1956 Sugar Land Telephone Book

 

Click on the image below to view the 1956 Sugar Land Phone Book. The telephone company had not yet implemented a dial switching system, so operators asked, "Number Please," whenever a caller picked up a phone. There were party lines and numbers ranging from 1 to 4 digits.

  

Sugar Land High's Class of 1959

 

We have another high school class celebrating a major milestone: this time it's the Class of '59 at old Sugar Land High.

  

More Images of Old Sugar Land

I'm not certain of the date for these photos, but I think they come from sometime between 1962 and 1965.  The first 3 show the construction of an addition to the old M. R. Wood School on the east side of the gym.

 

A view looking southwest.

Another view looking southwest.

A view looking northwest.

Another view looking northwest.

A view looking northward up Ulrich St. from the intersection with old Imperial Blvd.

More People of Old Sugar Land Featuring Dr. Carlos Slaughter

I want to thank Janice Hrncir for the following photographs of Carlos & Vera Slaughter.  Her mother was Iris Hrncir, long-time nurse for Dr. Slaughter.  Iris inherited various pieces of memorabilia from the doctor's estate when he died in the early 1980s.  She is now decease, so Janice and her sisters are donating several items to the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation.  At some point these items will be on display in the Museum, so come down and take a look -- I'll give you an alert.  Until then, I'll select a few items to post on this blog along with more lore about Dr. Slaughter.

 

Carlos & Vera Slaughter around 1935.

Dr. Carlos Alva Slaughter around 1935.

 

Dr. Carlos Alva Slaughter around 1935.

 

1938 Imperial softball team. Standing l-to-r: Carter Lomax, Carroll Scarborough, Rudy Pagel, Leroy Starr, J. W. Boston, Leo Pagel, Frank Schultz. Kneeling l-to-r: Ralph McCord, Otto Hrncir, Bill Harman, Monroe Elskes, Sparky Brock, Walter Prikryl, Vernon Hill.  Bat boy: Claude 'Tootie' Douglas.

Sparky Brock & Pansy Vaculik (?) in the old Imperial refinery Machine Shop sometime in the early 1960s.

April 1962 photo of an Imperial bowling team: Otto Schindler, Bob Armstrong, Sparky Brock, W. H. Louviere, Sr., Kenneth Hall, Lloyd Tyer, and Bubba Kleim on the far right.

W. H. Louviere presenting a trophy to Sparky Brock, presumed captain of the bowling team.

A History of Sugarland Inustries - Part 6: Western Auto

In January 1952 several Sugar Land commercial establishments moved into new quarters on the ground floor of the Shopping Center across from the refinery.  One of these stores was the Western Auto, devoted to home appliances, sporting goods, toys, and other household goods.  Before the Western Auto store opened, a department within the old Mercantile Store sold these wares, but now Sugar Land had a separate store in the new shopping center offering this merchandise.   The old Mercantile Store because the Farm & Home Center, essentially a heavy hardware store that included agricultural equipment and supplies.  The reorganized store also sold furniture.

 

  

Here's a link to a page in the June 1961 Fort Bend Mirror, promoting the Western Auto. 

In July 1964 The Mirror ran another promotion featuring new Sugar Land resident, Sid Lasher, KHOU-TV's weatherman.  One of his stops in his new home town was the Western Auto, where he consulted manager, Jimmy Couvillion, about fishing tackle.

Texas Inventions

I had no idea Zebco fishing reels were invented by a Texan.  Check this out.  My brother fished with a Zebco when he was growing up.  I've used them as an adult.  We have one or two in the garage right now.

I knew the domino game '42' was invented by two young Texan boys, but I didn't know they were barely in their teens.  Here's the story from the Handbook of Texas.  Both sides of my family were game players, especially my father's side.  We played some sort of game at nearly every family gathering: Moon, 42, Bridge, Aggravation, Pig ... the list goes on and on.

Sisters Vic Kelly & Nelle Harman playing Bridge with brothers Bruce & Chuck Kelly in July 1964 at Landa Park in New Braunfels.  (Vic Kelly is our grandmother.)

A Bridge game at the kitchen table in my Kelly grandparents' home on Brooks St.  My father is in the background pouring a cup of coffee.  Tom Salter, my grandmother Kelly's brother, is on the left with the cigarette.  (I think I'm behind him.) I think that's my grandmother's sister, Louise Dunkerly, whose face is obscured.  A third sister, Nelle Harman, is facing the camera.  My mother, Sally Kelly, is on the right about to play a card.  Albert McIlveen, nephew to my grandmother & her siblings, has his back to the camera.

Residential Pages from the 1972 Sugar Land Telephone Book

Click on the image below to view the residential pages of the 1972 Sugar Land Phone Book.

  

1950s Concept Cars

My thanks go to John Frierson (DHS '68) for providing these photos.  Click on the photo below to view the album.

  

Photos from Roy Lemke

Roy Lemke (DHS '74) has posted some old family photos on Facebook, hoping someone can help identify some of the people.  I'm including a few here.  Feel free to contribute ids if you recognize anyone.

The '47 Class of SLHS in 1940 as 5th graders.  (I recognize a few, but not everyone.  Roy's father Allen is in the back row.)

Annotation on back: 'JPW.'  (He appears to be in front of the dairy barn near Imperial Blvd.)

Is this the Sugar Land Presbyterian Church on 4th St.?

An unidentified band playing on a KTRH broadcast, probably from the Rice Hotel.

Roy's father Allen (SLHS '47).

Unidentified men in the yard of the first house on the north side of Imperial Blvd.  (The bulk station is in the background.)

Roy's parents, Allen & Margie Lemke in 1952.

Imperial Blvd. after 1949 snowstorm.

Imperial Blvd. after 1949 snowstorm.

Imperial Blvd. after 1949 snowstorm.

Imperial Blvd. after 1949 snowstorm.

More Images of Old Sugar Land

I've posted most of these photos before, but I wanted to magnify specific areas to highlight those locales before they were developed.

 

A view eastward from the refinery circa 1956.

A magnified view the previous photo showing the Garnoski Hotel on 1st Street.

A view eastward from the refinery circa 1956 showing the Marshall Canning plant below the water tower on Main St.

A view southward from the Char House in 1956.

A magnified view of the previous photo showing no development beyond Terry St. except for houses along Oyster Creek.

A view southward from the Char House in 1956.

A magnified view of the previous photo showing vacant land where Matlage Way now sits.