Houstorian

Suggest a Topic

If you have a place, person, or event that you would like to see included on the Houstorian, please leave a comment below.

31 Comments

31 responses so far ↓

  • Larissa Lindsay // January 17, 2007 at 3:38 pm | Reply

    In the Neighbohrhoods section, can you have an Old Sixth Ward thread?

  • Houstorian Tracey // January 29, 2007 at 8:31 pm | Reply

    Larissa – I added an item on Shudde Bros. in the Old Sixth Ward. We will try to get other Old Sixth Ward items up soon. In the meantime, do let us know if you have something for us to post. Thanks for your interest!

  • Lee Jamison // September 10, 2007 at 11:48 am | Reply

    I’m trying to find information on the development of the San Jacinto Battleground Park prior to the 1930s, particularly anything that would give a layout of the original park (the Texian Camp). I know there is a Tobin aerial photograph from 1930. It, in the form of a tiny print, is shown in “Houston History” vol. 4 Num. 2. I think that struggle by ordinary citizens to remember and preserve the battleground makes for a good story.

  • Houstorian Tracey // November 2, 2007 at 10:52 am | Reply

    Lee – Sorry for overlooking your comment until now. For a map of the location of the Texan/Texian camp, I’d refer you to:
    http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/san-jacinto-battle-map.htm
    For more general information about the development of the park, the best source would likely be the research library at the San Jacinto Museum of History. Another good source might be the Louis Wiltz Kemp collection at UT’s Center for American History. It’s a big topic, though, and so you might want to post an inquiry on an historical forum such as HAIF’s Houston History forum (see links). Hope that helps.

  • Ross Terry // April 10, 2008 at 1:09 pm | Reply

    First of all, let me tell you what a great site this is and that I look forward to future visits! I have a suggestion for the “lost houston” section; My topic of interest is the Grayson Car factory that was located off of Wallisville Rd in East Houston. The “factory” was really an investment scam as only one or two were ever built. I have seen what is supposed to be the only one still in existence at a roadside car museum called “Vida’s Vintage Vehicles” north of Houston off 45.

  • Houstorian Tracey // April 10, 2008 at 1:56 pm | Reply

    Ross – Thanks for your interest in the site, and for the great suggestion. Do you have any more information about the Grayson scam? Having seen the car, could you estimate approximately when it occurred? (Late 1940’s or early 1950’s, maybe?) Did the car have a model name? I haven’t found anything yet in the newspapers or court reports – but additional details might help.

  • Ross Terry // June 24, 2008 at 9:11 am | Reply

    Tracey,
    The car (The Grayson)looked to be from the early 1900’s maybe as late as the 1920’s.Another suggestion for a lost houston topic would be the bunker complex off of I-10 East and Sheldon Rd. This complex runs more or less along the rail lines of the Jacintoport industrial complex. I don’t know if it is part of the bunker system on either side of the”high/low roads” going into Galena Park. A friend in the National Guard has said that some of the bunkers off of Sheldon rd. still held WWII vintage F4U1 Corsairs set up for anti-submarine patrols(this was in late 80’s early 90’s). You probably wont have much luck finding maps of the bunkers off of the “high and low” roads, but they are there. The corps of engineers keeps them covered with silt dredged from the port of Houston.

  • micheal hardy // July 19, 2008 at 6:53 am | Reply

    Here is a little importance history about houston fifth ward frenchtown. The Hardy family was the black owned gas station in texas, H. Sherman Filling Station on liberty rd, it open in 1926 then chaanged in 1942 and remained open until 1990’s. The Hardy family help shape fifth ward and have over 126 years in history in the fifthward community. However here is the surprising part after my grand father passed my grand mother Ms. Blanche Oler Hardy had to run the business in 1940, and very light skinned she was mistaken for being white, but once the white customers found out that she was black they no longer traded business with the Hardy family, so she in order to keep customer base had employed two white men who were mechanices but looked as if they owned the biusiness and she retained even more business than before and continued on, also bulding a two story house with 10 rooms, maid and seamtress. Ms. Blanche Hardy also expanded her business with coke o cola and several others. She was well know around houston and many politicans called on her for help. She was a life long member of Panye Chapel Church on jenson. There is so much more that she was able to accomplish, for one being a black and then a women she over came a lot of things form 1926 until her death in 1989.

    • Jeanie Hardy Rucker // March 3, 2009 at 2:27 pm | Reply

      Hi Micheal Hardy…I am the daughter of Edward L. Hardy (son of Blanche Oler Hardy)…are you Chancey or Olan’s son? please contact me

  • Dan // July 23, 2008 at 6:42 am | Reply

    How can you write about amusement parks without including the granddaddy of them all…Playland Park? (located off South Main in what is now the Reliant Arena/Astrodome area) Not only was it a (white)kid’s dream,in segregated Houston the park was opened to African Americans one day a year: Juneteenth. Playland Park had it all: a roller coaster, bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, and carnival games including a shooting range with those funny mechanical squirrels.

  • Houstorian Tracey // July 23, 2008 at 7:59 am | Reply

    First, thanks all for the comments and sharing your first-hand experiences, which are always so interesting.

    Ross – I’m sorry to say that I haven’t been able to find any corroboration so far for what you were told about the Grayson. Which isn’t to say the story isn’t true, of course. I’ll keep it on my list of research topics in case I find new primary sources that are helpful. On the bunkers – I’d read about them before and the fact that they are still there makes them especially interesting. I asked a couple of friends who are WWII history buffs what they thought of the report of Corsairs possibly still being inside, and they were dubious. But I suppose that would make it all the more interesting if the story proved true. [Update: I've done some research regarding the San Jacinto Ordnance Depot bunkers, many of which are now located on private land. What little publicly-available information there is on them seems to suggest that they were used only for firearms and ammunition - though a 1997 Chronicle article suggests there may also be chemical weapons buried in the area. If there are airplanes buried there as well, I think I'll have about as much luck confirming that as I've had finding information about the Grayson automobile scam. Sorry not to be able to help.]

    Micheal – I haven’t found any published information about your grandmother so far, but very much enjoyed learning about her from your post. I’m glad you’re making efforts to document her life and your family’s history in the Fifth Ward – it sounds like a story many Houstonians would be interested in hearing.

    Dan – I’m hoping to do something on Playland Park. I did the Busch Gardens piece because I couldn’t find photos elsewhere on the internet, and discovered my parents had some. And Luna Park because it was located in my neighborhood. This site will never be comprehensive in any sense with just me working on it, but I do love getting suggestions for topics, and something on Playland Park would be a nice addition.

    Thanks again for the excellent suggestions!

  • Elizabeth Rinker // July 23, 2008 at 1:54 pm | Reply

    How about the private, dinner club of the 50’s – 60’s – The Ram’s Club. What a fantastic place it was! Dinner, drinks, dancing to Jose Ortiz’s orchestra. As a child, my father taught me how to rumba, samba, and foxtrot. My dad also was known to step up to the mike for several songs each and every time we went to the Ram’s Club.

  • Houstorian Tracey // July 23, 2008 at 3:35 pm | Reply

    Elizabeth – Did a quick search and found one February 1961 newspaper article referencing (just in passing) the “Ram Club” in Houston. I’ll see if I can find out more – sounds like you have some great memories of it. [Update: I found out a little more about the Rams Club, and a lot about the fascinating history of the building and also Jose Ortiz. I've made the building the focus of a recent post, but mention the Rams Club and quote you along the way - hope that's ok. If you have any more information about the club, I'd love to incorporate it.]

  • Thomas Barcelona Jr. // July 24, 2008 at 9:17 am | Reply

    Oh MAN!!!! I was just blown away finding this site! I was born an raised here in Houston. My family goes waaay back here as well. I have tons of stories locations family buisness as well. Does anyone remeber Farrels?Fabulous Fun Parlor?–Peppermint Park?..I have yet to look through the whole site. But i will have stuff to add. This is just the greatest site yet!! Again I have a whole families worth my dad was born here passed here at 84 so we have alot of history, did anyone ever hear the dad talking about the Dugout? In Richmond?..Ok thanks for such a wonderful memeory bringer backer!!

  • Houstorian Tracey // July 24, 2008 at 1:17 pm | Reply

    Thomas – Glad you enjoy the site. In case you haven’t already found it, there is an internet forum called the “Houston Architecture Info Forum” with a subforum called “Historic Houston”. (I think there’s a link to HAIF on the front page of this site.) I’ve seen a few of the topics you mention discussed in the Historic Houston subforum – I know that Farrell’s and Peppermint Park have been – and I think you might really like seeing all the different subjects that have come up there.

  • Ricardo // July 24, 2008 at 5:54 pm | Reply

    Thomas, I’m like you….I saw the article in the Chronicle and jumped square off into this site….and like that heated pool at Hot Wells I’m just sittin’ here taking it ALL in. I’m 68 yrs old and there are several topics I’d love to see mentioned: The Old Farmers’ Market in downtown Houston; that old horse race track out on OST; the HUGE railroad station downtown where the Post Office is today; and the Simms Estate on Wayside near Lawndale—my best friend threw the paper to the caretaker and I went back there one day with him to see the place….wow, it was straight out of a Hollywood movie—large marble pool and terraced decks-it must have been beautiful in it’s day.
    Thank you indeed for creating this site and encouraging folks to add to Houston’s history like Michael did for the 5th Ward….

  • Ricardo // July 24, 2008 at 6:05 pm | Reply

    …..and one more topic folks: WHERE are the ‘Twin Sisters’ cannons sent by Ohioans sympathetic to the Texan cause at San Jacinto??….there are all kinds of rumors about where they wound up….the most popular one being that the cannons are buried in Buffalo Bayou……what a ‘find’ that would be.

  • Houstorian Tracey // July 24, 2008 at 6:09 pm | Reply

    Ricardo – Thanks for the suggestions. I have some good images of the old railroad station you mention that I could post. I’m going to have to look into the old farmer’s market downtown – unless it was the old City Hall and Market in Market Square (which is one of the downtown posts on this site) I may not know it. I’ve got one or two images of Epsom Downs, if that’s the horse track – I need to check its location, but I think it was off Jensen. I’ll see if I can find out about one off OST. [Update: I found information on Arrowhead Park and included it in a post on Epsom Downs and Arrowhead Park.] The Simms estate might also make an interesting post – I think there are photos of it at this internet address: http://www.houstoncountryclubplace.netfirms.com/nwsletmay2004.html#history
    Regarding the Twin Sisters, I believe their location remains as much a mystery as ever despite many attempts to find them – they really would be a find!

    • J. B. Sherrick // August 15, 2009 at 3:30 pm | Reply

      Ricardo and Tracy – I became interested in the Old Downtown Farmer’s Market after seeing it on a map of Houston from about 1940. It was on Smith right where the Wortham Center now stands. At that time, Prairie ended there at Smith and the Market occupied the two block area between Smith and Buffalo Bayou. I’ve been unable, however, to find out anything about it but its location.

  • Ricardo // July 29, 2008 at 11:20 am | Reply

    Wow…those photos from Houston Country Club Place really brought back memories. HCCP is where my buddy who threw the paper to the Simms Estate caretaker lived. I lived in the old Kennsington Subdivision which bordered the Villa De Matel convent at Lawndale and Wayside. I had to chuckle a little when I read that Wayside was once a ’shell road’. Our street was a ’shell/shale’ road too in 1949 and the dust off that thing was terrible. We had an attic fan and when we turned it on we had to close all the windows facing the street to keep the dust out of the house. Many of the houses in Kennsington were ‘moved’ to newer locations for the contruction of I-45 South (Gulf Fwy).
    Many years ago I found a 1915 issue of the Post (?) featuring articles/photos on the construction of the Rice Hotel. That issue also covered what I think was the original Ellington Field where airmen were trained in bi-planes for WWI. If I remember correctly Ellington Field was located where the old Paul Bosch home sat at the intersection of Old Galveston Road and Broadway. I’ll have to try and find that newspaper.
    Last Fall Stephen F. Austin High School celebrated the 70th anniversary of it’s opening in 1937. ALL the graduating classes had representatives on hand. I’ll always remember how an ‘issue’ was made that S. F. Austin High was built with red bricks and brass door knobs while across town at the same time Lamar High School opened with carved limestone facades and cut-glass door knobs setting up a rivalry between a blue-collar school and a ‘rich folks’ school. That rivalry was our biggest game in all sports when I graduated in 1958.
    As for the old ‘Farmers’ Market’ I think it was a stilted structure over the banks of Buffalo Bayou that faced Smith or Bagby street near Old Market Square.

  • Sheila Tschumy // October 1, 2008 at 3:51 pm | Reply

    Please show pictures of West University Place, especially the fire department and JMH grocery store.

  • Dan // March 25, 2009 at 11:33 pm | Reply

    I would like to where there is an actual legal discription of the exact dry vs wet heights.

  • Houstorian Tracey // March 26, 2009 at 6:12 am | Reply

    Sheila – I’ll keep my eye out for historic West U photos. Have you seen the photos posted here?:

    http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=13210

    Dan – The entry on this site about the “dry Heights” includes the description of the boundaries of the dry area of the Heights used at the time of the vote. And the maps page includes a 1913 map of the Heights (albeit not one that shows individuals lots – see city and county records for that information). If you need help determining where the line runs in a particular part of the Heights, just post. On White Oak, for example, the line runs down the western edge of the Onion Creek lot.

  • GreggG // May 15, 2009 at 11:32 am | Reply

    Hey, this is my first post.
    I’m interested in getting some useful info, I hope this is the right place.
    Leave me a post and introduce yourself
    Peace,

  • Houstorian Tracey // May 15, 2009 at 12:02 pm | Reply

    Gregg – Are you looking for information on a particular subject? If so, you’re welcome to post your request.

  • Betty // May 15, 2009 at 9:15 pm | Reply

    I was looking for some history on the Second Ward. Love your site!

  • Michael Tucker // June 20, 2009 at 1:35 am | Reply

    The two giant oak trees at Beck’s Prime on Augusta at Westheimer must have been sizable, even in the 1800s when that part of Westheimer was the old San Felipe Road. What property was it, how were the trees spared the plow and the developer?

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  • John Steward // July 30, 2009 at 9:12 pm | Reply

    I remember a Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Gardens in the late 1960s. Does anyone remember this? Where was it? Any info?

  • KemyQuigmeddy // August 13, 2009 at 10:02 pm | Reply

    This looks cool so far, what’s up people?
    If there’s anyone else here, let me know.
    Oh, and yes I’m a real person LOL.

    Later,

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