Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Fredericksburg: teachers, areas)

[Macgrad89]

Gotta do a rundown like Pardon The Interruption, there's so much to discuss...

Steak and Ale on 410 - My wife and I had our wedding reception there on March 13, 1999. We were terribly saddened when they closed and found out something from my Dad who had a contact with the franchise holder at the time. It seemed the franchise holder was the person who originally built the restaurant way back when and he wanted to retire. Something happened between corporate Steak and Ale and the franchise holder to the point that Steak and Ale decided to leave San Antonio altogether. This was Easter of 2001. There was also a Steak and Ale on Austin Hwy years ago, just east of Harry Wurzbach. It sat where the now old H-E-B is...

Bonanza - I remember the ones on Fredericksburg Rd and Broadway. Add to the list one on Naco-Perrin next to the old Mr. Gatti's (now a strip club) and there was one on West Military north of new 90.

Gillespie Mansion - yep, that's the site in the photo. They used to have a BUNCH of horses running on the property and you could see them behind the fences along Vance Jackson quite often. There were several fires at that mansion over the years. There was another large house closer to the Freiling Dr side of the property which could be seen behind the strip center as late as 2004.

Rocky Horror Picture Show - never saw it at the Northwest but I worked with a guy at the old Michael's on Thousand Oaks who was a projectionist at Northwest and ran Rocky Horror from time to time. He said it was one thing to be in the audience doing all the wacky stuff during the movie but it was a whole other ball game to see it from above...

Chuck E. Cheese's on Rector - yep, it was there. I think there's a Pier 1 in the spot now. My parents took us there a bunch in the early 80s but that one closed up when CEC hit hard times in the mid to late 80s.

Answer to the gas station trivia - the old filling station at San Pedro and Rector (where Wallpapers To Go is now) was a Martin. By the early 70s, Sears had their gas station/auto center catty-corner to Martin. A Phillips 66 was built across San Pedro from the Martin (Taco Cabana is there now) and next to that an International House of Pancakes (replaced by El Pollo Loco). Info on Martin can be found here:

COTM-company of the month for May,2005,MARTIN OIL - Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk

Here's a few more for folks to chew on:

EZ-1 Convenience Stores
U-Totem Stores
Mr. M. Food Stores (Who was Mr. M, you ask? Why, none other than Red McCombs...)
Perrin Plaza Family Theater on Naco-Perrin
Foodway in Perrin Plaza on Perrin-Beitel
Stovall's in North Star Mall

Macgrad89

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by Macgrad89

Gotta do a rundown like Pardon The Interruption, there's so much to discuss...

Steak and Ale on 410 - My wife and I had our wedding reception there on March 13, 1999. We were terribly saddened when they closed and found out something from my Dad who had a contact with the franchise holder at the time. It seemed the franchise holder was the person who originally built the restaurant way back when and he wanted to retire. Something happened between corporate Steak and Ale and the franchise holder to the point that Steak and Ale decided to leave San Antonio altogether. This was Easter of 2001. There was also a Steak and Ale on Austin Hwy years ago, just east of Harry Wurzbach. It sat where the now old H-E-B is...

Bonanza - I remember the ones on Fredericksburg Rd and Broadway. Add to the list one on Naco-Perrin next to the old Mr. Gatti's (now a strip club) and there was one on West Military north of new 90.

Gillespie Mansion - yep, that's the site in the photo. They used to have a BUNCH of horses running on the property and you could see them behind the fences along Vance Jackson quite often. There were several fires at that mansion over the years. There was another large house closer to the Freiling Dr side of the property which could be seen behind the strip center as late as 2004.

Rocky Horror Picture Show - never saw it at the Northwest but I worked with a guy at the old Michael's on Thousand Oaks who was a projectionist at Northwest and ran Rocky Horror from time to time. He said it was one thing to be in the audience doing all the wacky stuff during the movie but it was a whole other ball game to see it from above...

Chuck E. Cheese's on Rector - yep, it was there. I think there's a Pier 1 in the spot now. My parents took us there a bunch in the early 80s but that one closed up when CEC hit hard times in the mid to late 80s.

Answer to the gas station trivia - the old filling station at San Pedro and Rector (where Wallpapers To Go is now) was a Martin. By the early 70s, Sears had their gas station/auto center catty-corner to Martin. A Phillips 66 was built across San Pedro from the Martin (Taco Cabana is there now) and next to that an International House of Pancakes (replaced by El Pollo Loco). Info on Martin can be found here:

COTM-company of the month for May,2005,MARTIN OIL - Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk

Here's a few more for folks to chew on:

EZ-1 Convenience Stores
U-Totem Stores
Mr. M. Food Stores (Who was Mr. M, you ask? Why, none other than Red McCombs...)
Perrin Plaza Family Theater on Naco-Perrin
Foodway in Perrin Plaza on Perrin-Beitel
Stovall's in North Star Mall

Macgrad89

Hey Mac where was this located? Perrin Plaza Family Theater on Naco-Perrin. What is there now?

[Willsatx]

I remember the Chuck E Cheese on Rector, it was a bit smaller than the other locations.

[stics]

Hi My name is Roy and new to this site. Found it by accident.
Was on the Txdot page just looking at the progress on the highway construction and came across this site. Wow what memories....
I went as far as page 10 to see if anyone has mentioned some that came to mind. Here are some of mine
The kiddie rides at Las Palmas in front of the entrance
The never ending Butter Crust Bread billboard on San Pedro & Hildabrand.
Is that still there?
The drive-in that was located somewhere on South Hamilton St. somewhere near the produce row on Zarzamora & Laredo area.
The drive-in at Zarzamora at frio city road( the big screen is still there )
The Drive in that was at the corner of 24th and Bandera ( now an HEB)
and Mr. Pizza right next to it. Was owned by the late great KISS DJ
Joe Anthony.
Shoppers World
Can't remember the name but it was a fast food that carried fish( kinda
like long john's silver,,,but the building was shape like a boat. It was
located on the corner of Gen.Mcmullen and Culebra Rd.
the Quater House bar`and game room near SAC.
I don't remember this one, but my dad once told me of a lady that was
buried in her blue caddy on the drivers seat in her night gown with
the radio on somewhere in the east side cemetary. ( don't know if it was
true). and last but not least Joe Blanchard's All Star Wrestling

Well that's all for now.
Thanks for the memories and God bless.
I will return
Roy

[Paka]

[quote=stics;1507854]Hi My name is Roy and new to this site. Found it by accident.
Was on the Txdot page just looking at the progress on the highway construction and came across this site. Wow what memories....
I went as far as page 10 to see if anyone has mentioned some that came to mind. Here are some of mine
The kiddie rides at Las Palmas in front of the entrance
The never ending Butter Crust Bread billboard on San Pedro & Hildabrand.
Is that still there?
The drive-in that was located somewhere on South Hamilton St. somewhere near the produce row on Zarzamora & Laredo area.
The drive-in at Zarzamora at frio city road( the big screen is still there )
The Drive in that was at the corner of 24th and Bandera ( now an HEB)
and Mr. Pizza right next to it. Was owned by the late great KISS DJ
Joe Anthony.
Shoppers World
Can't remember the name but it was a fast food that carried fish( kinda
like long john's silver,,,but the building was shape like a boat. It was
located on the corner of Gen.Mcmullen and Culebra Rd.
the Quater House bar`and game room near SAC.
I don't remember this one, but my dad once told me of a lady that was
buried in her blue caddy on the drivers seat in her night gown with
the radio on somewhere in the east side cemetary. ( don't know if it was
true). and last but not least Joe Blanchard's All Star Wrestling

Well that's all for now.
Thanks for the memories and God bless.
I will return

Wow Roy, did you and I go to school together or what? From your recollections, sounds like we were neighbors...yeppers the farris wheel outside the 5 & dime at Las Palmas and I think the fish place you are referring to was an "Ahoy Maties" wasn't it...or was that only Captn' Gus?????

The lady you are referring to WAS buried in a nightee in the driver seat of her caddy...some rich widow lady who decide to go in style...I remember the story as well, think it was in the mid 60's.

Don't remember the quarters, but spent many of my High School days hanging out at the SUB (student union building) at SAC waiting for my older friends to get out of class....riding thru downtown in my friends baby blue T-Bird listening to Stepenwolf plasting loud as can be from the 8Track...those WERE the days!!!!!!

I remember the U-Totum with the totum pole signs, and lived close to the one near the Burger Chef on Gen McMullen....how about the VonEricks during those days of wrestling?????

[tcs]

Man I had forgotten the SUB at SAC. THe fish place was "First Mate". Their radio jingle was "the food taste great at Frist Mate, blah blah blah". Yes and the song was Magic Carpet Ride". We cruised allot listening to the Three Dog Night on the old AR 8 track that was the size of a shoe box!

[Paka]

Originally Posted by tcs

Man I had forgotten the SUB at SAC. THe fish place was "First Mate". Their radio jingle was "the food taste great at Frist Mate, blah blah blah". Yes and the song was Magic Carpet Ride". We cruised allot listening to the Three Dog Night on the old AR 8 track that was the size of a shoe box!

I went and saw Janis Joplin here in SA...then she died...I went and saw Jimmy Hendrix...then he died. I actually was beginning to think I had something to do with it!!! LOL LOVED music "in my day" was fortunate enough to see so many concerts back there...James Taylor, 3 Dog Night, Santana, Chicago, White Bird, Jethro Tull, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Butterfly (actually got a broken drumstick that Ron Bushy, the drummer for Iron Butterfly threw my way when he broke it!!!), Stones, Moody Blues and the concert of all concerts...the Beatles in Houston! Those WERE the days!!!!!!!

What was the name of the head shop on N. St Marys that had the "keep on truckin" dude painted on the side of the building????

I actually ran away from home as a stupid teenager and lived in a comune house (huge white house) across the park from SAC...it had a soup kitchen in it for the homeless and was run by that Anti-War guy by the last name of Flower's that got arrested for protesting...he was hooked up with Timothy Leery at the time....guess I was REALLY working to get under my parents skin at the time...given my dad was a AF "lifer"!!! Thank GOD my mom's threat of "everything you do to us will come back to you 10 times worse from your kids" never panned out!!!!

[tcs]

Iron Butterfly was my first ever concert and that was at the Hemisfair Arena. THe light show was what looked like outdoor colored patio floodlights. Saw Black Sabboth, Chicago, SAGA, ZZTop, Styx (how can you forget the Paradise) on and on. Burnin' the herbs with cops just 6 feet or so from you. Hey being a kid as a parent helped me get through my kids teen years. Kept the lines of communication open and never stopped them from asking whats on their minds, good or bad.

[munerider]

TCS,

I've ridden the air-trolly several of times back in the 70s, back when Cibolo Creek still flowed water there. It usually took cutting two locks, one on a gate and one on a chain holding the trolly. As old as that thing was, it was probably a pretty stupid thing to do.

The wire is still there, but haven't ventured to see if the car still is...trespassing, criminal mischief, destroying personal property and putting my life at risk are not part of my gig any longer...dang stupid kid!

[Jimgil]

Just finished reading this thread over the last several days. Really enjoyable.
I grew up in Highland Park. Went to Laura Steele, Page, and Highlands. Started at Highlands the year it opened. We are having a 45th reunion at the end of this month. I have been away for 36 years but will be moving back next year.

I remember Christy's, used to love the fried shrimp there. And yes, I used to go to Edge Falls - it was always an adventure. Used to ride my bike as far as I could and would take the bus everywhere else. My friends and I would love to go downtown and walk around(safe to do back then) Some favorites were the library, on Market St, (Had the miniature circus exhibit upstairs), Joske's, the River, the theaters - Majestic, Aztec and the others. I remember.... riding horses in Brackenridge Park, going to the Highlands or Highland Park theater on Hackberry. For 25 cents on a Saturday afternoon, we could see two movies, a serial, and three cartoons, plus get a bag of popcorn and a candy bar.

Learned how to square dance at the community center in the park on Rigsby above New Braunfels(played tennis there too) and played Little League farther out on Rigsby. I worked one summer at Sommer's Rexall Drugs in the fountain area. I was a fill in so each day I would call in and they would send me to different location. Some of the ones I worked at were on Highlands between Piedmont and Palmetto, Highlands and Presa, Alamo and Houston St, on Houston next to the Majestic, and some other ones farther out. One on Fredricksburg Rd., I think.

My first time in a helicopter was at the grand opening of McCreless shopping Center. One summer, I was an usher at the Majestic. I was on the day shift and when I arrived, I would check all of the small lights to replace the burnt out ones (6-10 a day), and all of the toilet paper rolls in the stalls(around 40) - huge place. Saw "Guns of Navarone" 36 times. Also used to go to the Hi-Ho theater and went swimming at Hot Wells a few times. Favorite swimming place was Alamo Heights. Easy to get to by bus - one transfer. Remember when a good pool for the Southside opened on Goliad. Loved Jim's Frontier burgers.