanks Danax for the article. More Houston mysteries solved! I just scanned more photos from around the mid/late 60's of the area. Soon to post I hope. Conclusion, this area still retains very long time (generations) born and raised Houstonians of all races, a rarity in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatSleepMOD Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 More info on "El Crisol" http://hti.math.uh.edu/curriculum/units/20...10/02.03.10.phpThis one mentions Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, El Crisol and El Segundo barrios toohttp://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2001/samp...guel%20chap.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinister1 Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 On 11/14/2007 at 10:13 AM, Vertigo58 said: If you drive down 610 East Frwy from Downtown and exit Lockwood make a left and head about 3 miles to Englewood Freight Yards. Cross overpass and your in Englewood. The lots were very inexpensive in the 1940's especially after WWII. This little neighborhod is very close to Kashmere Gardens. Not to confuse with Denver Harbor (south of Freight Yards). Englewood consisted of huge undeveloped lots as in 1946 photo below. This specific area in photo is densely populated now. As vets returned from the war they quickly built new homes and started families in this working class part of the city. The railroad was just next door along with numerous trucking and distribution plants further down Liberty and Wallisville Road's. As the city boomed and new development headed west, these parts of Houston were basically forgotten. Would surprise me if any long time Houstonian's remember it. A travel back in time indeed. Check out the newly planted Magnolia tree! http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x107/ro...-27-2007-09.jpg I thought I would share this with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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