The Streets Where We Lived

Posted by Karla Lofgren Davis ~ June 20, 2009 

Take a look at the maps below and find your old neighborhood. Let’s reminisce about the things that happened on the streets where we grew up...or in the wider neighborhood, "The Streets Where We Lived."

My old house sat on several acres at the end of Broadway – where it dead-ended into Sims Bayou. Later (when I was away at Baylor) the old house would be cut in half and moved away. The big multi-lane bridge that crossed through our old property would extend Broadway from Park Place on over to Glenbrook Valley and beyond to the rapidly burgeoning Hobby Airport.

While we were growing up there at the end of Broadway we led an idyllic life of adventure. Lucian Carter (Randy's age, and a frequent companion) lived nearby - seen here with Spanish Moss fashioned as Daniel Boone's hat. Peggy O’Neal and Doris Lentz lived near the bayou several streets over - on streets that ran parallel to Broadway (can’t remember the names of those streets), and just a few blocks from them (toward Park Place Boulevard) lived Mike Collins and Dale Whitmarsh (both in the class of ’59). James New (we shared a party line with him) and Johnny Neal Heard lived just one block over in one direction. Paul Irwin, Thomas Barnes, and Jerry McDaniels, lived in the next block or so in the other direction. We all rode our bikes a lot. I still do that in my dreams occasionally, whizzing past familiar landmarks. There were no sidewalks, curbs, or gutters, so we mostly had to walk or ride in the street.  

Before the Gulf Freeway overpass went in at Broadway and Park Place Boulevard, Broadway was a fine old road with a broad grassy center esplanade. There were Palm trees down the center - very "old fashioned". I overheard someone telling Mama that a child had commented, “Mr. Lofgren drives so fast he doesn’t give the toads time to hop.” There were a lot of smashed toads on that road, and at some point I started collecting them – I guess so neighbors wouldn’t know how many my dad had murdered. Mama found the stacks of dried stiff toads on my windowsill – behind the curtains – and I was forbidden to collect them after that.

What are some memories you conjure up when you picture the streets where you lived and roamed as a youth? There are already a number of descriptions of neighborhood shenanigans on the blog -  they have brought many a laugh and  even a few tears to my eyes in the past. Stirred old feelings, long dormant. I will start hunting them down and copy them here as a starter.  May 30 - the first of such exchanges is now at the bottom of this page - comments between Darryl Roberts and Mike Roberts (are they related? and what is Sonny Jones' relation to either? Or did I dream that up???)

Here are some maps from Google. Click on each map to enlarge. Your browser may allow you to click again for an even larger view. Side and bottom bars may allow you to maneuver around the areas. Then tell us where you lived, worked, and played. Help me add to the following list - the neighborhoods that Milby served: Meadowbrook, Park Place, Pecan Park, Harrisburg (Laura gave us that one), Manchester (John confirmed this one), what else?

Golfcrest, Mason Park, Magnolia Park, Glenbrook Valley, Allendale, Oak Meadows   ........- which of these were considered neighborhoods, and which were areas served by Milby? What are some others not named here?

  

CLICK HERE to return to the top of the main section after reading comments below, and/or making your own comment.

 

Here are the first of the exchanges about the streets where we lived, brought forth from the bowels of the blog. Enjoy and watch for more.

Posted by: darryl roberts | January 03, 2009 at 04:21 PM

Karla,
I have been thinking of an incident that happened when I was at Deady in the 7th or 8th grade. Several boys and I'm not sure who they were. One was probably my neighbor and friend, George Allbritton (Milby '62). The ring leader whose name I can only hope to remember organized a trip to Southmayd Park. He said that there was a big drainage pipe that went underground from Woodrigde street to a large concrete drainage ditch. Down in the pipe, supposedly, it opened up into a large room where a man named Trask lived. But first we all went to Lang's Drug Store and bought nickel cigars. Because Trask would only welcome our visit if we brought him cigars. It was the first and only cigar I have ever bought in my life.
So we rode our bicycles over to Southmayd Park, cigars in hand, to see Trask. On the way I heard an inner voice telling me something was not right about this situation and I gave my cigar to one of the other boys and left for home.
As I think about it, I realize there was no man named Trask. It was a scheme to get everyone to smoke their first cigar. I now find it humorous but I'm glad I didn't smoke that cigar.
Has anyone else any recollections of any such events?
Darryl

Posted by: Mike Roberts | January 03, 2009 at 08:48 PM

Hi Darryl, I remember that pipe well, at 1 point in time there was an entrance, just below the street off Woodridge, which ran thru the apartments next to Southmayd Park. The pipe ran about 20' under the street and teed left and right. Two neighbor pals and I were told if you went right it would come out in the big drainage ditch behind the apartments. One bright sunny day with nothing special to do we thought we would check it out.

Terry Brown, a brave little cuss, led the way. Ronnie Gibbs and I followed closely behind as to not get lost, it was dark in there with the only light entering at given drain points. Terry had started down a smaller pipe leading off the main pipe. He quickly reversed his direction hollering " Look out, it's a huge rat. "

I always tought I was about as fast as anyone around in those days, but Ronnie past me up heading for the light at the end of the tunnel. One had to run on 1 side of the pipe a few steps and jump across the water, running on the other side of the pipe and back and forth. As he reached the end and made his way off to the side I joined him. We heard Terry slip, cuss and hit the water. I looked back just as Terry past me with his hands outstretched in front of him as tho he were diving, skimming along the top of the water and down the concrete flow ramp and into the drainage bayou. He came up from the water laughing at himself and Ronnie and I joined him in the humor of it. After a moment and taking inventory of his condition he held his hands up. They were slit open as there was broken glass all thru the tunnel and down the ramp.

He immediately began to scale the 6 foot concrete wall with my help and before I could get up the wall and the hill to the 6 foot fence surrounding the gully, Terry was over the fence and gone. He ran all the way home. He recovered from the cuts and added to his daring deeds.We all learned from our curiosity but never let that incident sway our penchant for excitement and ( bloody )colorful memories.

Posted by: Larry Smith | January 03, 2009 at 10:45 PM

Hey Mike, I lived on Woodridge just down the street from that big gully and entrance to the drainage system. A bunch of us played down there for years. There was a rope tied to a tree limb that the kids would swing across the gully on. What great memories come to life on our blog.
...Larry

Posted by: Mike Roberts | January 04, 2009 at 10:59 AM

Yeah, that was a kick, and we didn't have to wear helmets and pads either !

Comments

[Karla Lofgren Davis]

I am working on this idea of a new post and inviting you to join me in its construction. Please send me information and suggestions through e-mail or comments on the blog.

I'll be experimenting for a while, so you never know what you'll find here. Please join me in the project... sort of a "Habitat for Humanity" in the minds of old folk. Karla

[Laura McNeil Burns]

Harrisburg, once a city in itself, is an important neighborhood for Milby, which took over what was the Harrisburg High School when that neighborhood became part of Houston.

[John Echoff]

Karla, great idea! I was living in Manchester on Ave. L when I started the 1st grade at John R. Harris (founder of Harrisburg, I believe). Later (Deady) I lived on Capitol and then on Ithaca until graduation from Milby. After graduation my mom & step-dad bought a house on Park Place Blvd.

I know a lot of kids started out in Manchester, then moved or lived there all the way thru school. Linda Ross was one, and Lareda Ferguson was another. Perhaps the others will sign on.

[Ann Herman Beatty]

Karla, Think the idea of the streets where we lived is fantastic. I was probably one of the few minister's kids to live in the same house from birth to finishing H. S. I was an old Park Placer and finally googled down to the main part of Park Place. I lived in that little 10 square block area between Charlton Park, the Gulf Freeway and the gold course. I did not remember how large an area Milby covered.

When I was in Houston (other than to take I-10 through the city) a few years ago, I called my dad's former secretary (she lived in Meadowbrook) and she met us at the church. My son had been sent to MD Anderson (all is well, he has a skin problem and is a staph carrier and is now on medication daily). She gave him the grand tour - we walked around and he walked up the steps to see what he wanted to see. We then went around the neighborhood and saw PPElem. She said there was quite an upset among the older people of the community (probably some of our parents or of those not much younger) and said it had been PPElem for however many years and they thought it should stay so. It did.

She also took us down Broadway to see Deady and Milby and I was shocked to see them look like fortresses. What an innocent time we lived in. Can't believe those ratty apts. on Lynn street--first street south of PPBlvd. were still there. They were an eyesore 50 years ago. What I remembered as stately small mansions on Broadway, were in serious disrepair and overgrown with grass, weeds, trees, shrubbery, and ivy. Perhaps Kay Lively can add to this as she lived in the immediate neighborhood, as did Betsy Friesner, Kay Knobloch, Camille Hartman, Mary Beth Pohler and a few others I cannot remember. Believe it or not, K. Neal Parker lived there with his parents the first year he taught at Milby.

Need to go back to the blog and see how far away some of the kids in Manchester and Denver Harbor lived. We did not have free transportation (those lovely non torsion air yellow busses) at that time, but took city busses at a reduced price of ten cents a ride--even on weekends (having to show your pass). Certainly the bus drivers knew that we were kids and not adults. There were some grocery stores authorized to sell 20 ride passes for $1.75. At that time .25 was .25. Several treats. I also remember walking home on some nice days with Norma Williams, Billie Jean Trombatore, and a few others.

Those in Meadowbrook, Oak Meadows and Forest Oaks also rode a shuttle and transferred onto the same bus that stopped in Park Place. My brain is getting old too and a lot of things I don't remember, not having lived there since 1961 when my parents moved to San Diego, Calif. My poor sister, 3 yrs younger but 4 yrs younger in school (Oct birthday) had to start high school twice in 3 months. What had been bobby sox and loafers in Houston became tennis shoes (the ones that looked like saddle shoes, but all white) and nylon hose. AHB

[Bob Neal]

Life on Broadway.
Karla, your remarks of Broadway are great and I’d imagine there are war stories like this from many folks. I moved from New England to 3116 Broadway shortly before starting kindergarten at Park Place Elem. Going to school meant I had to start wearing shoes more often than Sunday.

The ditches, esplanade and oleander bushes offered places to catch crawdads and lizards. I ripped the skin off my ankles a number of times riding my scooter on the sidewalk. The scars are still visible. An old timer across the street had chickens and taught me how to wring their necks. What a great impression on a kindergartner and I learned fast.

I only lived there thru the second grade but managed to do so safely thanks to a neighbor. On the corner lived Louis (Little Man) Montrose in a big brick house. He and I were fairly adventuresome and heard of men in battle using Molotov Cocktails as an offensive weapon. Sounded simple to make so we found a canning jar, filled it with lawnmower gas, stuffed a rag in it and was ready to let fly. Almost ready! No matches, but in my great wisdom I asked a neighbor if she had matches I could use. Some women just don’t understand that guys have to express their emotions and learn by doing.

As Paul Harvey used to say “Now for the rest of the story”. My dad past away and we moved to Indiana for a short while and then returned to Pecan Park & Mason Park. After graduation my bed could be found from Boston to Puerto Rico to Antarctica, but I wound up in a garage apartment on Broadway and Joplin somewhere around 1967. At 4am on a Sunday morning, a neighbor came over and asked if we were supposed to have a fire in the garage. Even I could respond to that question. Fifteen minutes later a fire truck arrived and the apartment burned down. I now understand the impact of living in a burning building and the trauma that may reoccur in later years of life. I’ve never lived on Broadway since.

A last note. I taught Drivers Education in Clear Lake ’72-’76 and would have the students enter the Park Place circle. After several cycles, they realized the meaning of “going in circles”. My philosophy in teaching was “you can chew the covers off books all day but I believe you learn by doing!”

[Brenda Collins Burnett]

We moved into our house (brand new!) on Hemlock Street in 1950. Had lived in the Coleto Courts off Park Terrace for a couple of years, went to PPE at that time. Then transferred to second grade at Southmayd. Loved School!! Favorite teacher was Mrs. Norma Stubbs (5th grade). Marilyn Frenchmeyer (class of '61) lived across the street, Bessie Palms lived on Williford. Ann Hughes, Sue Sanford, Carol Smith, Barbara Touchstone, Kathy Ross - all lived closer to the school. I always walked to all three schools. We crawled under trains until they opened Junius in 1960. Kay Broughton and Sharon Glasson lived on Fennel (closed now) and the street in back of Fennell. I rode my bike everywhere, walked to Gulfgate. Went to Park Place Baptist and Woodridge Baptist Churches.

It was a safe environment I remember. Going anywhere I wanted by myself, riding the city bus into town to the Ice Capades with Judy Stephens, buying caramels at Foley's. I liked Harrisburg - the bank was pretty, Jack Roach was full of stuffed animals (a polar bear), and there was a Danburg's department store. The bridge raised up over Buffalo Bayou for ships. The Milby house was still there.

There were movie theaters in all the neighborhoods - the Vogue, Bluebonnet, Avalon and, My Very Own, the Broadway. Memories are made of this!

[Gladys Payne Bohac]

I remember one day when Charlotte Vann Casselberry and I were driving around Milby and we were looking for our old homes and the streets where we lived. To my dismay, we could not find my street (Blackburn) and my old home. This was just so sad for me. I lived down the street from Sellars Grocery Store. We kept driving around and began laughing so much because I kept saying, "I know they don't just make a street disappear", but sure enough they did. Hwy 225 has taken over where I grew up.

Another old home where I lived, just off of Evergreen next to Office City, is still there.

I remember the snow we had in our junior year. It was so beautiful on our terrace with no footprints on the lawn, just beautiful.

I can also remember going to the Saturday Fun Club at the old Broadway Theater. It cost a whole $.09 to get in the movie. I would take $.25 and have popcorn, drink and sometimes candy. That was the good ole days.

I took my two grandkids and a friend of theirs to the movie last weekend and ended up spending almost $60 for the outing. WOW! what a shock that was. I think it would be cheaper to just buy the DVD when it comes out than going to the movie theater. How times have changed. WOW!!!

[Gladys Payne Bohac]

Brenda, reading your post brought up some more memories for me. I did not remember you going to Woodridge Baptist Church. I grew up in Woodridge BC. I started going there when I was just 8 years old. I went there until I got married in 1964. What a beautiful church and many many good memories. The other night after we took Charlotte to the airport we drove by the place where Woodridge was and it was gone. What a shame.

Yes, back then it was a safe enviroment for all of us, so sad that we have to worry about our grandkids and their safety now.

[Sonny Jones]

Gladys,
I went with Margie Heinlein for 2 1/2 years before going off to Sam Houston. She was a member at Woodridge and I went to Broadway Baptist. I would often alternate and go with Margie on either Sunday morning or evening. Unfortunately, during the 70s Woodridge really declined down to a small percentage of what it was in the 50s and 60s. An evangelist named Phil Arms bought the church, referbished it and was pretty successful at resurrecting it to a younger congregatiion. Seven or eight years later, his congregation moved to the west side of the city and he sold the church to a Hispanic group I believe. Anyway, I think around '95, it was finally torn down and became commercial property. You're right about one thing. It was a much safer, much gentler time. We had many good times attending Woodridge.

[Gladys Payne Bohac]

Sonny, I did not remember you going to Woodridge either. My how my memory has left me on many things.
I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood at Woodridge. Those were in my formative years. I still remember so many people from my home church that have gone on to meet the Lord. Remember Jeanette Coleman Craig and John Craig, so sad they are gone. I have to stop and think a minute to remember others. Mary Lou Allen, another classmate whose family were members also. I will just have to put my thinking hat on. Yes, those were very special times in my life and wonderful memories. Also, remember Alana Collins, married to Rod Steward. She to was a member of our church many, many, many years ago.

Are you still going to Sagemont? A really good friend of mine was baptised and started going to church there. I visited Sagemont when she was baptised. I remember Buddy Griffin and his wife Sandy. Sandy was a member of Woodridge also. How time flies.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Big 50 Reunion. So glad that you are still using your beautiful voice. Maybe they will let you sing again for us at the reunion. That would be fantastic.

Gladys

[Mary Nelle Dudley Figart]

Hi Karla, Let's reconnect, your cousin, Mary Nelle Dudley.

[Karla Lofgren Davis]

Hi, Mary Nelle!!! How in the world did you hook up with me on this blog? But so glad you did!!! [For the rest of you, let me say that we are not first cousins who lost touch - more distant than that - but cousins nonetheless! I think we share the same great grandfather] Randy sent me your e-mail address and I will get in touch with you there. We are in the middle of moving and have been on and off with internet service, so it will be a few more days until I get to it. Much love!!! Karla