Remember Window Shopping?

Back in olden times (the late 1940s thru the 1950s and even into the 1960s), a major form of entertainment was window shopping. In other words, you strolled thru downtown (shopping centers were just getting started in the early 1960s) looking at goods displayed in the storefront windows. Not only did it matter if the stores were open, it was actually more fun when they weren’t. Sundays were popular because everyone was closed.

What? Closed on Sunday? That’s right. Not only were Blue Laws in force, the general belief was that Sunday was the day you went to church. Also, most stores, even the big department stores, closed at 5:00 or 5:30 p.m. every day.

Window shopping was both an art and entertainment. You strolled slowly past the windows of various stores, lingering in front of those that caught your eye. While standing there, you imagined owning a particular outfit or jacket, shoes, toys, bicycles, etc. that you’d love to have but were way too expensive for you to afford. The flip side of the coin would be to find reasonably priced items that you either needed or wanted, then return when the store was open to purchase them.

Many’s the time you did neither. Instead, you just looked with no purpose in mind other than an outing with your family. Eventually you hopped a bus or took a cab and headed home.

Until stores started migrating to the suburbs and those new-fangled shopping centers, (Enclosed malls didn’t come along until quite a bit later. Sometime in the 1970s, I believe.), just about everything you wanted was in downtown Ft. Worth. All the big department stores, of course. Leonard’s, Everybody’s (An early version of a discount department store and owned by Leonard’s.), Monnig’s, Stripling’s (I worked in the toy department there in 1963), Cox’s and The Fair. Then there was Meacham’s, F.W. Woolworth, Cromer’s Ace (Bicycles were in their window.), Western Union, The Camera Shop, several greeting card stores, newsstands, banks (no branches), drug stores, restaurants, cafeterias, coffee shops, churches, jewelry stores, western shops and even a couple of automobile dealerships (Pontiac and Chevrolet, I believe.).

Of course you had City Hall where you could pay your water bill, Lone Star Gas Co., Texas Electric and a healthy collection of office buildings. And let’s not forget the Worth, Hollywood and Palace Theaters, along with the late, lamented Ft. Worth Public Library building that sat on that pie shaped piece of land at the intersection of Ninth and Throckmorton and was eventually demolished despite the protestations of a substantial number of residents when the new library was built. Just up the street on the corner of Eighth and Throckmorton was Barber’s Bookstore. For those who couldn’t afford the price of a new book or didn’t want to part with that much cash, there was Thompson’s Bookstore. Located on Throckmorton only a block or so south of Leonard’s, it was hole-in-the-wall offering used books and magazines. I spent a lot of time in there...and a fair amount of money.

As I said, there was just about any kind of business you could want and quite a few you didn’t, such as high interest small loan companies (Yep, they’ve been around since the beginning of time.). From Ninth Street south to Lancaster, the area was known as Lower Main. It was, with the exception of the Telephone Company (AT&T) and the Catholic Church, basically a collection of more or less disreputable flop houses, walk up hotels, bar & grilles and liquor stores, with the occasional antique shop thrown in for good measure. The Cellar (where Secret Service agents went the night before JFK was assassinated) was below ground level at Tenth and Commerce, I think. Union Gospel Mission was located on Throckmorton, about two blocks north of Lancaster, until everything was razed for the current Convention Center and the Mission wound up out on E. Lancaster.

How do I know about that particular part of Ft. Worth, since you darn sure didn’t do any window shopping in the area? Mainly by riding buses home. Their route took them straight down Houston to Lancaster or over to Calhoun and then south to Lancaster before heading east. Believe me, you saw some very interesting things while looking out the bus windows. Beyond that, one of my uncles died in 1957 while sitting on a barstool in Richelieu Grill waiting for his breakfast. Massive coronary. He was 65 and had received his first Social Security check only a week or two before.

I went with a couple of cousins to obtain his belongings from his hotel room (A walk-up flophouse with screen doors on the rooms.). By the time we got there, someone had popped the screen and taken everything he had.

Yep, downtown Ft. Worth in that time period was a very interesting mix of the good, the bad and the ugly, but they were good times overall. I still miss it.

The Starlite Club & The Telephone Pioneers

While the Rocket Club was arguably the best known nightclub on the Jacksboro Highway, there were plenty of others. One was the Starlite Club. Located on the west side of the highway and several blocks south of the Rocket Club, my knowledge of it is due to exactly one thing. Stashed in some of the photos and documents that my parents saved is a photo folder that is virtually identical to the ones used by the Rocket Club. It only differed in color, cover design and the club name on the front. The folder serves to perpetuate the memory (good or bad) of the Starlite Club, but it’s what I found inside that’s interesting.

My mother, Ruby Claudine Wacaster Marmo, started working for the telephone company in 1922 when she was sixteen years old, having just moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Remember, this was when the phone company was AT&T with no competition.


At any rate, my mother spent 31 years with the phone company before retiring and spending another 33 years on various PBX boards with hospitals, newspapers and department stores. When she retired from AT&T, she was a Life Member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. But, as I’m sure you know, to become a Life Member of anything, first you have to be just a member. I never knew when that occurred...until I found the Starlite Club folder.



Inside was a certificate printed on heavyweight stock Certifying that Ruby C. Marmo was a Member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. The date is December 25, 1949. This much is fact. From this point on, it’s an educated guess, but I think I’m correct. If anyone has information to the contrary, I’d appreciate hearing from them.

Since my parents appeared in a photo taken at the Rocket Club sometime in 1949, and the Telephone Pioneers certificate was found in a Starlite Club folder where it’s been since 1949, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to reach a particular conclusion.

What I believe is that the presentation of the certificate was held at a party in the Starlite Club, sometime in late December, 1949. Could it have been a few months later, making it early 1950? Sure could, since I can’t nail the date down to the specific day,

This is just a microcosm of the kinds of things that went on during the late 1940s here in Ft. Worth. No earthshattering event was connected with this presentation nor did it make the newspaper. It was just another moment in the day-to-day life in Cowtown.

The Rocket Club

Drive north on Henderson until you cross the intersection where University Drive North and Northside Drive change names and you will find yourself on the Jacksboro Highway. Actually, you’re not going due north but northwest. Still, on the west side of the highway is Rockwood Park for a good distance. On the east is a retaining wall and a very steep hill that forms the back yard for houses that front on Grand Street. By the time you’re halfway between University/Northside Drive and N.E. 28th, the area is a hodge podge of car lots, cafes and abandoned buildings. But it didn’t use to be that way. In the late 1940s, you wouldn’t have been wrong to have called it nightclub row. There were quite a number there. The Starlight Club at 1301 Jacksboro Highway and the well known Rocket Club at 2202 Jacksboro Highway to name only two. As of the last time I’ve passed thru that area (and it’s been several years), the Rocket Club building was still there and I think the sign was still mounted on it. Might be wrong because I’ve slept since then.

Since anyone who knows me knows that I don’t drink (can’t stand the taste), nor do I care anything about going clubbing, you’ve got to be wondering why I’m talking about the Rocket Club. Well, there’s a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the Rocket Club is part of Ft. Worth history. As for the second, I have a folder from the Rocket Club containing a photograph of my parents sitting at a table inside the club. The date had to be around 1949.

In that time period, many clubs had roving photographers who took photos of the customers, much like sidewalk photographers in downtown Ft. Worth. If they wanted to buy the photo, it would be presented to them in a photo folder that appears to be made from heavyweight construction paper. Not only did it bring in extra money for the club, the folder did an excellent job of publicizing the club. To give you an idea of exactly what the folder looked like, I’ve added three photos to this post. The first, seen below, shows the front cover.


This was actually quite a creative cover. Note there are two planets Saturn, along with a rocketship passing by. As it nears Ft. Worth, it’s spotlight illuminates a crooner (think Bing Crosby) standing on a cloud holding a microphone with musical notes wafting into the ether. By the way, the folder is a horizontal format with the fold on the left side.



Inside the folder were four slits designed to hold a 5”x7” print. Black & White in those days, of course. As I told you, the couple in the photo are my parents, Caesar Sarafino “Jack” Marmo and Ruby Claudine Wacaster Marmo. This picture was most likely taken in 1949, making my father 41 and my mother 44. I would’ve been a few months shy of 7. Note that all tables had white tablecloths and a centerpiece that appears to be comprised of a number of glasses and at least one bottle.


The back of the folder provides the club name and address, as well as the number of the folder. If the number is sequential and started from #1, then we can assume that over 5,000 patrons had purchased photos at the Rocket Club. If anyone has similar folders from the Rocket Club or any of the other clubs on the Jacksboro Highway, I’d like to hear from you.

Next post I’ll deal with the Starlight Club & The Telephone Pioneers Of America.

Headlines From The Meadowlark, May 4, 1951. Part 2.

This post picks up with page 3 of The Meadowlark. Most of this page is taken with ads and the continuation of Scrapbook Memories from page 1. However, there are two photographs identifying the winners in the lunchroom contest at Meadowbrook Elementary. One is for the First Grade, while the other is for the Second Grade. While I can’t identify First Grade teacher, Second Grade is another story. The teacher is Ruby Wenzel and the photograph is the same one I posted earlier of my Second Grade class.

If you’re wondering, as I did, just what the heck a Junior High School newspaper is doing running photos of First and Second grade contests, I can suggest a couple or three things. First, Meadowbrook Elementary and Meadowbrook Junior High were almost within sight of each other. Second, Charles Berry had been principal of Meadowbrook Elementary the previous year. And third, the student reporters were doing what all good reporters do. Finding news.

Moving on to page four, we find headlines that tell you about some of the activities going on at that time.

Senior Play Casts Selected lists the casts of the senior play “Just Ducky.” A point brought out by the report was the fact that both the fifth and sixth period classes were going to perform the play, making it twice as good as last year’s effort.

Then there’s The Class Will Of “51” which was essentially a vehicle to metaphorically pass the torch to those who will come after them.

Another report let you know that Meadowbrook Has First Garden Show. There is a complete list of awards.

Finally, an article (or actually announcement) headed Attention, High Nine! invites everyone to the senior banquet to be held in the school cafeteria on May 18, 1951 at 6:30 p.m. Decorations would have a circus theme and there would be special entertainment afterward.

Turning over to page five, there are photographs of the Third Grade Lunchroom Winners and Mrs. Graham’s Sixth Grade Lunchroom Winners. There’s also a Sixth Grade News Report given by Mrs. Dry, with the rest of the page containing ads and the continuation of The Class Will Of “51”.

Finally we work our way to page six, titled Sports On Parade. There are photos of the school’s Tennis Players, Boy’s Softball Team and Girl’s Volley Ball Team.

As for headlines, Tracksters Hit The Cinders At Track Meet April 24 details the performance of their track members, broken down by school grade.

T For Tennis describes the performance of the tennis team and Softball deals with the softball team. Another report describes the Volley Ball Team under the Volleyball heading.

Finally, the headline High Nine Tea To Be Given describes a tea to be given in honor of the high ninth grade and their mothers in the school cafeteria on May 17.

And that, folks, is the end of Meadowbrook Junior High School’s The Meadowlark student newspaper.

Before closing this post, I’ve said it before but it doesn’t hurt to say it again, don’t hesitate to post your own memories of Ft. Worth or send them to me by email. Photos are particularly welcome (even if all you have are negatives). Contact me for a snail mail address in order to send photos for use in Timeship. They will be handled carefully, scanned and the originals returned promptly.

Headlines From The Meadowlark, May 4, 1951

There was a lot more in The Meadowlark besides ads and a photo of the graduating class. It was a newspaper and the students took their job seriously. First, let’s see who’s listed on The Meadowlark Staff. After that, we’ll work our way thru the paper headline by headline. In line with that, the newspaper staff is as follows:

Editor: Cynthia Seacrest

Assistant Editor: Jackie Tackett

Make-Up Editors: Mary Lou Oliver, Charlene McBrayer, Richard Hollingsworth, Montie Mauldin

Circulation Managers: Jerre Jean Power, John Irby

Business Manager: Kay Spurlock

Advertising Manager: Bob Franks

Exchange Editor: Bill Oglesby

Advertising Staff And Special Reporters: Cecil Davis, Monell Holden, Madelon Mathieu, Jackie Simpson, Barbara Wellman, Alma Netherton, Cathryne Barnett, Charlene McBrayer, Xanthia Macy, Mabell Rainey, Carolyn Rice, Betty Tripp, Mary White, Nancy Fawver, Annelle Northcut, Eleanor Armstrong, Marian Bickle, Jean Hiett, Lanny Ham, Carmen Baltasar, Ella Jane Faris.

Sports Editors: Ted Stuart, Sandie Gordon

Principal: Mr. Charles M. Berry

Dean And Sponsor: Miss Flossie Green

In case the name of Charles Berry sounds familiar, it’s because he was the principal of Meadowbrook Elementary during the 1949 – 1950 school year. Apparently he was appointed principal of Meadowbrook Junior High for the 1950 – 1951 term. They were fortunate to have him. He was a good man.

Now to the headlines. The front page carried only one, once you got past the half page photo of the graduating class. That headline read:

Scrapbook Memories (Class Prophecy) and was written by Xanthia Macy, Mary Oliver & Nancy Fawver. Taking up the lower half of the front page and a third of page three, it was a fictionalized report of a chance meeting by Mary Oliver & Xanthia Macy in New York and their decision to take their vacation together by returning home to Ft. Worth. Along the way they run into all their old classmates with descriptions of what they are doing now.

On page two, the next headline reads Apologies In Order and is essentially a thank you to the teachers they’ve had in their time at Meadowbrook Junior High. DAR And American Legion Winners is self-explanatory, particularly when the box just below announces the Meadowbrook Junior High School Awards Day Program. Considering the atmosphere that exists in school today, along with all the rules, regulations and political correctness, just reading the program order is educational. To that end, here it is:

Processional........................Aida; Grand March
*”America”.........................Boston Pops Orchestra
* Invocation.........................Rev. W. Fred Swank
Pastor, Sagamore Hill Baptist Church
Platform Guest.....................Mrs. George M. Connor
President, Board Of Education
Vocal Solo – “Jerusalem”................Henry Parker
Roberta Murphy
Mrs. Strickland, Accompanist
Remarks........................................Mr. Joe P. Moore
Superintendent of Schools
Special Octet – “My Hero”...................Oscar Staus
Eight Ninth Grade Girls: Soprano, Jackie Simpson,
Ella Jane Faris, Mary Jo Einstein, Gene Fricke;
Alto, Montie Mauldin, Marilyn Swayze, Marian
Bickle, Jerre Jean Power.
D.A.R. Awards......................................Mrs. M.H. Crabb
American Legion Awards...............Mr. Buster Kirkpatrick
* School Song.......................................”Alma Mater”
Recessional..................................”War March of the Priests”
* Audience Will Please Stand May 4, 1951

The next headline on that page says Good Luck, Champs! and, as you’ve probably guessed, it deals with the annual Press Spelling Bee. Finally we have Student Council At Work which is simply a listing of the members of the student council and an accompanying photo of the group.

That’s it for this post. Next time around we’ll start with page three.

Images From The Meadowlark, May 4, 1951

The ads that appeared in this issue of the Meadowbrook Junior High School student newspaper have provided a pretty fair picture of what the East Side of Ft. Worth was like 57 years ago. Now let’s go thru the paper page by page to see some of the things that were important to them way back when.

First up is a photo of the graduating class of 1951. Notice that they were still taking class photos outdoors with part of the building as a backdrop.

For those of you with sharp enough eyes, just above is the original caption that listed all of the graduates appearing in the photograph. Not able to read it? For your convenience, I've retyped the entire caption is easier to read font size. The names of the students are:

Class of '51: First row, left to right: Don Short, Bill Brock, Richard Hollingsworth, Jimmy Moore, Bob Wear, Gene Dimock, Gary Grier, Mike Mallicote, Leon Brown, Ray Fisher, Dedric Roberts, Kenneth Royar. Second row: Terry Mack, Mary White, Aletta McMean, Kay Spurlock, Jackie Tackett, Tylithat Schaber, Didi Quirino, Rita Martelli, Mary Jo Einstein, Betty Tripp, Jerri Jean Power, Tommye Hensley, Gale Russey, Carmen Baltisar, Irene Twiss. Third row: Barbara Fitzgerald, Sandra Kelly, Mae Belle Rainey, Dessie Dennie, Diane Brewer, Cynthia Seacrest, Barbara Wellman, Cathryne Barnett, Marian Bickle. Fourth row: Sandie Gordon, Mary Lou Oliver, Marilyn Swayze, Jackie Hooe, Gene Fricke, Charlene McBrayer, Nancy Beck, Eleanor Armstrong, Louise Smith, Shirley Gorham. Fifth row: Annelle Northcut, Monell Holden, Nancy Fawver, Reba Cook, Joyce McKinney, Jackie Simpson, Montie Mauldin, Ella Jane Faris, Sarah Flynn, Xanthia Macy. Sixth row: John Irby, John May, Bill Maloney, David Rowland, John Bateman, Ronald Lockhart, Alma Natherton, Carolyn Rice, Phonita McGill, Jean Hiett, Madelon Mathieu, Dorothy Long. Seventh row: Jimmy Boggs, James Dial, Jack Hester, Lanny Ham, Cecil Davis, Charles Huffaker, John Black, Don Raspberry, Bill Ransom, Albert Craig, Jim Mosely, Paul Wyatt, Don Overton, Garth Owens, Bill Oglesby. Eighth row: Danny Rouse, Ted Stuart, Fred Hughes, Henry Daniel Hutmacher, Bob Franks.

Still Reading The Meadowlark, Part 5

This post will finish up the ads in that old student newspaper from Meadowbrook Junior High School, The Meadowlark. Let’s see what other businesses were around in 1951.

Meadowbrook Drug, 3636 Meadowbrook Drive, LA-1605. Mr. and Mrs. F.E. Wilborn, Miss Toni Edwards, Miss Jamie Trainer. Located in that same multi-tenant building at the southwest corner of Ayers and Meadowbrook as Meadowbrook Cleaners and Meadowbrook Dance Studio. There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s not an unreasonable assumption that the Wilborns were the owners with Mr. Wilborn being the pharmacist. The two single ladies would have been employees who handled the non-pharmacological aspects of the business.

J.E. Kuykendall Lumber Co., Lumbering Along, 3200 E. Lancaster, LO-1921. This business’s location is particularly interesting because it apparently occupied the future site of Meadowbrook Bowling Lanes, which gave way in turn to the current TWU soccer field. It must’ve moved shortly thereafter because Meadowbrook lanes had been there for some time when I returned to Ft. Worth in 1961.

Everybody ought to know to go to Tandy Lake Garage, 3505 E. Lancaster. Free Pick-Up And Delivery. Almost directly across the street from our late, lamented Flashpoint Boogie Burger, it was owned by Mr. Thomas. He and his wife lived behind the garage in a house that fronted on Sanderson (I believe). His wife raised Chow-Chows.

Tandy Lake Service Station, 3501 E. Lancaster, LA-9489. Texaco Products, Washing, Lubrication, Road Service. Immediately west of Tandy Lake Garage at the corner of E. Lancaster and Sanderson. By the early 1960s, it was owned and operated by a man who’s first name was Ted, but the last name escapes me. Still a Texaco station, though. I did quite a lot of business at both the service station and garage.

State Bank of East Fort Worth, 1100 Nashville, LO-2811. We would welcome a visit from you – Convenient Banking Service. Member of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

This was probably the largest building on Nashville Street between E. Vickery and E. Rosedale. It remained there until at least the late 1960s or 1970s when it relocated into that multi-story building at the corner of Beach and Scott on the south side of I-30. Today Chase Bank occupies the space.

Washing and Lubrication. Tire Service. Harry Lawing’s Service Station. “Sinclair Products”. 3950 E. Lancaster, Ph LA-9126. It’s been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s certainly true where service stations are concerned because 3950 E. Lancaster is basically where Valero is currently located, on E. Lancaster between C lairemont and Boston.

Beavers Food Store, 3301 E. Lancaster. Quality Meats and Groceries – Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. This store was on the northeast corner of Collard and E. Lancaster. By the early 1960s it was still a food store but operating under a different name.

Bill Kuykendall Appliances, 323 Collard. LA-8927, LA-2127. This business was south of E. Lancaster, undoubtedly between E. Lancaster and Panola.

Hart’s Dress Shop, 3708 E. Lancaster. Styles For Teen-Agers. LA-0964. That things were beginning to change is apparent by the rise of stores catering to very specific groups. Teen-age girls in this case.

Only two ads remain, one for a church and the other for a new pharmacy. Let’s look at the church ad first.

We Invite All Meadowbrook Students To Spend Their Sunday With Us. This Is A Young Peoples Church. Sagamore Hill Baptist Church. W. Fred Swank, Pastor.

It’s obvious from the ad that the East Side had a large population of young people, as well as parents who were mostly in their 20s and early 30s. No wonder Sagamore Hill promoted themselves as they did. The church was located on Panola at a point where Rand Street empties into Panola. Today that property belongs to the Charity Church and Sagamore Hill is building a new campus on Eastchase Parkway, just south of Meadowbrook.

As for the drugstore? Let’s take a look at their ad.

Hello! Meadowbrook Students! Have You Seen The New Jack Collier Drug Store? A Wonderful Place To Meet Your Friends and Enjoy Refreshing Fountain Drinks. You Are Always Welcome At Jack Collier Professional Drug Stores. We Give S&H Green Stamps. 3700 E. Lancaster.

The strip center between Ayers and Forby on the south side of E. Lancaster was the location for Jack Collier Drug. Today it’s a run down flea market, but in 1951, Jack Collier Drug Store anchored the center on the Ayers end. Next to it was a shoe repair, then Ben Franklin 5 & 10 and at the opposite end, Worth Food Mart. All of those businesses were there until well into the 1960s and some stayed longer than that. Jack Collier Drug remained until the early 1970s, I believe, when it moved to the corner of Meadowbrook and Yeager, becoming Eastern Hills Pharmacy in the process.

As the ad said, Jack Collier Drug had a full service soda fountain, complete with stools at the counter as well as booths. Believe me, you haven’t lived if you haven’t had a real, thick milkshake served in a heavy, tall glass.

Well, that’s it for all the ads. Next post we’ll look at some of the written information in The Meadowlark and I’ll see what I can do about scanning parts of it.

Ads From The Meadowlark, Part 4

Still interested in learning what kinds of businesses were around the East Side in 1951? The beat goes on as we turn to page 5 of The Meadowlark.

Harold Ice Company, 1517 E. First, FA-8910. This was a simple ad, but it told you everything you needed to know. In 1951, it wasn’t uncommon for homes to have real iceboxes in the kitchen to preserve their food. By iceboxes, I’m talking about an appliance that kept food cool by the evaporation of a block of ice in the top compartment while the food was kept in the bottom section.

Also, there was no such thing as a freezer in an icebox. Home deliveries of ice were made on a daily basis, much the same as the milkman delivered milk. Ice truck drivers used ice tongs (if you’ve never seen a pair of ice tongs, you don’t know what you’ve missed) to carry a block of ice hoisted over their shoulder. A leather pad thrown over their shoulder protected their body from the cold ice. And, yes, ice was delivered even in the winter.

As for their location, it was about where I-35 and 121 intersect today.

Leslie Miller, Inc., 2914 E. Rosedale, Phone LA-2115. Mechanical Contractor. This business was located near where Nashville Street and E. Rosedale meet, roughly two blocks west of TWU.

Meissner Funeral Home, 2717 Avenue B, LA-2102. When it was time to give your loved ones a proper sendoff, Meissner Funeral Home was ready and willing to do the job. Located at the corner of Avenue B and Nashville Street.

Poly Music Shop, 3106 Rosedale, LA-7048. Records, Instruments, Music. They were actually on E. Rosedale, in that same stretch of brick spaces that was directly across the street from TWU. By the way, when they referred to music, they meant sheet music.

Ashburn’s Ice Cream, 3012 E. Rosedale, LA-2133. For a delicious dessert. This location was in the block just west of the one containing Poly Music Shop and other businesses. If you’re getting the idea that the entire area was thriving at that time, you’d be right.

T.A. Mitchell Lumber Co., 3637 Avenue E, Phone LA-4018. Hardware – Paint And Building Materials. Avenue E was one block north of E. Rosedale and ended where it ran into Ayers Street. This business was in that last block just before Ayers.

Wilkinson’s Shoe Shop, 2669 E. Vickery Blvd., LA-9197. Nashville Street runs between E. Vickery and E. Rosedale. While Leslie Miller, Inc. was at the south end, this shoe shop was near the north intersection.

Compliments of Dr. A. Ward Hicks and Dr. J.G. Hicks. No other information is provided in this ad. Presumably these doctors served the area, but I have no further knowledge about them. It’s not unreasonable to assume that they were father and son, but even that can’t be stated with any certainty.

Poly Gift Wrapping Shop, 800-A Nashville at Vickery. Gifts – Toys – Ceramics, Gift Wrapping. The 800 block was at the north end of Nashville and probably within sight of Wilkinson’s Shoe Shop.

Charles Matthews Antiques and Gifts, 4136 E. Lancaster. They were located on the southwest corner of Oakland and E. Lancaster until sometime in the late 1970s, when they moved. That corner has been redeveloped and now is home to a CVS Pharmacy.

White Planing Mill, 1201 Ayers, Fort Worth, Texas. Special Mill Work. Expert Store Fixtures. R.W. White. LA-1165. Another quality business located at or very near the Ayers/E. Rosedale intersection.

Burney Grocery & Market, 600 Hughes, LA-9226. Your business is appreciated. Another one of many neighborhood markets, it was located (the best I can figure) at the corner of Panola and Hughes. That places it about a block from Sagamore Hill Elementary School and also means that it was eventually demolished to make way for the expansion of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church.

Jack And Jill Shop, 3559 E. Lancaster, LA-5461. Infants And Children’s Apparel. This address would put the shop between Sanderson and Lewis on the north side of E. Lancaster, about a block and a half west of Ayers and E. Lancaster.

Irby Drug Co., 4309 N.E. 28th, VA-3044. If You’re Out Our Way, Come In And See Us. This ad is an oddity because of it’s location completely out of the East Side. Sitting near the corner of N.E. 28th and Oakwood, the only practical way to get there was straight up Beach Street.

When in Need of Venetian Blinds see B – B Venetian Blind Co., 1001 Ayers, LA-3073. Also refinishing. In this time period Venetian Blinds were very popular and required maintenance as well. Cheap they weren’t, which made refinishing old or damaged blinds a very practical service. Their address places them in one of those buildings on Ayers, just south of the railroad track crossing.

Jack Langdon Service Station, 4200 Meadowbrook Drive, Phone LA-9102. Washing. Lubrication. Located on the corner of Meadowbrook and Oakland, directly west of Meadowbrook Elementary and directly across the street from the open field that would eventually become part of Meadowbrook Junior High, as well as diagonally across from the fire station. Interestingly, that site is still being used today for an automotive related business in what is probably the original two-bay building.

Burge Hardware & Appliance Co., 3100 E. Rosedale, LA-7400. Not only was this business located in that stretch of spaces directly across the street from TWU, it’s still there, operating under the same name. Doesn’t sell appliances anymore, it you take the term to mean ranges, refrigerators and similar. But it’s still a hardware store and does a significant business in repairing and rebuilding Dearborn space heaters.

The last ad for this post dealt with a very popular place to gather to relax, play and have fun, especially in the summer. It’s still there, though I suspect a large percentage of current Ft. Worth residents have never heard of it. The place? Burger’s Lake. Here’s what the ad had to say in 1951.

Have Your Class Picnic At Burger’s Lake. Special Rates To School Groups. Swim In Cool, Constantly Flowing Spring Water. Picnic Fun For Everyone. Beautiful Shade Trees * Picnic Tables * Fireplaces * Sandy Beaches. On Meandering Road Just Opposite Carswell Air Base. Take City Bus Marked Carswell Air Base. Phone Pershing 3414

Next post, I’ll finish up the ads. After that, we’ll deal with some of the other aspects of the newspaper and finally get around to including scans of some sections.

Ads From The Real Meadowlark, Part 3

Moving on to page four of the Meadowbrook Junior High’s student newspaper, we’re beginning to see what a vibrant place the East Side of Ft. Worth was in 1951. Let’s check out some more businesses:

Geo. Gunter’s Texaco Service Station, 1901 E. Lancaster, phone ED-9421. Complete Lubrication – Road Service. This address placed it near the corner of E. Lancaster and Grafton, where the Salvation Army building sits today.

Harry Smith’s Meadowbrook Dance Studio, 3628 Meadowbrook Drive, phone LA-8501. Private – Semi-Private or Class Lessons In Ballroom Dancing. Professional Teacher – Proven Method. Call between 6 and 10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday For Appointment.

The location of the was near the intersection of N. Ayers and Meadowbrook Drive, on the south side of the street. As close as I can figure, it was due north of the old Stripling/Cox (and future police crime lab) building.

J. Fred Smith, Office 3114-A East Rosedale, phones: LA-5532 and LA-8496 – Res. LA-5466. Real Estate And Insurance Of All Kinds. Location was across the street from Texas Wesleyan University.

Charlie Isham Service Station, Corner of Meadowbrook and E. Lancaster, Telephone LA-9124. Our Fast Service Keeps Us Busy. This business sat was located on that triangular piece of land where Buck’s Auto Upholstery did business for so many years. Considering the configuration of the building in relation to the land, I’m still trying to figure out where the gas pumps were located.

Snapshots, Inc., 2455 E. Lancaster, phone LO-2823. Quality Photo Finishing. Just a couple of blocks west of Beach Street on the north side of E. Lancaster, I believe the building is still there. In fact, it was still a photo finishing operation in the 1960s and possibly into the 1970s. I did quite a bit of business with them during that time period, though the name was different.

Long Beauty Shop, Phone LA-4194. For Freedom. For Fun. For Femininity. Short Hair Fills The Bill For You. It’s Practical. It’s Gay. It’s Pretty.

No address is given for this business, but the ad is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, short hair on women was in fashion again. Second, the phrase ‘It’s Gay’ had a totally different meaning. The term meant that you were happy, excited and/or merry. Things change and so do the meanings and useage of words.

Jack Blair Floor Company, 305 Collard, LO-1971. A full service flooring company, it’s location was about a half block south of Collard & E. Lancaster on the east side of the street, directly across from the present-day soccer field for TWU. Jack Blair is now doing business from the 5500 block of W. Vickery.

Meadowbrook Cleaners, 3632 Meadowbrook, phone LA-8469. “Where Better Cleaning Is Done.” Save With Cash And Carry. Pick-Up and Delivery Service. W.S. Samply, owner.

Location was in the same brick building on the south side of Meadowbrook at the intersection of Meadowbrook and N. Ayers. They had the space immediately west of the Meadowbrook Dance Studio.

The last ad on page 3 was from Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Fort Worth. The plant itself was located, I believe, on South Main, about halfway between E. Lancaster and Magnolia Street. But it’s what’s in the ad that tells you a lot about what things were like in those days. It featured a huge number 5, Drink Coca-Cola in white on a dark circle background and a phrase above it that said Two Things That Go Together – Coke And 5c. That’s right, folks. Cokes, in the familiar wasp waist glass bottles and beer bottle style caps that required bottle openers, were only a nickle and available from vending machines and coolers virtually everywhere.

We’ll tackle page 5 in the next post. Hang in there, people, there’s a lot more to tell.