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St. Louis Memories 2011 - 2021 (Current)
David A. Lossos
Send your memories to Dave Lossos
Note: If your name and/or e-mail address appears WITHIN the body of your E-Mail, I will include them in your posting. If not, the post will be attributed to "Anonymous".
This website has gotten so big I've had to divide it into pieces.
Submissions that I received from 2001 through 2003 are posted at
Memories 2001-2003
those I received in 2004 are posted at
Memories 2004
memories currently being sent in are at
Current Memories (You are currently looking at this website)
On April 4, 2001, I posted a few memories I had of growing up in St. Louis. I received so many great replies that I thought I'd post some of them here.
Original Post from Dave Lossos
I remember when my phone number was Mohawk 2343
I remember going to see a double feature at the Ritz Theater for 25 cents.
I remember coming into the movie in the middle and eventually saying to the person I was with "This is where we came in".
I remember the way to get your friend to come out to play was to stand in front of their house and yell their name (was this a St. Louis thing?).
I remember the first time I had the nerve to wear "bermuda shorts".
I remember getting all the news I needed from a St. Louis publication called "Prom Magazine".
I remember (as a ten year old) being sent to the corner tavern to get my grandma a pail of draft beer.
I remember riding the Grand Avenue electric street cars.
I remember riding my bike in Tower Grove Park (even after dark!).
Post from Pam Harster (1/1/2011)
My parents were born in the 20s and raised in South St Louis on Water Street and Broadway. They are no longer living, but used to tell us wonderful stories about growing up in St Louis. Dad talked about the hot tamale man where his friends would like to tease how's your wife? and the tamale man would say hot - red hot. He also talked about bowling at a little alley on Virginia. He was a pin setter there. Anyone remember the name? We still go to Carondelet Bakery (Doerings) on Virginia best cheesecake and gooey butter cake anywhere; south St Louis style slabs of cheesecake in cuts, apricot cake; peanut cakes; stolen. My grandparents took us to Doerings every Saturday and then we would go to Fehlbaums (sp) Meat Store for good braunsweiger and cold cuts. In the true German style we would have baked goods and cold cuts for breakfast.
My parents were good friends of the Dohack's and we used to go there all the time for their Jack Salmon and BBQ sauce.. Dad talked about playing corkball behind Red Villa's tavern; going to the firehouse on S Broadway where they would ring the bell. Dad was an altar boy at St Boniface then went to Cleveland HS. Mom grew up on S Broadway in one of the beautiful old homes with the turret style roofs. They lived around the corner from the Rathgaber's in the beautiful house on Davis Street. Had a chance to visit with the Rathgaber's a few years ago. That house is amazing and is on the St Louis historical registry. Mom's family owned a sand and gravel business at the quarry…Ruprecht's Sand and Gravel. Her mother's side of the family were named Riekus and lived on Minnesota. They had their wedding breakfast at the Bevo Mill. When they were younger they used to dance on the Admiral and then go up and "neck" on the top deck. Dad used to go to Sportsman's Park and sit in the "Knot Hole Gang" section where his uncle, Harry Kramer was a police officer working at the Park. He used to upgrade Dad and his friends to front row seats. My Grandma Harster worked at the Tums factory.
When we were little we loved to see Santa at Famous Barr, go to Mavrakos for Heavenly Hash, go to Ted Drew's, get pretzels from the street vendor, see the Cardinals. We also liked to see the Vess Bottle off of Hampton across from Steak and Shake. We would eat at the Chariton (great shrimp).
I live in Ohio now, but still think St Louis is the most wonderful city ever! And of course, still a huge Cardinal fan! Great post…thanks for the memories!
Post from Kathy (1/2/2011)
Hi everyone and Happy New Year. I graduated from Aquinas in 63' and what a great year that was. I remember Jerry and Pat who were upper class men then. The great bands we always had to dance to. Bob Kuban was on Channel 5 this morning about his "one hit wonder" and he can still play. We were lucky to have grown up at this time when things were so simple; no shooting or drugs. The guys fought like men; with their fist. The next day they were friends again. I hope the memories keep coming in because it's such fun reading them
Post from Tom in Imperial, MO (1/13/2011)
Hi Dave, this site is fantastic. I was born in October 1956, lived on Parchester Drive in Normandy as a kid, phone number was JAckson 1-9236. Okay here goes:
"The Melody Car" cruising through the neighborhood around 6 every evening in the summer. It resembled a scaled-down hearse, painted white, with blue notes painted on it and had a "loudspeaker" atop the right fender, out of which flowed a dreamy lullaby,. Popsicles, fudgesicles, ect were sold out of the back of it, packed in dry ice in cardboard boxes. I liked the malt cups, which came with a little wooden spoon and cost 6 cents.
"The mosquito man" slowly driving through the neighborhood on summer evenings was an exciting event. Some kids would ride their bikes behind the truck but I never did. However I loved the smell of the insecticide, and you could here the truck coming blocks away, and what a thrill it was to see the cloud of blue fog rising in the air a couple of streets over, knowing it would soon be on my street.
"The Little Store" on Bermuda Rd. is where I bought most of my baseball cards (5 cards and a stick of Topps bubble gum for a nickle), as well as jawbreakers, string licorice, sweet tarts, etc. If I still had all the baseball cards I had in the 60s, and they were in mint condition, I could cash them in for a fortune. I also collected "Beatle cards" briefly.
...and speaking of the Fab Four, when A Hard Day's Night came out, I was 7 and my neighbor Gail (she was about 14) and I sat through every screening of it over a weekend at the Gem Theater on the Rock Road. I guess we saw it about 7 times total.
My older sister (St. Thomas Aquinas High class of '65) 'going steady' with a guy who gave her his class ring, and she stuck a hunk of parafin wax between the ring and her tiny finger to hold it on. I remember she hung out at 'Steak' (Steak & Shake on Natural Bridge) and 'Chuck' (Chuck-A-Burger on Florissant Rd), two places where many a high school couple would commence going steady.
North Hills Dairy had amazing chocolate malts, similar to a Ted Drewes concrete, and next to "The Dairy" was Ozenkoski's Bakery, featuring great gooey butter cake and glazed donuts at 7 cents apiece.
Friday night TV - The Time Tunnel, The Green Hornet, and Gomer Pyle. Saturday nights from 8:30 till 10 Wrestling at the Chase, where you could see Dick the Bruiser, Gene Kiniski, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Black Jack Lanza, et all, with George Abel calling the action. Following wrestling on Channel 11 from 10 till 11 was Roller Derby, Walt Harris doing the play-by-play, great stuff with the likes of Charlie O'Connell, the 'Blonde Amazon' Joanie Weston, 'the big blond tiger' Jerry Cattell, and 'the fiery, unpredictable' Ann Calvello. On Sunday mornings the two shows were repeated in reverse order; Roller Derby from 10-11 a.m. and WATC from 11-12:30. Oh, don't want to forget Saturday morning TV, Roy Rogers, and Fury ("the story of a horse, and the boy who loved him.")
Luigi's pizza, on Natural Bridge (or was it the Rock Road?) as has been mentioned by other North Countians, and also Pagliacci's on Kingshighway, were favorites of my family.
My uncle Clyde owned a tavern on Lincoln St. in north St. Louis, I recall Saturday nights there with my parents, me panhandling nickels from patrons to play Beatles songs on the jukebox, as my parents, aunts, uncles, and various others pounded down bottles of Falstaff, Carling Black Label, Stag, and other rotgut. I can almost smell the place now. There was a shuffleboard, bumper pool table, bowling machine, pinball machine, and also a player piano. And of course ceiling fans.
E.J, Korvette's in Cool Valley had an extensive record department and great sales on albums.
Besides the Melody Car and Mosquito Man, as a very young child I liked to watch for 'The Scissor Sharpener' to cruise thru the neighborhood; I remember his cream colored truck and its one, resounding clang of a bell at about each block as he drove. Also there was the produce man, an Italian guy who would stand up in his truck as he ever so slowly coasted along the street, bellowing 'home...grown...tomatas!'
A few days before July 4th every year, my parents would drive me to buy fireworks across the Lewis and Clark Bridge, into Illinois, as fireworks were illegal in St. Louis County. One year when I was about 11, a buddy told me he had heard that there was a fireworks stand in KInloch that sold M-80s and cherry bombs. I had never gotten so excited in my life. The two of us jumped on our bikes and peddled as fast as we could across 'the creek,' up the hill on land belonging to 'the farmer,' across the railroad tracks, down Bernhart Drive, across Florissant Rd, up Evans Lane to Carson Road, and then into Kinloch, and when the fireworks stand was in sight, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest in anticipation, only to be broken upon finding out that there were no cherry bombs or M-80s to be had there. At some point later I matter-of-factly related the story to my mom, and received a stern scolding for going to Kinloch. (you're lucky you didn't get your throat cut!')
We rode our bikes anywhere and everywhere, including to the cemetary next to the infamous Olympic Drive-In on the Rock Road, where we sat and watched "Adults Only" movies on the big screen. Nowdays there is raunchier stuff on Skinamax than what the Olympic showed.
Post from Gary Palozola from Maplewood (1/13/2011)
I remember when guys stood on the corner and sold bags of hot pretzels. And when another guy used to ride down Manchester Ave. down by Kings Hwy. on a bike with a big box on front selling hot tamalies.
I remember when you could get gas during the gas wars in summer for 11.9 cents. And when you could go to Mc Donalds with a dollar and get a burger, fries and coke and still get change.
I remember Phil the Gorila at the zoo and how they used to give him a Budweiser every day...he loved it. I remember having a news paper route and walking up and down the street yelling the name of the paper. Or standing on the corner paper stand in front of Caveleir Ford in Maplewood on Sat. night selling the weekend paper.
Our phone nuber was Sterling 12665 and my best friends was Mission 58442.............those were the good ole days !!!
Post from Buddy Goldstein (1/13/2011)
I remember the playroom at the downtown st louis Famous Barr department store. My mother would take me up the elevator to a magical place. With a small ferris wheel and toys toys and more toys! At times I felt my mom would not come back for me, but the ladies in charge would always calm my fears. It is a wonderful memory of my childhood. I hope someone has a photo. If so please send it in. Thank you.
Post from Rita (1/26/2011)
Aloha - I was sharing memories of my childhood in St Louis with my 9 year old grandson, and mentioned the black man on his wagon pulled by a horse driving down the alley between Montana St and Osage St, in South St Louis crying out "Ragshenny" (not sure about the spelling) and collecting junk and stuff. Any one else have these memories?
Love your site, Dave. Every time I go on I have a fit of nostalgia, even though I moved from St Louis in 1964 and have lived on Maui ever since, going back to St Louis for visits with family and friends.
Post from ????? (1/26/2011)
Great site! Love the memories. I'm wondering if anyone from Hazelwood, in north county, remembers the pool that was behind Village Square shopping center in the sixties and early seventies. Lots of great memories there!
Post from ????? (2/4/2011)
This goes back to the late 1930's. What was the name of a department store that was at Newstead and Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis around 1939? Memories were of a great Christmas display. Another name comes to mind was a department store named Charlots (Charlotte's). Anyone remember that far back?
I remember Post Bellum head shop in a really old home in Ferguson. They moved down the street and started selling waterbeds along with other things.
We would hang out a bit there then go to Henri's burger joint down past hwy 70.
I also remember going to Kiel auditorium for roller derby and wrestling.
All of us running up to steak n shake on natural bridge at the circle on friday and saturday night.
Post from Dawn K. (nee Collins) (2/26/2011)
Just a few memories and adjustments to some other people's memories. I grad.'d from Ritenour 1993, and have returned to Overland/St.Ann area since. The Airway theatre is now a Shop n Save, though the Neon Drive In sign is still there. Northwest Plaza Is now closed in, (used to have outside entrances to individual shops n stores). And business was slow for a while there. The Chuck A Burger has closed down across from the school. Across from Hoech Middle is Tiemeyer Park (named for the late Mayor?). Many things have changed! Lived for a short while (1-2 years old) in Baden, near a Catholic church, my Great Grandmother (Mrs. Hugo Cierpiot) lived across the street from it. It is great reading about all these memories!!! Thank you to all of you, especially Mr. Dave!
Post from Millie (2/26/2011)
Does anyone know the name of the Horse riding stable (around 1948) that was located at the end of the Hampton Gravois line? I think it was Valley Mount Ranch, but not sure.
Post from Phyllis DuVall Tonkovic (3/6/2011)
I grew up in afton and remember walking to the crest show and getting in for .25
H and L ice cream parlor on Gravois avenue
Going to the Highlands amusement park and then highlands swimming pool.
Roller skating on Sunday afternoon in the roller cade next to the arena
Epiphany Teen town that night cause it was the best teen town around
Going to the Granada show
Spending the night with my Aunt who lived on Kingsbury place and walking to the Muny Opera, on the way back stopping at velvet freeze ice cream store on kingsbury and my brother Terry, walking into the Stardust lounge and watching Evelyn West with her 50,000 chest and my aunt yelling at him to get out of there.
Thanks for all the memories
Post from ? (4/13/2011)
I lived on Bermuda Court from 1957 to 1971. Graduated from Normandy HS in 1968. I worked for 2 years at "The Little Store" at age 12 stocking shelves and recycling soda bottles. The owner was Bill Steele. I also hung out at Steak & Shake on Natural Bridge Road during HS.
Post from Patti Liermann (5/14/2011)
My family moved from a house on Mardel to Warson Woods in 1958.
I remember seeing the Three Stooges at the Arena as part of the circus.
I remember being part of the audience for Captain 11 and being excited when Corky the Clown (Cliff St. James)wished me a happy birthday through the tv.
I remember going down a slide at Famous Barr after seeing Santa (just Like in the movie A Christmas Story)
I remember sitting along Lindell at night to watch the VP parade having made my own confetti to throw with a hole punch
I remember the red net hang in under the Arch as it was being built and signing a piece of paper in second grade that contained everyone in my schools names to be put inside the Arch.
I remember getting that button candy that you ate off a strip of paper at some store in Hampton Village
I remember wrestling on tv late at night and the cool name "Dick da Bruiser"
Post from Gloria (5/23/2011)
In response to Dawn K. (Collins) 2/26/2011 - I enjoyed reading your memories, you might be glad to know that Chuck A Burger did not close, it's still on the Rock Road.
Post from Ellen Forrest (5/26/2011)
One of my fondest memories is the Battle of the Bands every weekend at Famous Barr Downtown. I would love to acquire a picture of Bob Medley and Bill Penny & The Pacemakers. I know there were so many other ones down there, but these 2 were my favorite. Bob used to sing "Sunny" and sounded just as good if not better than the original artist. Bill and his band would do a rendition of "They're Coming to Take Me Away". It was hilarious! I would really love to know where they are today too!
And let's not forget Walter Scott, what an awesome singer & person. May he RIP and never be forgotten.
Post from ? (6/9/2011)
Hollywood Golf had 2- 18 hole miniature golf course. There was an arcade section at the entrance.
Hollywood Golf was located in Kirkwood . On the south side of Manchester and a block west of Woodlawn.
Post from Karen (6/30/2011)
To the person who inquired about the name of the restuarant in Famous Barr...there were two in the Northland Famous Barr. "The Jade Room" the nicer restaurant and "Mr. Pickwick's" which was a sandwich shop. They were located between the first and basement floors. I remember going downtown on the bus with my mother to see the holiday windows at Stix, Baer and Fuller and Famous-Barr. Loved the candles on top of the Famous Barr at Northland every Christmas season. Love your website!
Post from Carolyn Cassani Ring (7/17/2011)
Just discovered the web site you created. Our parents were the owners of Cassani's Cafe at Daggett and Hereford on The Hill. They owned it from the early '40s until our mother sold it to Galemberti's in 1966. John "the B-B-Q man", was our mother's brother. Everyone loved his BBQ, but in reality, our parents were the creators of the sauce and cole slaw. A couple of other eateries attempted success at the location, and currently FIVE Bistro is doing a great business there. The pin oak tree I used to cliimb as a young girl is still standing, and is over 70 years old.
Louis Miriam had a small grocery store across the street from us on Daggett, and Leotta's were on the opposite corner of Daggett and Hereford from us.
There was Serra's drug store at the corner of Daggett and Marconi, as well as Berra Furniture on Marconi. Across the street on Daggett, was Dr. Gaydos, the dentist.
Our paternal grandmother lived a few doors from us on Hereford, while our maternal grandmother lived in the 5200 block of Daggett.
My mother and I used to walk up to the corner of Daggett and Marconi to get the bus which would take us to Kingshighway. There we would transfer to another bus which would take us to Famous-Barr Southtown. Or we would transfer in the opposite direction on a bus which would take us downtown.
Your web site has brought back many memories. Thanks.
Post from Lou (Rock) (7/17/2011)
Found you site while working on a Documentary. In 1957 I was stationed at Scott Air Force Base. When we got a week-end pass, we'd take a bus to St. Louis. We would get off near the Katz Drug Store, which I believe was at 9th and Locust. After having a hamburger, fries and a coke, we'd split up and do some sight seeing. Maybe see a movie at The Fox Theatre, a visit to the U.S.O.(which at the time I believe was in the War Memorial building), the Ball Park, or a tour of the Anheiser Busch Brewery, all compliments of the people and the City of St. Louis. At night, some of us would stay at the Sheridan-Jefferson, which at the time was located at 12th Blvd. and Locust (if you were in uniform you were charged half price.
St. Louis at the time, I found to be a very military friendly city and made us all I believe, feel very welcomed.
I made many friends in St. Louis, So. Jefferson, Woodson Terrace, Cole Street and in East St. Louis, Dora Dr. St. Louis and its people will always be a bright spot during my time in the Air Force.
THANK-YOU, ST. LOUIS.
Post from ??? (7/24/2011)
I have not been back on this site for about 2 years. I absolutely love this website and I think that Dave has done a great job in setting this up. This is an answer to Pam Harster from the 1/2/2011 post. I grew up close to where your parents grew up and I have so many great memories of St. Boniface and South Broadway. The bowling alley that I think you asked about was located on Michigan Avenue and was either called Centry or Century Bowling alley. Although, St. Boniface also had a very small bowling alley in the basement of the school that you accessed through a side basement door. The bowling alley was located a half block from Centry Bowling alley which was also on Michigan Avenue. There also used to be a "Dairy Island" across the street from the school but they tore that down years ago.
Does anyone remember the Michigan Show that was usually followed up by going to Durenzo's (not sure of the spelling) pizza parlor that was located across from Blow school? I loved that neighborhood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post from Wayne Rosenthal (7/27/2011)
I just noticed a posting from Carolyn Cassani Ring which talked about how her parents owned the Cassani's Cafe on Daggett Avenue. I absolutely loved that place, along with Galimberti's. They had the best barbecue beef that I've ever tasted in my life.
My Great Uncle and Aunt (Tony and Ida Chinicci) lived a few houses down from there in the 5100 Block of Daggett. They later moved a few blocks away to Elizabeth Street. Which is how I first found Cassani's. Carolyn also mentioned Leotta's Market. She was somehow related to my Great Aunt Ida, who I mentioned earlier in this paragraph.
Post from Ed Kotowski(8/4/2011)
In response to Ellen Forrest's 5/25/2011 questions on the whereabouts of local musicians, Bob Medley and Bill Penny and the Pacemakers, there is a wonderful website of St. Louis bands in the 60's, 70's, and 80's: http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/
There is a search function that will allow you to search for names, etc. Bob Medley was in the Chevels: http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Chevels.htm
and The Klassmen: http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Gayle%20McCormick.htm
Bob Medley is alive, and on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Medley/638612174#!/profile.php?id=100000074141720&sk=wall After the Pacemakers, Bill Penny played drums for Johnny Polzin on the Admiral. He passed away unexpectedly in the 1970's. http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Pacemakers.htm
Post from Robert Bierer (8/28/2011)
Hollywood Golf, to the best of my memory was down Manchester in what is now Rock Hill.....I think. The long 18 hole ran along Deer Creek. I can vividly remember the aracade part as you entered/left the miniature golf course. Also the entire course was done in blacktop.
Post from Mike Hruby ([email protected]) (8/31/2011)
Dave, we LOVE this web site, and have spent several hours reading, and savoring memories shared! My wife and I lived on the Hill in St. Louis for some time, now live in the Kansas City area, and miss St. Louis, often!
I have a question for your readers, that I need some help with-- as life long Cardinals fans, we are acquainted with one or two folks who recall that the Cardinals players of the 1930s and '40s would often join "local" fans and kids, in playing pickup games of stickball, corkball, or baseball! (Joe Medwick, Frank Frisch, and Pepper Martin were among the players mentioned.)
Fairgrounds Park was one of the places mentioned (many of the Cardinals players would stay at the old Fairgrounds Hotel, which was a mere block and a half from the old Sportsman's Park, and Fairgrounds Park, of course, was just across the street from the hotel--I want to get in touch with people who remember the Cardinals players "playing ball" with fans, at Fairgrounds Park, or other neighborhood locations, during the 1930s and 40s, particularly. I'd like to know the players names that participated, the years, and some background about the fans that participated. I would even pay (reasonably), for copies of photos of the Cardinal players "playing ball" with the fans, in the '30s or 40s.
Post from Gerry (Knee) Atchison (9/13/2011)
Just found your web site enjoyed all of the comments. I remember mom buying powdered detergent and getting free dish towels in the box. Buying gas for $.19 and get a set of glasses and green stamps. Going to Chain of Rocks and The Highlands for school picnics. Being sent to buy a pack of smokes for my dad at a cost of $.22 and a bucket of beer for $.15, always licked the foam off of the top before I got home. Dancing at Club Imperial and The Peppermint Lounge. Driving around Steak N Shake at the Riverview Circle. Having to wear those ugly gym suits in high school. Going to a double header at Sportman's Park, for $.75 and sit in the bleachers. I also have PROM magazine from 1961-1965. Remember the hot tamale man on Fri & Sat night, 3 for $.10.
The "Little Store" I remember that store. The "Y" pool was just a couple blocks away and my sibs used to go there for candy after mom made the drop off to the pool. I preferred listening to "Lean on Me" playing thru the loudspeakers and sharpening my skill at doing back dives and back cut-a-ways off the dive board. Am with you on the great mems!
Post from Tommye Fleming (9/24/2011)
Here are my memories:
· My phone number was Hempstead 2-4462.
· 905 Liquor store, where my uncle worked and my parents ordered their party supplies
· Admiral day trips where I tapped dance with my Carmen Thomas dance class.
· Art Hill ... going sledding and enjoying the bonfire
· Bettendorf Grocery
· Bookmobile at the nearby schoolyard during the summer
· Catching fire flies and storing in a jar with holes in the lid
· Central Hardware, with everything from Scoops to Nuts
· Cherries Jubilee at Cyrano's
· Cruising Schneithorst's (Clayton and Lindbergh) and Parkmoor (Manchester and Lindbergh). Vanilla Cokes and Cherry Cokes. Yum.
· Crystal Palace in Gaslight Square where Barbra Streisand and Smothers Brothers both performed
· Earthquake … the rumbling caused the ground to crack
· Evelyn West's $50,000 treasure chest at the burlesque house on DeBaliviere
· Fireworks display put on by the firemen on the football field at Washington University
· Fish fries on Friday nights at the Catholic Churches
· Forest Park Highlands
· Garavelli's
· Gaslight Square on Delmar and Boyle. Tornado and drug deals took it down.
· Going downtown to Famous or Stix or Scrugg's to see Santa Claus and all the store windows. Famous dedicated the 9th floor for Santa and Toyland
· Going swimming at McConnell's Pool/Beach Park on Meramec River in Valley Park
· Hampton Village, the big building now gone
· Harry Caray broadcasting the St. Louis Cardinals
· CYC Night cruise on the Admiral and having our picture taken in a photo booth
· Hollywood Arcade in Kirkwood, with miniature golf, arcade games and black and white collector postcards of famous people
· Hootenannies my trio sang "Puff the Magic Dragon"
· DrPepper soda cap had 10-2-4 on it for the best times to have a refreshment
· Johnny Rabbitt and Dick Clayton were popular local DJs
· Milkman delivered milk to the back door
· Muny Opera … getting very dressed up to sit outside on those hot summer nights, they would turn on very large, very loud fans at intermission
· Olympic Drive-In on Natural Bridge Road … scandalous
· Pfeifer's Bakery on Clayton Road; their triple chocolate torte was what I always asked for for my birthday
· Phil the Gorilla at the St. Louis Zoo.
· Playing games like hopscotch, jump rope, kick the can, Red Rover, Swing the Statue
· Playing with marbles my dad had collected as a kid
· Playing with fad toys: yo-yo's, hula hoops, squirt guns
· Polio vaccine "shots" at school
· Popping tar bubbles on really hot afternoons
· Prom Magazine, a St. Louis publication, had two "reporters" from each area high school writing monthly "happening" columns; I was one from Visitation in 1965
· Ravioli dinners on Palm Sunday at St. Ambrose Church on the Hill
· Royal American Midway visit each year
· Siebert's Restaurant on Chippewa. The owner made creations like the Showboat (ice cream and sugar cookies with smoking stacks and she blew a whistle when served table side) and the tallest sundae ever, the Empire State building! Colored whipped cream and a burning sugar cube on top
· Sound of Music at the Loew's Theatre on Grand
· Spring coats that came in Easter egg colors and you wore them until the weather warmed up
· Stardust Club at the top of the Chase-Park Plaza hotel
· Teen Towns and St. Louis Hop
· The OLD boat rides in Forest Park; you and/or your date would end up in the water, and have to stand up in muck to right the boat
· Thurteen Carnival at Wash U
· Tom Dooley buried in Calvary cemetery
· Tornadoes … hiding under your desk as part of the tornado drill because so many storms whipped through tornado alley. A big one hit CWE in the late 50's.
· Veiled Prophet Parade and the VP Ball broadcast from the Khorissan Room. My mother always referred to the "Queen of Love and Beauty" as the Queen of Love and Money
· Watching fireworks from the Police Circus when it was held at Public School Stadium
· Watching planes land at the OLD airport on Lindbergh
· Webster Groves Train Station where we went to see the evening train pass through and then went to nearby Dairy Queen. We liked to put pennies on the track and let the train flatten them out.
· Winter Garden Ice Skating Rink on DeBaliviere and the nearby Goody Goody Train where they delivered your burgers and fries in a Lionel train car
· Wrestling at the Chase
Post from ? (10/4/2011)
I grew up on Pershing Avenue near DesPeres. I later learned Pershing Avenue was originally named Berlin Avenue but was re-named Pershing Avenue during WW I.
Attended St. Roch's church and school, which look today pretty much as they did in the '50s. Loved Vess cream soda and Whistle orange, Mavarocco's candy, Garavelli's (on DeBaliviere) pizza, Velvet Freeze orange sherbert, Parkmore's hot dogs on toasted buns, and Hodge's chili. Kiddy matinees at the Tivoli, Varsity and Hi-Pointe theatres.
Playing baseball on the large green field at the SW corner of Skinker and Forest Park Blvd., where Washington U's marching band used to practice and which the university later paved and turned into a parking lot and is now constructing a new building. Cherry, lime and vanilla cokes at the little lunch counter that used to be catty-corner from there on the NE corner.
Getting a tiny chip off a block of ice from the Sealtest or Pevely milkman on a hot summer morning. Just getting into the cool inside of their trucks while they carried their bottles up to the doors.
Hucksters selling fresh fruit and vegetables off their trucks. The man who came by occasionally with a bicycle-mounted honing wheel for sharpening knives and scissors.
Putting pennies on the streetcar tracks to see them flattened. Eating raspberries from the bushes that grew in places alongside the tracks.
Browsing through the comic book section at the local candy and news shops.
Brock for Boglio.
The wonderful Anheuser-Busch sign in left field at the original Busch Stadium (fka Sportsman's Park), with the eagle whose wings would flap after a Cardinal home run.
Hoping for and imploring "the Man" to hit one out onto Grand Avenue (which was then an avenue). Trying to get to the weekend games where Gibby was matched against Marichal or Koufax.
Musial and Biggie's.
Bob Pettit launching a shot. Larry Wilson and Sonny Randle.
Hockey games at the Arena.
The huge old Standard gasoline sign with hundreds of individual light bulbs at Skinker and Clayton Roads.
School day on the Admiral.
Looking at the black and white photos in the display case at the Stardust Lounge.
A day at the Highlands.
Sneaking a sip from the pail of cold beer I was fetching from the corner tavern and delivering to an uncle or my dad .
Coal being shoveled from a truck to a wheelbarrow to be poured down a chute to the basement of our apartment building.
The man who seemed forever to be mayor-- Mayor Tucker--until one day there was Mayor Cervantes.
Galvanized steel trash cans that always were banged and dented too severely for the lids to fit any longer. The smelly little ones lined with newspaper for garbage.
Always wanting a pair of Red Ball Jets but always getting just Keds.
Itchy wool pants. Itchy wool sweaters.
My playmate and classmate Debbie; together we mustered the courage to face the first day of kindergarten.
Response to "Millie" of 2/26/11: I think you might be talking about Maizzie's Stables, just a few blocks down (East) of Gravois, at the end of the bus line. The short street now bears the name.
Does anyone remember the Dusty Frank Trio?? Dusty on piano, jack briggaman on drums, Leo Ward on guitar. Could they do Boogie Woogie
Does anyone remember Frank and Till's tavern? Thanks
Post from Michael N Carosone (11/18/2011)
Wow Dave, things have really slowed down a bit… let me try to kick it back in high gear. For all you north county-ites from the 60's do you recall:
What was at the corner of Jennings Station Road and Halls Ferry? Both sides.
Where was Sands drug store at?
Where was the Florida hot dog stand?
Gambills Bargain Barn? Where I saw pairs false teeth wired together sitting in a barrel to be sold?
Where was Arcobaso's?
How many floors to Rizzo's Top of Tower restaurant? (I worked there in 67, $1 an hour)
Zimmermans Coach restaurant was near?
Red Light was known as where?
The fishing tackle stand at 367 and 140?
When Lindbergh was 2 lanes?
What restaurant was across from the North Drive-in?
What were the donuts sold out of down at the circle?
Get free _ _ _ _ _ _ _ from Sam the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ man at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Shopping center?
Reply from Gene Moore 11/23/2011 tp Post from Michael N Carosone (11/18/2011) What was at the corner of Jennings Station Road and Halls Ferry? Both sides. River Roads Shopping Center & Zayres
Where was Sands drug store at? West Florissant and Jennings Road
Where was Arcobaso's? West Florissant Ave in Dellwood
How many floors to Rizzo's Top of Tower restaurant? (I worked there in 67, $1 an hour) 16
Zimmermans Coach restaurant was near? West Florissant and Jennings Road
Red Light was known as where? The Cabins
What restaurant was across from the North Drive-in? Ozzello's (Spelling?) What were the donuts sold out of down at the circle?
Post from Millie,born 1933 (11/28/2011)
Wow! Really enjoying these postings, but especially Chapter One because the memories seem to come mostly from people around my age. I wish others would state their age. These posting bring back so many wonderful memories.
One that I have not seen so far is the fact that we never called a married woman by her first name. Even our parents called them Mrs. Smith or whatever. I was shocked when little kids would call me by my first name after I married ..... guess it's because us parents did that.. ( At age 51 I went to work for a company where the father 93 and the two sons near age 70 all wore suits, white shirts and bow ties (with no air conditioning).....and wanted to call me "Miss Millie". I stopped them dead in their tracks .... wouldn't answer to that).
I too remember the first time my kid's friends knocked on our front door. I thought it was so brazen of them. (Wow, was I in the dark ages!). One of my brother's friends would so a "sing/song whistle" between his teeth while coming thru the gangway. We knew who it was.
My fondest memories were Poker and Pinochle on the front porch with some of the many other children on the block, followed by walking to Marquette Pool for the first and third shift .....and having to wear those awful tight rubber caps on our head. and getting a dime to split between the 3 of us .....usually buying a large Nickel pretzel and one Twin Pop (now how do you split a Twin Pop btwn 3 kids?.....the sibling in charge of the dime was the same one who tried to convince me that Queens were higher than Kings.). Walking to Carondelet Park for ice skating on the lakes.....day and night. Always had to be home on time for Supper, yet we never owned a watch .....listened for the Church Bells. Walked a 1/2 mile to call a friend and find them not at home. No phone. Playing "Crack the Whip" on our metal roller skates on Tennessee Ave when they first tarred over the cobblestones. They later spread gravel over it and ruined our "skating rink"
The memory that blows my mind is that we had a Furrier on Grand Avenue (Zenthhoffer) just two blocks from our house.
We were a large family and our parents sought out the bargains. I believe the name of the bakery was Piper's on Bates near the railroad tracks. My younger brother and I would take our wagon to the bakery on Saturday morning and go to the back door to get a shopping bag full of day old pastries for 25 cents. We also bought "broken"cookies at Dad's Oatmeal Cookies. Incidentally, their secret ingredient is Coconut Oil. By 1949 I was taking the bus to So Good Potato chip factory to get a shopping bag full of broken potato chips for 25 cents.
I remember my brothers and neighbor boys playing marbles and "Mumble Peg" (I think) with a pocket knife in the easement dirt between the street and sidewalk. How well I remember the year of thousands of caterpillars everywhere .... dropped on me the minute I walked out the door. To this day, I can't stand the sight of them.
I car hopped at Frozen Custard on Grand Ave when I was 15 & 16. We worked on tips only, nor did we get a discount. We would "pick up the lot" afterward (using a pole with a nail in it to stab the paper cups) But he did drive us home at night and we were not allowed to converse with the customers (boys) except to take their order. He also checked to see if any boy was following us home. Our parents could feel secure. If any car "scratched gravel" when pulling out of the lot onto Grand Ave (and how could you avoid it), he wrote down their license number and if they showed up again, they were ordered off the lot. He would sit between us girls on the bench and call it "A rose between two thorns." Get this! He would drink the egg whites that were not used in the custard. Raw eggs?....not today you don't!
My uncle Matt was Santa Claus on the Radio. He may have also been the Veiled Prophet one year. Oh, those parades were something to behold at night time....on my Dad's shoulders. VJ day was exciting downtown with all the confetti.
My brother sold Saturday Night Post and Globe and I helped on occasions. And yes, you could not understand the words we called out, but you knew by the sing/song melody and the sound of those steel wheels on the cobblestones. Please, does anyone have a picture of those carts. I tried surfing and Googling but to no avail.
Does anyone remember the Penny Valentines that were a full size sheet of paper with an insulting poem? I think our school banned them after the first year.
What I got for Christmas wasn't nearly as special as the routine leading up to it. But the most special of all was Midnight Mass with the procession of students processing thru the aisles singing Christmas Hymns before climbing the steps to the Choir Loft. ..... and then having Mr Nelly pound out "Holy god We Praise Thy Name" on his immense Pipe Organ ..... and we sang it all the way home too. Now THAT was Christmas! My dolls were always swiped during the year and re-dressed and returned on Christmas Eve and one of my favorite toys was making Lead Soldiers (my brother's gift) and watching my brother operate the double trains and tracks on an 8 x 10 platform complete with mountains. and the "50 million" cookies my mother would bake each year.....especially those Anise cookies that were so hard you had to dunk them in hot cocoa ..... wouldn't have them any other way now.
Can you imagine School Play Yards without any equipment .... not even a basket ball hoop? and getting to play Red Rover who tried to bust the opponent's line? And Dodge Ball and Double Dutch Jump Rope? And going out for recess even on snow days.
Oh how grateful I am for this site ..... have alerted all my siblings. They're ecstatic!
Post from Erv Bobo - [email protected] (12/8/2011)
I feel so fortunate to have found this site - especially since I've just published a memoir about growing up in St. Louis in the fifties. (If anyone is interested, the title is THANK YOU, MICKEY SPILLANE and it's available at www.lulu.com.) My name is Erv Bobo. My first several years in St. Louis - beginning in 1952 - I lived downtown (Skid Row, actually) at the MacArthur Hotel on Broadway and Chestnut.
With so many movie theaters in walking distance (and no TV) I spent most of the first few years sitting in the dark.
Attended Madison Elementary School and, for a while, McKinley High School on Russell. When I started hanging out on the near South Side our center of activity was Kingdom House at 11th and Hickory and most of the girls we dated lived in the Clinton-Peabody projects. When it got to be too cold to hang out on our corner, we took ourselves to the M&M Cafe on 12th St - right around the corner from Kingdom House.And we took our dates to the Merry Widow theater on Chouteau.
I've only started reading the posts here and they certainly bring back a lot of memories. I'll be reading more and commenting as time goes by.
Some of the people mentioned in my book (though with names slightly changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty): Barbara Mustain, Becky Mustain, Dave Jones, Connie Sturgeon, Violet Skelton, Barbara Bradford, Gene Sloan, Wilma Lemmon. Also a girl named Ellen, whom everyone called "Toots".
If you are any of these people (or have knowledge of them) I'd like to hear from you. Also, if you hung out at Kingdom House or the M&M Cafe in 55-56-57 we might have friends in common.
Post from Stephanie Buell - [email protected] (12/29/2011)
It's so cool what you have done with the St Louis Memories! I grew up in Castlereagh Estates - far edge of north county next to the present Sioux Passage Park. I was in the first graduating class of Brown Elementary School, then went to Kirby Jr. High and finished up at Hazelwood Central High School.
During my freshman year (1975-76) East High wasn't built yet, but there were way too many students at Central so we ended up having split sessions. The East group went to school from 6 - noon and the Central group (of which I was in) went from Noon - 6 pm. I loved it!
I am hoping to find some people who also lived in this far north county (unincorporated) location because I am researching long-term health effects (potential results of mosquito fog trucks and arial 'bombing' and/or underground natural gas storage) in St Louis County (MO) during the 1960's-1980's. If anyone has any historical data or information regarding this matter I would very much appreciate knowing about it. The reason for my interest is that there seems to be a very high rate of auto-immune and cancer related illnesses myself and many others are experiencing - all people who grew up in this vicinity. If I could piece together any common threads it would be a relief.
Post from KP (1/3/2012)
In response to 'Millie' 2/26/11
The riding stables I think you were thinking of was Green Valley Ranch. It was on a large tract of land that Cyrus Crane Wilmore donated to the city as he developed the last sections of 'St. Louis Hills'.
I arrived in St. Louis in 1950 at age 10 and lived across from what became Wilmore Park around 1959 . The land was edged by Jamieson, Hampton and the River DesPeres. The riding stable was centered and the land was left natural -Green Valley closed around 1954. We played all over the wild 'park' - Cowboys ,Civil War ,whatever. One area had a 'cliff' which was about a 17 ft. drop off and an initiation jump for any new neighborhood kid. By1960 it took on a new dimension--parking after a dates.
Post from Liz Laughlin (Pfeffer) (1/13/2012)
Wow.....thanks for this website. I was doing a Google search on my old dancing studio, Emma Ogle Dance School, and came across this website. I was hoping to find pictures.
I grew up in Ferguson, on Frost Avenue. I went to Lee Hamilton Elementary and then across the street to dancing classes. I remember the movie theater in downtown Ferguson on Saturday mornings, the bakery by the library, hanging out at Pizza Inn on Florissant Rd and then Dairy Queen on Chambers after Ferguson Jr High football games. I loved going to Holiday Hill and the park in St Charles for school picnics. I worked on the Admiral in early 70's.....remember the red painted quarters ??? I still try and get to McCluer High School reunions when possible and still drive thru Ferguson on occasion....not the same. I miss those days. Oh yeah, Santa used to come down Frost Ave. in a sleigh before Christmas. Have videos of that.
Post from O.J.McNamee (1/22/2012)
My wife just gave me your book St. Louis Nostalgia. Love it as I loved growing up in St. Louis, from Caronelet, to Affton, to Sunset Hills. Go t the surprise of my life when I came across the article about Cleveland HS in the 50s mentioning the B B players Baylor Kohut, Stu Cloud et al. including Charlie Wicker. Belonged to a fraternity with them all. Even though I went to DB. Dennis Z and Tom F.,Vern D. and I all belonged. Seems as though back in the day all of the high school frats and sororities were set up for partying. Remember going to proms at the Coronado Hotel, and various country clubs from Fenton to Kirkwood. Our sponsor if you will was a great guy by the name of Monty Walpole who worked at KSD. Also remember hanging out at Cusinellis in Lemay and getting good solid advice about women from Joe while he made the pizzas and Dan did the dinners. Had a great shrimp pizza for Fridays during lent. No better pizzas anywhere. Remember Ma and Johnny Radisons at rt 3 in Dupo? What a great place to grow up.
Post from Yolanda (1/22/2012)
I have been looking everywhere for "THE EDGEWATER CLUB" BACK IN i KNOW THE 50"S and 60"s. It was on south broadway(I think 5500 south broadway). There is a retirement home in iits place now.I used to go there with my brothers to see mmy dad(Armando Toti).Dad worked as bartender. And mmy grandma Nina lived upstairs in the penthouse.And uncle worked there too. It was right off the river. I wish someone could find out the history on it. I have looked every where. Got any ideas or places I could check out? Lot of memories there. The owner was harrigan i think.
Post from Tom Kuehling(1/22/2012)
I grew up in south city in the 50's and 60's. Remember street cleaning day? Temporary cardboard no parking signs were put up (tied to trees) the day before. A battleship gray city tank truck drove down the middle of the street with water jets coming from both sides of the tank pushing leaves and trash towards the curbs. Then, a crew of men came along with push brooms and swept the trash and leaves into piles. Later, another crew came and picked up the piles and put them into a dump truck. Finally, the temporary signs were taken down.
During Fall, people would rake their leaves into piles in the street and burn them. Sometimes wind would blow burning leaves around. Good idea to have the hose out.
Remember tree trimming day? Once every 5 years or so, temporary cardboard no parking signs were put up (again tied to trees). Sometime during the day, a big crew of tree trimmers would come walking along and climb into the trees and do pruning. Some men were pretty high up in big Sycamore trees. The cut branches just fell to the ground. Another crew would then come along, cut the branches into smaller pieces, and throw them into dump trucks. Great entertainment for young boys!
Post from Lyn Pickel [email protected](1/23/2012)
I am a writer who is researching and writing about Donald L. Fanetti, a neighborhood leader and editor of The Bugle, a local newspaper that I believe was read by almost every household in the Carondelet Neighborhood during the 1960's and 1970's. I am wondering if you could ask your readers if they could share any memories of Don, The Bugle and its humorous content, and the Carondelet--and more precisely, the Patch Neighborhood, during the 1960's and 1970''s? I would so appreciate their reminisces!
Post from Donald Babchick (2/20/2012)
I grew up in U.City in the 50's & 60's and it was the most wonderful place to grow up. Alan Spector, class of 64 wrote a great book "Hail, Hail, to U. City High" which depicts our great days of that time….. The hangouts, Hamburger Heaven on Pennsylvania and Olive across from Mercy High & Heman Park, Rinaldi's in the Delmar loop, best pizza and salad around, Nino's Pizza on Olive St. Rd., the Velvet Freeze on North& South…. Ed's Pool in the loop & Fat Man's shoe shine parlor….Great memories…..U. City class of 62
What fun!!! I was looking up Bretscher's Bakery after having some ordinary donuts for breakfast! Is it still in business? Also, does anyone remember going for ice cream to a place that also had a fountain which had colored lights that would change colors. I think it was in Webster Groves. Wow this brought back so many memories...I live in Seattle now but have such fond memories. Playing til dark, calling out can so-and-so come out and play, looking through the ashpits along alleys in south St. Louis (Keokuk St.), Charondolette Park, chasing fireflies, crayfish in the creek near Berry Rd. in Glendale, pick up baseball games, watching our Dads play cork ball and drinking beer, retarring and regraveling streets and watching the tar bubble up...Looking forward to reading more. Thanks.
I just came across your site, and it made me smile. I live in Paradise Valley, AZ, but grew up in Florissant. Went to Our Lady of Fatima, and Aquinas HS (Class of 71). I was actually doing some research on old golf courses in St Louis. In high school, I worked at the old Nor Lakes course in Dellwood. The course was sold to a developer (Bill Bruce of Bruce Properties) in 1969, and he was building an apartment complex called "The Village", but he kept the back 9 holes of the course open. I became the "greens superintendent" in the early spring of 1970, and worked every day after school and on weekends. I actually saw a reference to the course in one of the postings on your site, and was wondering if any visitors to your site had any additional info on the course. I haven't lived in St Louis since 1986, but have many fond memories. I grew up in Northwoods, attended Ascension until third grade, when we moved to Florissant. I remember when the Passionist Seminary was sold to developers, who then built the Normandy Shopping Center. I went to the opening day for the Walgreens, Britts Department Store, and the National grocery, which, as I recall, was some time in the early 1960's (maybe 1961?). There was also a bowling alley in the shopping center, and we would spend many hot St Louis summer days there, because it was air conditioned. My grandmother lived in Pasadena Hills and actually ran the cafeteria at St. Ann's for many years. St Louis was a wonderful, family-oriented city, and I have many warm memories from my childhood. Thanks for developing this site.
Let's dig a little deeper into the memory bag. I graduated from Cleveland High School in June, 1949. I remember the great musical tradition that marked "Down by the Bevo". Cleveland put on an operetta and a spring variety show every year with complete stage settings, full orchestral and vocal music. My first year at CHS they put on De Kovan's "Robin Hood" with Shirley Gatzert and Jack Haupt singing the leads. Shirley later went on to the Curtis Institute of Music. Jack could hit a high C as easy as you can imagine. A hard act to follow, but many did.
At a more basic, but none the less satisfying, level was singing the "Snitzelboch" song at the Swartzvald, known as the Black Forest in later years. Let's not forget the lady who came out to signify closing time at Bill Eislie's Bavarian Garden by singing Brahma's Lullaby. Finally, I remember sitting out in the back yard on a summer's evening and singing old songs with the neighbors and sending down to the corner tavern for buckets of beer. My cousin and I did the fetching. Sure you remember the corner tavern. Almost every block, "down by the Bevo" had a tavern on one end and a bakery on the other.
They were hard times for working families, but they had a talent for making things easier with a song.
My Grandfather was Fred P. Rapp and what a guy he was!!! Nice to see there are still some around who worked for him. Would love to hear some stories as I know he probably was at times hard to work for as he had a work ethic as hard as nails.
Just noticed the post from earlier this month about Nor Lakes Golf Course. I remember that course very well. It was on Canfield Drive , just off of West Florissant Road . I played my very first round of golf there on June 14, 1963, and continued to play golf there right up until the time they closed around 1970 or so.
It was an 18 hole course, and all of the holes were Par 3. So it was a good course for a new golfer, or even an experienced golfer that wanted to work on their short game.
I also remember Britts and some of the other stores in the Normandy Shopping Center . The bowling alley was called Normandy Lanes. Sometime in the 1980's the name was changed to North Oaks Lanes. As far as I know they are still in business today.
I grew up at 1430 South Broadway and attended Pestalozi school.
I remember Chicken Joes, where they killed chickens and my mom bought chicken feet and wings
I remember taking cans and stomping them in the middle to fir you feet and go clacking I remember what a livley shopping area South Broadway was Fruit of the Loom men's store, Velvet Freeze, open market selling nuts and fruit Farmers market, open all night.
Remember Roxy's flooring to buy your cheap linolium. We used it on everything. Breeze washing powder had the wash clothes. Yellow diner in the middle of the road
Huge indian in front of something
Moved to North St. Louis
Playing on the docks of closed factories
Tobin's or Tobey's hardware on 9th street
City hospital, free medical care.
Sitting out on the concrete steps with friends holding the transister radio up to our ears
When a 1 lighted car came by and you called perdiddle first you could kiss a boy
Everybody walking up and down the street.
You know there were still some wooden outhouses in St. Louis in the 1950's
Who could forget 14th street shopping at Worths and Sobels. and eating at the soda fountain at Kreske's?
I went to the old Ames school and remember the building the New Ames school in 1957
Swimming in the pool at Bremen park
The hot tammeli man, The paperboy on Saturday night
My brothers buying large packs of combs and selling them in taverns til midnight and they were little boys
Daddy building them all shoe shine boxes and putting black, brown and neutral waxes in the box with some rags, shined shoes in the taverns on South broadway.
I would like to share some of my memories of growing up in St. Louis (1966-1985). Thank you for the opportunity:
- Playing freeze tag until dark on spring and summer nights on Bluefield Drive in Florissant (I met my first "love" during one of these games at the Gibson's).
- Having my mom buy Big Shot chocolate additive from Pet Milk.
- Living on a street where they were still building homes; we would play in the basements when the construction workers left for the day.
- Wearing Bat-Man masks and safety-pinning towels around our necks.
- Swimming at the Banquert Park pool, playing on the old Sherman tank and going to the air-conditioned library (a perfect respite during muggy St. Louis summer days).
- Camp Comet in the summer.
- Wearing our "good" clothes to school, the changing into our "play" clothes and tennis shoes when we got home.
- The wonderful smell of Meyers Confectionary (in Florissant).
- Walking to Banquert Park and passing all of the "saint" streets: St. Michael, St. Catherine, St. Joseph, etc.
- Walking around my neighborhood as a 7 and 8-year old and discovering cool new streets like Paddock, Meadowgrass and Aubachon.
- Those old soda machine that sold bottles behind a narrow refrigerated door; even if we could not afford a drink (which was only a dime), we would open those doors and feel the cool blast of air during the hot summer afternoons.
- Playing in my basement and lying on the cold tile during the summer, and lying next to the warm forced-air vents during chilly winter evenings.
-Watching "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" on Monday nights, never really getting most of the jokes, but repeating them the next day at DeSmet Elementary School.
-Going from one of the nicest first-grade teachers (Miss Meyers) to one of the meanest in second-grade (Mrs. Swank). Then, changing in mid-term in third-grade from Mrs. McCall to Miss Whaley (later Miss Wolf).
-Riding the skyway at Chain of Rocks Park with Todd Reed and Cheryl Eichorn at our fourth-grade picnic (they were "dating" and I was the third-wheel, as usual).
- What a treat it was to visit the Holiday Hill amusement park.
- Going barefoot on our lawn and stepping on my first bee.
- Going to Burger Chef, White Castle and Steak & Shake.
- Walking to Banquert Park and stopping by the A&W Root Beer Stand. If I had 50 cents, I would get a Baby Burger, Fries and a 10 cent root beer in a frosted mug. Another dime would net me a large soft-serve ice cream cone.
- Going with my parents to the Flaming Pit, Ruiz's Mexican restaurant or the smorgesboard (now a buffet) at Famous-Barr.
- During the Christmas season, we would go to Stix, Bear and Fuller downtown to toy shop, visit Santa and ride the cool monorail.
- Watching the St. Louis Cardinals play in the late 1960s. My brother was at the game in 1967 when Bob Gibson broke his leg (off a ball hit by Roberto Clemente) and my dad was at Game 7 of the '68 World Series (ugh!).
- Taking my lunch to grade school in my cool "Rat Patrol" lunchbox.
- Knocking on Dick Weber's door one time and asking if he had any MAD Magazines.
- Playing fuzzball (using a tennis ball and a whiffle ball bat) on Bluefield Drive with my best friend Mark Smith; playing football with a Nerf ball until dark and using the street lights to see after that.
-Getting a Cardinals football and helmet on Christmas, 1975, and then playing football by myself in the snow that night for hours.
-My dad gave me a Radio Shack tape recorder in 1972 and I played with it for five years.
- I remember my sister going crazy because the Beatles actually performed in St. Louis in 1966 and she could not go.
- Playing in the creek between Arlington and Burning Tree (off of Parker Road). Usually little water ran through there, but it went all the way to Lindbergh. My friends and I would climb out of there by the old Magic Market and A&P grocery store.
- The ice cream trucks (sometimes it was a van, sometimes a Jeep) and sno-cone carts in our neighborhood during the summer.
- The sounds the locusts made in the trees on warm spring and summer evenings.
- Sitting outside with my father and grandfather on these night while they sat with lit cigars to keep the misquitos away.
- Going to the Cross Keys Mall, River Roads and Northland centers.
- Watching the Valley of Flowers Parade as it went along Parker Road; then going to the fair.
- My mom worked at Southwestern Bell (the 1010 Pine building) and sometimes she would take me there and then we would have lunch at Mrs. Hollings restaurant.
- When the misquito truck would spray insecticide, my friends and I would ride our bikes behind it through the fog. How stupid were we?
- Remembering what a novelty a drive-thru restaurant was when the first Jack-In-The-Box opened on Lindbergh in Florissant. You spoke into the "clown" and the offered a Bonus Jack (which was like a Big Mac). I also recall when going to the McDonald's on Hall Ferry and Lindbergh was a real treat. You only could eat outside at the red and white-tiled venue and the fries were made fresh.
- Going to the first Taco Bell on Lindbergh in 1976 and ordering a "Bell Beefer" burger.
- An ice storm that hit on New Year's Eve, 1976 while I was at my friend Steve Boxdorfer's house. We played cards and drank root beer all night.
- Listening to KXOX radio in the late 1960s/early 1970s (they brought back an oldies format briefly in the early '80s). Listening to Jim White, Bob Hardy, Rex Davis, Jack Carney and John McCormack (the "Man Who Walks and Talks At Midnight") on KMOX (my dad's station). Also, remember hearing "Thought For the Day" by Richard L. Evans and the "Morning March" every day before school on KMOX. Listening to Wolman Jack, Dr. Demento and the KADI Original Oldie Show on KADI. Every Saturday morning, my father would tune into KMOX for the Party Line (you could buy or sell things) show and Jack Carney's vintage comedy show. In 1975, KMOX would have a two-hour show on Sunday evenings called "The Great Talking Machine," where rare recordings were broadcast.
- Jack Buck and Harry Carey. Later, Jack Buck and Mike Shannon.
- Following the football Cardinals intently during the 1975 season (they went 11-3 during the regular season, won the NFC East, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 35-23 in the playoffs).
- Collecting stamps, match books, bottle caps, soda and beer cans.
- Saw "Jaws" at Grandview Cinema (the first movie where people were waiting in huge lines), and then played shark attack all summer at the swimming pool.
- Bluefield Drive block parties and garage sales.
- Mowing lawns on hot summer mornings and getting $5 per (big money at the time); shoveling driveways during the winter.
- Playing horseshoes and H-O-R-S-E with Mr. Gibson up the street and Jarts with my dad (he had a grinder and would sharpen each to a razor edge).
- The rivers that would run through our backyard during heavy spring rains; getting caught in a small tornado while driving to a friend's house in 1980.
- Going downtown late at night in the early 1980s and hanging around Forest Park or playing on the old, closed Chain of Rocks bridge (we were nuts).
- Watching local personalities on TV like Dick Ford, Max Roby, Julius Hunter, Herb Humphries, Ollie Raymond, John Auble, Charlotte Peters, Captain 11 (where I first saw the Three Stooges shorts), Jim Bowlin (aka Corky the Clown), Mr. Patches and many, many others. What a life, what a town, what great memories.
Post from Mike Carosone, former north county kid! (5/1/2012)
just a small update from the 4/23/12 posting. Jim Bolin played Cookie from Cookie and the Captain, Corky the Clown was Cliff St. James.
Post from Mary Mueller (McKean) (6/12/2012)
I was happy to accidentally come across your "memories" website. I, too, have happy thoughts of growing up on Gratton St in South St. Louis. I went to Clinton and Clinton/Peabody Schools, leaving in 1959 to move to California. I remember so many happy days at the Zoo and Forest Park Amusement Park, with its every end of school year having thousands of kids from the St. Louis area converging on it for rides and food. I also remember the Muny and the Jewel Box, the White Castle and all the downtown shopping. The Veil Prophet Parade was something my Mom and I went to every year. She worked at the Carter Carbeuator plant and had many friends there, until getting layed off in 1958. I had several girlfriends I hung around with and we made many day trips to other parts of town, just for fun. I now live in Fernley, Nv., about 30 miles east of Reno. I remember going to Camp Wyman and Salvation Army Camp, which was so much fun for a city girl. I will always cherish these memories. You take care and have a wonderful summer.
Post from Carol Pettit 2477 Buck Creek Rd. Festus Mo.(6/24/2012)
The St. Louis Muny has been a part of my 78 year life with very fond memories. It was our weekly treat to go as a family and pack a picnic and go to the free seats to see all the wonderful shows. My sister and I learned the music, The Desert Song being our favorite. I can remember how big we thought we were when our Dad let us sit on the wall! We felt a very special connection because our dancing teacher,Nadine Duffin, was a member of the dance chorus. The Muny continued to be part of my life thru my teen years and in raising my family. Probably my most memorable experiences was when Sonny and Cher appeared and a group had tickets. At the last minute we got some extra seats so we took some of our teenagers and threatened them with their lives to stay in their seats and we would check on them at intermission. During the show a young girl appeared on the side stage steps and Sonny went over and gave her a kiss. It was my #2 daughter. I went over to where the kids were all sitting, my oldest daughter was so upset and Tracy showed up about that time happy as a lark. I guess she thought it was worth it even though she didn't see anyone for quite a while. The Munt is one of St. Louis' golden gems. Thank you for many years of family memories.
Does anyone recall a garage band called Glass Onion from U.City that played in Heman Park in 1968 0r 1969?
Came upon your website google-ing the old red plastic mills or Missouri sales tax tokens. Like everyone else who posted, a flood of memories came back of which I now feel compelled to share;
Juniata and Grand our first house:
My brother and I collecting beer bottle caps for the men playing bottle caps in the alley behind the neighborhood bar. The used a broom stick for a bat. They would pay us a quarter for a box of bottle caps.
We were so close to the Ritz theatre, the public Library, Tower Grove park ( I remember hot and humid St. Louis summers where my family would spend hours in Tower Grove park . I remember how loud the cicadas were .) The drug store on the corner of Grand and Hartford still has the original red tile and round windows, but they used to have glass bulbs filled with red or green liquid in the windows.
On Grand between the Library and our house, were shops, one was a grocery store that gave out plaid stamps.
My father was a baker at Lake Forest bakery at the time.
Cherokee street :
My parents bought the Cherokee Bakery in the late 50's and we lived in the same building.
My brother and I attended St. Wenceslaus Catholic school. We walked 5 blocks to school. (everyone did)
Our playground was a hot black asphalt playground, right next to Kutis funeral home.
Loved to go to Dog N Suds up the street on arsenal for a hot dog and a rootbeer. (When ,I had the money!)
Hung out with our friends in the neighborhood. Always called the names of our friends from the front or back yard, never knocked on the door. (OH TOMMY!!) and never just the name we always said "OH" before the name. The neighborhood seemed to be between Cherokee and Wyoming. But was not limited to that area. Once we got bikes the city was ours.
Remember;
Swimming at Marquette pool where you had to wait in shifts to get in the pool.
Getting chunks of ice from the Pevely dairy truck that delivered milk.
Washing bakery trays in the back room of the bakery while listening to KXOK and Johnny Rabbit.
Getting top 45's from the record shop. First album: The Dave Clark Five
Collecting soda (not pop!) bottles for 2 cents and large Vess bottles for 5 cents apiece and using the money to get candy at the corner Confectionery (not Quick shop).
Eating mini hamburgers (close to White Castle size but rounder) at the dinner on the corner or Cherokee and California ave.
Going the S S Kresge (see K-mart) multi level department store on Cherokee and going into the basement to buy comics.
Hearing the fruit salesmen going up and down the streets with flat tops on large wagon wheels calling out the ware of the day. STRAWBERRIES !! BLUEBERRYS !!
The sound of the knife sharpener guy whose cart went CLINK CLANK CLINK.
Halloweens when you could stay out past dark, without your parents and were still safe! (relatively)
Going to my first baseball game in the new Busch Stadium 1966 a loss to the SF Giants.
Black and white tv, rabbit ears, local TV, Cookie and the Captain.. my brother was in the studio audience once.
Mom said that many of the bakery customers were from the brewery and when I-70 was finished business dropped off, along with the advent of the subdivision and people moving out of the city.
My parents sold the bakery and bought a variety store in Des Peres on Manchester road.
We moved west as well and I now live in Omaha Ne of all places. Most of the family still live in the St. Louis area and I love going back to visit.
Attached is a photo of Cherokee days taken in front of our bakery. Sorry I do not know the names of the kids in the picture, but my brother and I are in it. My brother is in the front row dark shirt blue jeans with one pant leg out of the cowboy boot. I am the eyes and big ears behind the big kid wearing the Cherokee hat.
Post from William Knopf, Jr./Now living in Indianapolis/SLUH class of '75. (7/3/2012)
Childhome home on Neosho and Jamieson in St. Louis Hills in the 1960's-1970s. Two blocks from Ted Drews!
Nottingham and Busch elementary schools, then on to SLUH for my high school years.
My Dad was a painting contractor who had a shop/office on Potomac and Kingshighway. Stay at home Mom.
Francis Park with the churches on all four corners. Years, later, I met my wife on those racquetball courts! Yep, still married...
Riding my bike to Redbird Lanes for summer bowling leagues. Pick-up ballgames in Willmore Park with no adults.
Riding my bike after school to the "new" public library on Hampton and Eichelberger; now a used CD store.
Going with Mom and Dad to the Flaming Pit and the Parkmoor on Chippewa with Steak n' Shake in between.
66 Drive Inn in Crestwood. Avalon Theater on Kingshighway. The Cinerama on Lindell by the Chase.
All the new car dealers on Kingshighway between Chippewa and Arsenal -- bright lights and neon on a Friday night.
Meeting Stan the Man when my Dad was hired to paint his house in St. Louis Hills! My claim to fame at school.
Mini-golf on summer nights just inside the city limits on Chippewa, with the giant slides in later years.
Special dinners with my parents and their cool friends at Ruggeri's on The Hill. Ace was always our waiter and Stan Kann playing piano.
School picnics at Holiday Hill. The smell of the pool and lockers at the Southside YMCA on Grand.
Cardinal games at Busch, Blues hockey and Steamers indoor soccer at the old barn on Oakland, the Big Red at Busch in the fall/winter.
Playing "kick the cup" with other kids (never knew their names) between periods at the hockey game
Also remember the old St. Louis Stars outdoor pro soccer team playing at Busch and going with my grade school buddies.
Concerts at Kiel Auditorium and later at the arena and across the river at the Mississippi River Festival (SIU)
Streetside Records in Webster. Southtown Famous. Boyd's and Stix in Crestwood. Roberts Boys Shop in Webster.
Dr. Mack, DDS in Shrewsbury, basement office. I later worked in an office on the first floor of that building!
Dr. George Becker in Clayton...Dr. Jack Hartstein (eye doctor) in U City.
Miss Hullings. Cyrano's in Clayton. The Fox and Hounds. Riding the double decker bus to the Muny.
Downtown Christmas windows. Santa's workshop at Famous Barr.
Burgers with Mom and Dad at the Big Bevo on Hampton or at Jacks or Better in Crestwood (with the peanut shells on the floor)
Shakey's Pizza on Big Bend with friends after a movie at the Esquire Theater
Lots of fantastic memories from the 60s and 70s in my home town. I've since lived all over the USA but relish coming home for Imo's!
Post from Laura Vonk - [email protected] (7/4/2012)
Hi, I need help and I was hoping some people here would be able to help me... My dad was a Rock N' Roll lead guitarist in the St. Louis Area from 1950 to 1974. His name is Bill Angel. I am writing a book about his musical career for our family. He's given me a lot of information, but doesn't have a lot of pictures or memorabilia that I can add to the book. Like he said, not everyone had cameras back then like they do now, and he didn't think to save a lot of stuff because for him, it was "just a job", never knowing someday his kids or grandkids would love to see anything he had.
Anyway, some of the local people/groups he played with include, Pat Cook and the Rhythm Buddies, Kenny Loren and the Classmates, Jenny Jamison, Jim Marsalla and the Bop Cats, Lonnie Dean and the Satellites (later Lonnie Dean and the A-Go-Gos), Ron Curtis and the Showmen, and his own band, Billy Angel and the Rafter Rockers. Some of the places he played include The New Lindy Ballroom, Chain of Rocks Park, I40 Teen Town, Imperial Ballroom, The Music Palace, Splatter Platter Parties, Velascos, The Radisons, Skylark Bowling Alley, twice at the St. Louis Car Show, and several clubs at Gaslight Square (Celebrity Club, The Alley, The Backside, Etc.) Also several venues he played outside of St. Louis include The Surf Ballroom, The Top Hat Club in Washington MO, and the Franklin County Fair in Washington MO. He also played, opened for, or hung around some celebrities including Chuck Berry, Brenda Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ike & Tina Turner.
I'm looking for pictures that might have him in them. Pictures of the venues he played (many are no longer there or look different), newspaper clippings, ticket stubs that list any of the above people/bands, and, if possible, the programs from the St. Louis Car Shows of 1963, 1964, 1965.
Any help would be VERY appreciated and I can reimburse copy and mailing fees for any that can't be scanned. I will, of course, credit everyone in the book who sends me any info, pictures, or stories.
I saw in 2010 that Jerry Frank posted here. I know my Dad knows you and if you could contact me at the above address I'd love to talk to you!
Post from Jim Cooper (7/22/2012)
My names is Jim Cooper. I remember growing up in Clayton. MO 1951-1955. I worked part time at the Esquire Bowling Alley setting pins and later spent summers at St. Mary's Hospital as a janitor. Always had some spending money. Going to Parkmoor at Clayton Rd & Big Bend for the greatest PT, chocolate shake & onion rings on the planet. Cruising on to Fitze's Root Beer stand on Clayton Rd. at Brentwood Blvd, their hamburger sauce was never to be duplicated. Then on to Shake n Steak on Brentwood Blvd. From there it was to the drag strip on Highway 40 when it dead ended at Brentwood Blvd. Race to the first bridge (approx. 1/4 mile). Souped up 48 Fords, 39 Chevy's, with dual carbs, cams, & headers and a host of other hot cars. Very seldom ever bothered by the police. Fridays and Saturday nights reserved for a trip to Rattisons on the East Side across the JB Bridge. Not exactly where you wanted to tell your parents where you were going, but the music was cool and the place really rocked. Drinks of course were available to anyone 16 or older. Life was really fun in those days and crime was not an issue. Our biggest crime was probably speeding or loud mufflers. I am so thankful I grew up in what I perceive to be the Golden Age in this country.
I grew up in U. City but my Uncle owned Parkview Market at Kingston and Telegraph. He later moved to Florida and his son and a partner took over and expanded. I don't know if he still has partners but he now owns a bunch of Save a lots.
answer to Jim Cooper. I probably waited on you when I was a curb boy at Brentwood Steak in 56. Guys would bring their car to the lot and set up a drag race. They would then head south on Brentwood to 40. they would come back later and either brag or lament on their win or loss. It was a popular place. I remember when they adjoined the highway 40 with the express highway and it became highway 40 all of the way Vandeventer
Did anyone hang out at the club Imperial. George Edick used to let teens hang out in the basement and learn to jitterbug. they called their style the Imperial. Today there are 8 not for profit dance clubs in the St louis area that dance and teach the Imperial. he largest of these clubs is the West County Dance Club that has dances every tuesday night at the Moolah Shrine Temple $3 to get in another $3 for lessons.
Post from ??? (8/7/2012)
Grew up on the edge of Hanley Hills in the 70s -
Shopping center at Page and Hanley - unrecognizable now - used to have a Sands drugstore, dry cleaner, barber, jewelry store, National grocery store, hunting/gun store, Velvet Freeze ice cream, laundromat, Burt's 5&10 store, hardware store, auto parts store, Fotomat. Hanley Hills Baptist Church is gone !
I used to work at Venture Department store in high school - at Page and the Innerbelt - gone ! What happened to Town and Country shopping Center ?, the go-kart track ? I worked at KFC, the same bunch owned the one on St. Charles Rock Road and the one on Natural Bridge - gone ! Northwest Plaza with a roof - WTF ! What happened to Naugles' burger joint ? Britts Department store ? Zayre's ? Northland ? River Roads ? Katz ? Korvettes? Streetside Records ? the YMCA on Grand ? Herbert Hoover Boys Club ? Red Barn hamburgers ? Chuk a Burger ? Skating at Heman Park ? Magic Lantern Theatre ?
I remember the high school basketball tournaments Christmas time at Normandy ! KSHE radio with Sweetmeat ! KKSS stereo for monster disco hits ! Channel 11 - the Ones to watch - Mr. Patches kids show !!! Red Goose shoes !!! I saw "Cleopatra Jones" for 75 cents at the Loews State Theater downtown where I used to sneak in with burgers from Burger Chef across the street - the fixins bar where you could put anything you want on your hamburger !!!
The Stadium One Cinema were I saw the movie "Jaws" is now a Hooters !!!
Where is the Admiral riverboat ?
Maybe it was all a dream ...
I have fond memoirs of Northwoods. I remember walking to Garfield School along North & South Passadena. On a fine spring day on the way to school we found an injured bobwhite quail. My good friend Amanda Cox happend to have her spring purse. The type of purse made of wicker or straw. Anyhow we put the bird im the purse & giggled all day at school when it warbled. It was a secret that we kept almost all day.
Post from ED Tritschler email [email protected] (8/16/2012)
I grew up on the corner of Jefferson and Cherokee until 1952 when we moved to Michagin and Chippewa.
*Attended Shepard school
*A Roosevelt rough rider
*Watermelon [email protected] Cherokee and Compton *Working at Davis Photo Supplies on Cherokee *Cinderella theater ? Sportsmen park sitting in the bleachers * Fast pitch [email protected] Fox park *[email protected] Springdale and Springforest ADMIRAL cruise on the Mlsslsslppi river *Chimpanzie show At the Zoo *Highlands
*Southside YMCA *First car a 1954 Ford two door with fender skirts *Wearing blue suede shoes and Mr B shirts
*Cass Loma ball room
*Ted Drews on Grand
*Jefferson and Grand streetcars
*Public school stadium *Kutis and Simpkins ford teams playing big time soccer
Post from [email protected] (9/1/2012)
I REMEMBER GROWING UP UNDER THE OLD BROWN WATER TOWER ON BLAIR AVE IN NORTH ST. LOUIS. PITCHING PENNIES AGAINST THE WALL OF FINNS INN/PLAYING POOL AT PETES ON GRAND UNDER THEWHITE WATER TOWER GRADUATED CENTRAL HIGH IN 62 JIM STUMBAUGH
Post from Unsigned (9/5/2012)
My family moved to 19th and Warren in 1965. The house we lived in was built, we found out recently, by the family that founded Granite City. We had a fireplace in every room. Downstairs the mantles were wood, but upstairs they were marble.
We went to St. Liborious until it closed and then to St. Francis Xavier Grade School on SLU's campus.
I recall how cool the lobby of Northwestern Bank was during the summer and that the water cooler had the coldest water.
We used to sit on the bench near the alley between Warren and Montgomery. The alley took a sharp turn that we called Dead Man's curve.
Bellon's Market was on the corner of Montgomery and 19th.
We went to the ice cream shop on St. Louis Avenue and North Florissant, or down to Crown's on warm summer nights.
Does anyone remember the penny candy store next to Northwestern Bank? The door was latched, but if you knocked the little hunchbacked lady would come open the door. The candy was loose and she would scoop what you wanted into paper bags.
We got our milk at Horack's Dairy.
Anyone remember the hot tamale guy?
There was a tavern every block or two. John's Tavern was across the alley from our house and the drunks were always playing bottle caps.
We played corkball, wiffle ball and fuzz ball against the wall of our house that faced 19th street.
We went to Neighborhood to box and play "hoc soc", indoor soccer. It was on 21st Street across from St. Louis Park.
I had a St. Louis Post-Dispatch paper route bordered by North Market, 22nd Street and North Florissant. I wish still had the wooded paper wagon I used to haul my papers with. It had iron wheels and a painting of the Weatherbird on each side.
"The Fred Mogel Show" (not sure of the spelling). Our Brownie troop appeared on it once and we told everyone recess was our favorite subject between the cartoons he showed. There was a similar show hosted by a cowboy who stood next to a covered wagons who had local kids (can't remember his name.)
My family lived in Rock Hill and I went to High School in Webster Groves. When we wanted to go Downtown, usually to go shopping, it was an all day affair. We either took the bus or, on rare occasions, my father would drop us off on his way to work at Century Electric. Even if he drove us, we either walked or took the bus or "street car" to get around in the city. Certainly NEVER did we take a cab.
But regardless of how we arrived, we always "dressed up"--"just like downtown" as they used to say. Mother wore low heels, a hat and white gloves. these were especially important if you intended to buy nylon stockings. The woman in the hosiery department would bring out to the counter little flat boxes. Inside was one pair of smooth, flat, nylons in your size and in colors you requested. She would insert her own gloved hand into one of them--this was before panty hose-- to show you the color and if you wanted to examine them yourself you were expected to use only your gloved hand. In the early 50's these had seams down the back and you could get them in various degrees of "sheerness". They were expensive enough that you were very careful with them. When, at last, I was old enough to wear nylon stockings, myself. I was instructed to put them on while wearing white cotton gloves as well. This did not prevent me from snagging them and getting "runners" my first time out. Often, the item on the agenda to buy was fabric. Mom spent what seemed like hours, moving from one length of cloth to another, examining the color and the pattern, feeling the texture, draping it and crunching it up to determine it's "hand". Then having selected one or several of the pretty textiles, she tucked the whole bolt under her arm and headed for the pattern department. Some times you got to sit down to look through the big books showing all kinds of designs for dresses and blouses and every kind of apparel that one could "stitch up" for oneself; but other times you just had to stand at the inclined counter turning page after page. Usually, after an interminable period of time spent selecting just the right style, and clutching an envelope containing uncut tissue paper marked with the shape of all the pieces of the dress or skirt she planned to make, we still had to find the "notions" department. This is where she found the zippers and thread and bias tape and what ever else she had a "notion" to buy-- that she needed to complete her garment. Last of all we hauled the fabric bolts, the patterns, and the "notions" to a large table, where the "sales person", carefully unrolled the fabric and smoothed it out, measured it, and cut it (with very sharp scissors--I remember that very often it wasn't even necessary to open and close the scissors to cut, but she would simply push the partly opened tool in a straight line, the blades slicing through the material). Then she "wrote it up": she wrote out on a small form, the kind of fabric by number and the number of yards, the price per yard and the total. There was also a tax added on. Sometimes the tax totaled less than a penny, in which case you had to pay "mills". Red plastic mills were singles, green equaled five mills. All of this was then keyed onto the big, sometimes very elaborate, cash register. The woman took the money and counted the change into your hand.
The ceilings of these stores tended to be very high, and cris-crossing the walls were a series of clear plastic tubes. The sales people would put mysterious messages into plastic capsules and insert them into the end of one of these tubes, shut the little door and zoom! you could see the capsule travel upward to the nether parts of the store. This was always very fascinating. My father explained that these were "pneumatic tube" that moved the capsules with some combination of air and vacuum. Sales people in the fifties were very different from what they are now. She, like my mother, was "dressed up". She usually wore a dark color wool dress or suit, stockings and heels. She probably wore "Cherries in the Snow" lipstick--just like my mother. "Cherries in the Snow" was very big in the fifties.
Her hair was fixed in a conservative style. My mother very often knew her name--and not just because it was on her name tag. When we went to clothing departments (in Famous Barr or Stix, Baer, and Fuller) Mom would sometimes ask for a particular woman to help her. This was someone who would then find on the floor styles and sizes that she thought you would like (she probably knew your tastes because you'd been shopping there before), and she would bring them to you as you waited in the dressing room. She would help you zip them up the back (or when I was a preteen getting my first bra, instruct me how to put it on properly) and offer her opinion on how it looked and how it fit, whether it was a good buy, and whether it was appropriate for the occasion you were buying for..
On the very top floor of Stix, Baer, & Fuller (which my mother always called "Grand Leader")there was a childcare center. (another post described the play room at Famous--she could be right) When I was very small (maybe 3 or 4) sometime I was allowed to stay there while my mother shopped (avoiding the fabric department). I think Mom paid a small fee, maybe a dollar, to leave me there. I have no memory of any of the adult "caretakers" I am sure were lurking there.This place would probably not be allowed to operate today. My mind calls up the image of a large room--not new and shiny and "clean"--certainly not antiseptic--but with the impression that it had always been there--and perhaps always would be. Much of the floor was covered with some kind of mats to cushion the inevitable falls of several dozen children apparently left to their own devises. In one corner there was a large, wooden boat (yes, a boat) which held about 6-10 kids at a time who could run from one side to the other, causing it to "rock". This was great fun. There was also a tower of sorts, perhaps shaped like a house, inside of which you could climb spiraling stairs, and which you exited by way of a sliding board. When the shopping was done we went to the candy counter of Stix and mother always bought "orange slices" and "green mint leaves" and those chocolates with white sprikles on top.
These we carried home in a bag. We didn't eat them there because it would spoil our lunch.
For lunch we went to Miss Hullings Cafeteria. Miss Hullings had a reputation for good food and you can still find a lot of her recipes on line. Crowds of "dressed up", wearly shoppers would file in at lunchtime and worm their way through the line. To me the most interesting part of the line was the automat. In a "normal" cafeteria today, one finds "cases" with food set out from behind--often under heat lamps or on ice. At Miss Hullings part of the line was devoted to a series of little doors which one opened to pull out a piece of pie or a sandwich that was replaced by someone in the back. Since I was not paying, I'm not sure whether the money was deposited beside the door or if one paid at the end of the line; but when we were through the line we carried our trays to a row of small, square, Formica topped, chrome edged tables that you could push together for larger groups. I don't remember this being very fancy. It was a very "public" kind of place. If two of you sat down at a table for four, you could expect a complete stranger to come and take an unoccupied seat if the place was crowded. Mother always tried to fill the empty chairs with her purse or our packages so this would not happen.
My mother (and my father as well) had grown up in St. Louis. To her it was all familiar stomping grounds. To me, a trip to the City was always an adventure. Don't ask me how to find anything there, I won't be able to tell you anyway. But as for the sights and scenes and smells of Downtown--I remember them well.
Post from Rose Watson nee Walker (10/9/2012)
Like many others I just stumbled onto this site and wow the nostalga train started rolling! I lived on Destrehan from birth to about age 8. We then moved "up the street" to Destrehan and N. 9th St.--a five-family building and we lived over Miss Ida's drugstore (don't remember the real name of it). Mom used to send me there to buy fire engine red nail polish and my great aunt who lived in the same building would leave a quarter outside her door and I'd go buy two comic books and leave her the nickel change! I attended Clay School from Kindergarten through 5th grade (age 11) when my parents bought a farm outside Fulton MO and we moved in 1959, the same year of the January 1959 tornado that killed several people and did much damage around the city. I-70 was soon to go over the neighborhood and I understand there's not much left of our old neighborhood. Mom and I would go to Clementine's dress shop, the corner bakery, the shoe repair shop, and the dime store between 11th & 14th Streets. The bakery where the tall wedding cake stood and real cheesecake. The grocery store with wood floors on the corner of 11th & Destrehan and buying Welch's grape juice in the little bottles! I have such wonderful memories of Clay School but also remember the discipline of lining up on the playground (boys on one side, girls on the other always) to head to our classrooms--no running nor shouting in those days! The annual talent show, Spring trips to Chain of Rocks Park, Breman park, the zoo, Grants Farm, Forest Park, etc. all live on as wonderful adventures and memories. I now live in Colorado but will never forget the old neighborhood and all the sweet memories, even though now I realize how poor everyone was who lived there.
Oooh St. Louies,
Hi. Someone wrote about riding monorail. Could be my memory is faded, but I think the monorail train, 2nd floor? Near ceiling of store was located at River Roads. Hallsferry & Jennings Sta. Rd., at Woolworth's?
I remember going there, riding that monorail train. I dont remember being downtown, but maybe it was moved circa 1960's.
I do remember my mom telling me about taking a streetcar downtown to shop when she was younger & her mentioning something about sitters for patrons kids. A cool idea IMHO...
I remember the Santa Village at downtown Famous Barr, going up probobly 7 floors of escalators.
Even took my own daughter there in early 80's .. After seeing Santa, you rode down a slide I think.
Oh yeah, A few blocks, if that, from River Roads was Hallsferry Circle... which connected to Riverview, West Florissant, 67 & Broadway, I think.
I can remember being fairly new driver & getting stuck circling in the circle several rounds... Learned to stay ti the outside OR just avoid that roundabout. : ).
I'm a Meat Man Ma'am, and a Meat Man knows....
The finest meats ma'am are Mayrose!
Post from Les Axelrod [email protected] (11/1/2012)
I grew up in U. City in the 30's and 40's and went to Delmar-Harvard, Ward Junior High, and U. City High School.
I still have fond memories of going to the Pevely Dairy fountain in Clayton and getting their famous ice cream sundae: vanilla ice cream covered by freshly melted milk chocolate candy. Does anybody remember what that sundae was called?
My folks and I used to eat at The Coffee Pot restaurant, on Skinker and Delmar. As I remember, a full meal was about 50 cents. (But I may be dreaming!) Sometimes we'd go to the Shanghai Café on Delmar, or we'd head south to Parkmoor (Big Bend and Clayton Road).
I've lived in the Chicago area since 1956, but I still enjoy coming back to St. Louis for visits and reminiscences.
Post from Tom F. (11/1/2012)
To Liz Laughlin (1/13/2012): Hello. I share many of the same memories you mentioned because I was your next-door neighbor on Frost Ave. I recall what great people your parents were and I hope you and your brothers Johnny & Jimmy are still doing well.
Post from Linda Harris Waller (11/4/2012)
I grew up in STL on the south side and went to SS Mary and Joseph grade school and Cleveland High (class of 1969). I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood! I lived below the Sisters of St Joseph of Carondalet convent and can remember sneaking movie star magazines and gum to the postulants. Of course, we also would climb the fence and sneak around the grounds at night. We swore that there was an evil man who roamed the grounds at night and later on, it was my own uncle who worked there. I remember eating lots of pizza from Imo's, frozen custard at Ted Drewe's and in High school, driving around the SteaknShake on Gravois and Germania a million times to see who was there and to show off our cars or dates on the weekends. Seems the Catholic kids drove around the McDonald's up the street and the Public school kids owned the SteaknShake. I rode around both, having gone to St. Anthony's High and then Cleveland.
We played constantly at Carondalet Park, went to the fishing contest for kids there every summer and ice skated there in the winter. I can remember swimming in shifts at the Marquette Pool and eating soft pretzels in between shifts. Every Saturday my girlfriends and I would shop on Cherokee street and eat lunch at Woolworth's. My mom got my school uniform blouses at Fairchild's and I think they were a dollar each. She would get me five every year to go with my little navy colored dress. In the summertime I would go with my girlfriend's family to the Springdale swimming pool where we would get cokes and fries and danced in our swimming suits to the juke box playing. My dream houses were on Holly Hills, across from Carondalet Park and I always wanted to live in the house on the corner with the turret next to the front door.
My boyfriend went to Augustinian High and he was a "boarder" from Chicago named Roger. I worked at Cardinal Glennon hospital as a nurse's aide and loved it. I also volunteered at St. Anthony's Hospital as a Red Cross candy striper when the hospital was on Grand & Chippewa. I loved the Sears store (now torn down) near there and especially the Ben Franklin dimestore.
Some of my best memories are of the school picnics. SS Mary & Joe's was always on May 30th, which was Memorial Day back then and wasn't always on a Monday. We always got a new outfit for the picnic! As a rebel child I actually wore shorts to the picnic, which was a big no-no with the nuns. The principal was Sister Lizzie Joe and she was so damn mean! She would drag us girls into the auditorium every spring and lecture us on the evils of wearing shorts in the summer, especially if they zipped up the back! But the school picnic was always just after school was let out, so I figured I had all summer before I got into trouble for wearing shorts and surely by then Lizzie Joe would have forgotten by then. But not always!
Seems like we kids always walked everywhere or took the Carondalet bus…..to Cherokee Street, of course! I can also remember eating at the watermelon stand on Cherokee and Compton and they had gold watermelon. I also loved the Velvet Freeze across from Roosevelt High field. They had the best banana ice cream! Another favorite was to go to Baily Farms on Meramec and drink chocolate milk. Who remembers Chuck-a-burger? They had a great pizza burger!
I left St Louis in 1970 and have lived all over the USA since. But now that I live within 100 miles of the city again, I always go back and drive down all my memory lanes there. It seemed like such a safe and wonderful neighborhood back then, but sadly, things sure have changed. But I still have to hit White Castle when I'm in town and all of my old haunts.
So many landmarks are gone: Michigan Theater, Granada, Ritz, Melba, Melvin. Sears, SS Mary & Joe school, Augustinian Academy, Velvet Freeze, corner confectionaries, old bowling lanes, Hauser Bakery, old grocery stores, restaurants and drug stores. My mom always shopped at Bettendorf's on Grand & Iron and I thought that store was HUGE! She'd let me get a burger and fries while she shopped and the lunch meats/cheese were awesome there. I just realized how many of my memory references are of food! LOL Remember the Sherbet shop, Virginia Tavern and Flier's? Great places. My dad worked at Anheuser-Busch so he was on a different shift every week. When he worked afternoons we would always get the fried chicken special at Flier's for dinner on Wednesdays and the Jack Salmon special on Fridays. And I remember fondly how the brewery smelled when we would go to pick him up at night (we only had one car) and I still love that smell of the roasting hops.
Yeah, it was great to grow up in St. Louis. I wish we could turn back the clock.
Post from Jay Davis (12/8/2012)
Good Afternoon.Praying all is going well for you today.In a manner of speaking,I am on a mission.In the early 60's z(grew up in Normandy--North County)At that time the Three Stooges were on a nation-wide tour with Captain 11.They made a stop at the field track of Normandy Sr.High.My mom walked me down from the "risers" to the field.The car stopped,my mom picked me up,and Captain 11 gave me a kiss on the cheek.I swore I would never wash that cheek again.In vain,I have been trying to locate any fil footage or newspaper articles dealing specifically with that day when I was there.Hopefully,you can help me with my quest.It has been a pleasure that I have been able to share my wonderful memories with you.
Post from Bruce Kunz, a.k.a. The FIN MAN (12/8/2012)
Hello, my name is Bruce Kunz, a.k.a. The FIN MAN. I write the weekly Old Car Column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which has been appearing regularly for the past nine years.
I often make references in my column to places and things past in the St. Louis area. When I checked the St. Louis memories site this morning, I read a contributor's text about two St. Louis institutions in which the reader seemed to imply that they are no longer in existence. Let me set the record straight.
First, here is the reader's text:
Seems like we kids always walked everywhere or took the Carondalet bus…..to Cherokee Street, of course! I can also remember eating at the watermelon stand on Cherokee and Compton and they had gold watermelon. I also loved the Velvet Freeze across from Roosevelt High field. They had the best banana ice cream! Another favorite was to go to Baily Farms on Meramec and drink chocolate milk. Who remembers Chuck-a-burger? They had a great pizza burger!
First, there is still a Velvet Freeze here in the St. Louis area. It is, as they like to advertise, the only Velvet Freeze on the planet. At 7355 West Florissant in Jennings, it may be a long drive from S. County, but it's worth every mile. You can still enjoy your old favorite flavors and original recipies including the banana ice cream, as well as two of mine, Swiss Chocolate and Gold Coast Chocolate. John McGuiness, owner of the last Velvet Freeze, was once CEO of the corporation which had offices in St. Louis. Call or visit and please be sure to mention that you heard about it from The FIN MAN.
And then there is Chuck-A-Burger. The last one of those on the planet is still going strong on St. Charles Rock Road in St. John. They still have that great pizza burger and host regular 'cruise nights' with vintage cars and hot rods on display during summer months. You can get information and a phone contact on their web site at chuckaburger.com. Tell Ron Stille The FIN MAN sent you.
Post from ??? (12/8/2012)
i would love it if anyone can solve a question for me. we lived in st louis in the mid '60's and i worked at ralston-purina. this will sound dumb but there was a bakery in carondolet (?) maybe, that sold peanut coffee cake. it was frosted with white frosting and covered with peanuts. my husband still talks about it.
we were poor and lived in jefferson barracks in south st. louis. for entertainment we would hike down to missippi's banks and watch the boats go by. the best thing was going downtown and parking in a deserted lot watching the arch being built. there was no urban developments then. wouldn't recognise it now.
| if anyone can help me with this, please let us know.
Post from Marty in St. Charles (12/27/2012)
I just found your site and had to make a posting. I grew up in Overland and attended Overland School, New Overland School and graduated from Ritenour High School in 1953. Great memories of driving my 37 Chev convertible and hanging out at Steak & Shake on the Rock Road. Drag racing on lower bottom road. Going over to the east side underage age. The toll taker on the Jeff Barracks bridge was a teacher at Ritenour but chose not to recognize us if he did. Great times
Post from Trish Mixon (12/27/2012)
Just found your site by accident. Can't wait to read all of it! I lived in St. Louis ( Brentwood, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, University City) from 1937 to 1951. The last schools I attended were Flynn Park and Mary Institute. My Grandfather owned St. Louis Pump Co. My uncle was the Budweiser Distributor and his daughter, my cousin Carmen, owned the Carmen Thomas ( True) School of Dance. My father was the District Sales Manager for Shell Oil Company. I have so many wonderful memories of everything from the Windows at Faous Barr and Stix B & F, butter cakes, Mavrockos ( spelling) candy turtles, horse bake riding in the park, the Zoo, ice skating at the rink and in the street, and on and on. I left St.Louis before the Arch was built and hope to go back this spring to show my husband where I grew up.
Post from Janet Viermann (12/30/2012)
I don't know how I stumbled on this website, but I've enjoyed it so much. I grew up in south St. Louis 1950-1960. Do you remember Famous Barr's famous French onion soup? I have the original recipe from an old recipe book written by the executive chef at Famous-Barr. Just passed it on to my children this Christmas. I remember the store fronts at Christmas and the visit with Santa, where you actually got a present they were labeled girl or boy and the age group. Don't know how much my mom had to pay for it but it was more than just a candy cane. I also have the most wonderful picture of me and Santa, a 5x7 sepia picture. I put it out every Christmas it looks like something from Miracle on 34th St. I have made copies for my children. The Santa really looks like the real Santa and the expression on my face is priceless. It was probably taken around 1948 - 1949, I was approximately 3-4 yrs of age. I remember the big boat at the playland where my mother would drop me off so she could shop. Don't remember if it was at Famous or "Grand Leader" I remember the Granada and Avalon show and the tamale man and so many other things that were mentioned. We lived in the Bevo area where shopping on Gravois was our prime shopping area. The Goodie Shop where they had the best candy apples, Woolworths's, Kreskees, Velvet Freeze, Pusaterris produce, Libson, DeeLee shop, Gravois Bootery, Kiefers, Bigalte Electric, two bakeries, Stop Flight, many more and of course a tavern on every corner. Thank you so much for the memories that reminded me how happy my childhood was growing up in south St. Louis.
Post from Gloria (1/2/2013)
To Marty in St. Charles Posted 12/27/2012
I was wondering if you remember the football games between Normandy High and Ritenour. The winner of the game kept the wagon wheel until the next year when the two teams meet again. I believe Ritenour ended up keeping the Wagon Wheel. Those where wonderful times. For Jr. high you probably went to Ritenour Middle, do you remember the "Handy House" across the street from the Middle school?
The football nights were something else. I was no jock but it was fun to watch. In my senior year it was pass the Slow Gin bottle around. I had my own 37 Chevy convertible that I used to cruise past the Handy House and ogle the girls. As I recall they played music that you could hear outside. Teresa Brewer "put another nickle in" seems to have been very popular. I only spent my freshman year there then moved to the new high school. I graduated in 1953..
Does anyone remember the spot grocery store in north st. Louis?
Post from Bob Dehn (1/21/2013)
schenberg's grocery stores in south stl.
merb's candy store on chippewa st.
roosevelt high school in 1936
cherokee cave
Stummer's restaurant on Grand & gravois
Sears & Roebuck at Grand & chippewa
f_Famous Barr at kingshighway & chippewa
Powhattan theatre on sutton in maplewood 1920.s
Harper's drug store on sutton av maplewood
Bettendorf's grocery stores
Fred P Rapp grocery's
Sutton school in maplewood
Ted's corner on Big Bend maplewood
Reifling Ford
Wedel's market on Southwest & clifton
the ice man w/horse & wagon 1920's & 30's
the milk man w/ horse & wagon
Tony Gigliarducci the scissors sharpener
the hot tamale man w/ push cart
Famous Barr open delivery trucks
Grand Leader delivery trucks
Berbericks delivery wholesale newspaper
the chain driven delivery trucks
Machecheks bakery on Watson Rd.
Accomac Food Shop Accomac & Ohio (my mother's store)
Popcorn lady at Gravois & Jefferson
Wild's Palace of Poison on Lemay Ferry
Clara Hempleman real estate office
Katz drug stores
Gasen drug stores
Portland Garage behind Gateswoth hotel
cooling off under the railroad overpass on Chippewa 1920's 30's
Geiger the paper delivery man in Maplewood
Ossenberg the ice man in Maplewood
the organ grinder w/ monkey
Does anyone remember the outhouse on McNair Street near lynch. And did anyone go to Fremont School on Wisconsin. Does anyone know a girl named Elva Milford (maiden name)
Post from Linda Evans (1/31/2013)
I grew-up in the central west end on Taylor Avenue. I was born in 1949 and my memories extend until our move to Arkansas in 1958. (I didn't know what segregation meant or that Catholics (which we were) were not always accepted until we hit Little Rock, Arkansas.) Our street, and most of the block, was lined with two-story red brick buildings with each housing four apartments. We were surrounded by alley-ways that extended to so many homes like ours. The back alley ended at Stix School and close by was the Barns Hospital. Where Taylor Avenue ended a block from our house, I remember a large bakery and can still smell the aroma of the baking bread. A small market was right across the street for our house where, only occasionally, I was allowed to buy a popsicle.
My earliest memories of the neighborhood include a motorized cart winding through the alley selling fresh vegetables. I remember the Greek lady who always yelled out her window for the cart to stop – I believe Effie was her name. We played outside until after dark and run all over the place. We were even allowed to cross Kingshighway without an adult to get to the deli two blocks away, where we would buy our candy.. After studying all the candy through the glass display, I distinctively remember always choosing the dot candy on the white paper and the long strings of liquorish. I don't ever remember buying deli meat or anything else substantial.
My dad worked for Missouri Pacific railroad and was housed at the big, beautiful train terminal, which has now been transformed into a hotel and shops. I remember that he took me there on Saturdays and I would immediately run upstairs to see the Ballroom. Mom was a nurse at a local hospital which was affiliated with the railroad (I can't remember the name). We went to mass at the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral. I never knew what the priest was saying because it was all in Latin. I also thought that the wooden dowel rods that were used to close-off the pew was meant to keep me in!
My school years (from 1st to 3rd grade) were spent at Sherwood Day School. My memories were happy there but I do remember the realization that my family was not wealthy after visiting a friend's home (her name was Linda) – even at seven, I realized the grandeur of a beautiful home! My Saturday's were spent at Carmen's School of Dance on Delmar Avenue. I loved dancing. My father's sister danced professionally with Carmen and I believe he always hoped I would follow in her footsteps – I didn't but was always a good dancer. My grandparents lived in Granite City, Illinois and we went there every Saturday morning; they lived on Washington Avenue. I can still hear the Cardinal Baseball games being broadcast on the radio that dad and all the neighbors would gather to listen. I also remember Christmas. Mom and I would catch the bus and journey downtown to see Santa and all the beautiful window displays. Part of this ritual included having lunch at a cafeteria (can't remember the name) where I was allowed to pick-out anything I wanted even if I couldn't eat it all. On special occasions, I got to go with mom and dad for dinner on the Hill.
When dad was transferred, I remember being sad about leaving. The late site I remember on our way out-of-town was the blinking neon Budweiser sign.
Ironically, my husband, who worked with IBM, was transferred to St. Louis in the early 1980's. We lived in Des Pere. I spend a lot of time going back to old haunts. It was nostalgic for him as well as he played with the Cardinal organization for five years, spending one year on the roster in St. Louis.
My mom and dad have both died but provided me with a wonderful life and wonderful memories. I would love to hear from anyone that might have attended Sherwood Day School (1954-1957) or danced at Carmen's.
does anyone remember the " crows nest" street car that ran from the delmar loop to the top of creve coeur park back in the 20's & 30's ? a dinky car that carryed only about 25 people. I used to take it when I went to u-city swimming pool .
In response to a post on 03/05/2013. In answer to your question on the "crows nest" street car, I've heard about it. My grandmother live in the city on Biddle St., she and her friend Josey would get the street car and ride it all the way to Creve Couer Park. My grandfather live in Overland and would walk to Midland Blvd. to catch a ride to the Lake, so my grandparents met on the street car and eventually got married.
Post from Mel Galster [email protected] (3/12/2013)
I was born in 1950 and lived on 2133 Stansbury Ave which was a block away from Chippewa and Broadway in South St. Louis. Just like your email, I went to the Melvin Theater to watch Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon beach blanket movies. As a matter of fact, my best friend Joe Fernandez's sister worked at the Steak and Shake as a carhop and was a dead ringer for Annette Funicello. I worked for a couple of years as a stock boy at Morris Variety Store on Cherokee and California.
Again, my best friend Joe Fernandez, worked at St. Anthony Hospital at Grand and Chippewa as an orderlie. I went to Roosevelt High School from 1964 through 1968 and bowled at Du-Bowl on Gravois and Bowling Grand on Grand Ave with the Roosevelt High School team. I lived on Fairview Ave, one half block away from Pizza -A -Go-Go that you referred to. While in high school, my Friday and Saturday night dates usually included the Ritz and Shenandoah Theaters on Grand Ave. In 1966, I graduated to drive-ins and a car and always attended the 66 Park-In on Chippewa and Ronnie's Drive-in that you referred to in your letter.
Growing up on Broadway and Chippewa, most of my summer days were spent playing ball at Minniewood Park on Broadway and Meramac. A number of my friends got married at the VFW Hall on South Broadway and our daily hangout Ted Drews on Meramac and Grand.
I played baseball while in high school for St. Thomas Aquinas on Iowa Ave. After college, I played baseball for Watterson's Tavern as the Watterson's Water Buffaloes. I purchased parts for my 1960 Plymouth at Ron Barr's Auto Parts on Chippewa and Compton. As a kid, I swam daily at the Marquette Pool for a $1 per afternoon session.
I met and married a gal from New Jersey at college in Oklahoma and have 3 great kids who grew up in Bridgeton, MO. My name is Mel Galster and I appreciate sharing your memories of South St. Louis.
hi do you remember "wild's palace of poison" on Lemay Ferry, where steak & shake is now. ? also, in the 30's & 40's was "nehi" soda & "RC cola"
Post from Maurice Bulus (4/4/2013)
Dave, I am a SATL native, born and raised SLUH, SLU, Drewes, cards, Imos babay….and Luigis….wow many great memories on Watson Rd. I miss it. I rememeber the owner was robbed and shot making a deposit late at night, did he survive?
Post from Gene Kain (4/4/2013)
I grew up in Shrewsbury and my phone number was Sterling 1-5718. I remember hanging out at Ned Steins Drug Store that had a great soda fountain. You could buy a coke, a pack of baseball cards and a Superman comic book for a quarter. I remember taking the bus to Maplewood and hanging out at Katz Drug Store and getting pictures taken in the photo booth. My family would go out to eat at Cassani's on the Hill where a man named Johnnie barbequed ribs and hamburgers in a shack adjoining the resturant. I remember going to Dr. Catanzaro on Clifton with a $5 bill to cover my visit. No appointment necessary but sometimes you waited for hours to see the doc. I attended St. Michael the Archangel School where we had 60 students in my 6th grade taught by Sister Herman Joseph SSND. Always some good fights in the school yard after the German Irish game that the nuns broke up but never any suspensions for fighting. It was a great place to grow up.
Post from Millie (Weis) Hea (4/4/2013)
I've been on a quest to nail down some particulars on the Public Swimming Pools in Jefferson Barracks in 1950-51. After questioning many Historians at JB, we're coming up with a JB trolley that took up where the Broadway Car left off, and it brought you to a swimming pool off Gregg Rd. in the park. We think it was the enlisted men's pool up to 1946 when the Barracks closed. They believe that this was the one that the County opened to the public. We know there was another pool near the RR tracks by the river. That was possibly for the Officers and may not have become a public pool after 1946. But my big question is: Was there ever a pool in what is now Sylvan Springs Park in 1960 to be specific? Contact Millie (Weis) Hea: [email protected] Sylvan Springs Park was part of the Barracks. The sunken garden there use to be the "Beverage Garden" for the Barracks. Hope someone can respond. Oh, and if you did go to JB Pool in1950 or 51, do you remember a Dad with a small boy named Bubba and a small girl (forgot her name). He use to tie their hands and feet and have them swim the length of the pool underwater. At the end of the pool, he pulled them out and if they cried he threw them back in ".....so they wouldn't develope a fear of the water." He eventually was in the TV news. Thanks
Post from Sandra Barry (Lawson) - now residing in Scottsdale, AZ (4/7/2013)
I went to Eliot Elementary School in the late 50's and 60's. I will always remember being on the merry-go-round when I heard that JFK had been shot. I was worried about Caroline. There was a girls' side and a boys' side at the school. I loved that building, and went exploring in the attic during recess with Billy Turnbull. There was an old bell up there and lots of really old school desks, and it was very dusty. As we were coming down, the door opened and Billy quickly hid behind some mops. Mr. Leonard, our 8th grade teacher, pulled back the mops (I was still at the top of the stairs) and asked Billy what he was doing there. He meekly responded that he was hiding. I laughed so hard, so of course I was caught, too. Miss Wernle was my kindergarten teacher. She had a pockmarked complexion and short, tight curls, and seemed to always wear brown. I was so afraid of her and I never thought she liked me. My second grade teacher had crippled hands (I don't remember her name) and she called me "Saundra" (my name was Sandra). I often did not understand her and when she was teaching us time, I thought she was saying "half-assed" the hour instead of half-past, so it did not go well when I was asked the time on the big yellow clock with blue hands. We had gym twice a week and we wore those blue "monkey suits." I was so proud when I got the President's Physical Fitness badge ... knee bends, sit-ups, push-ups. Someone asked about the confectionery across the street, and it was Eileen's. She ran it with her husband (can't remember his name). There was a malt shop across from school on the girls' side for a bit, and they had good burgers and dogs, but they didn't last long. I think the crossing guard's name at the island was Grace. My mother worked at the Basket Bar for some of that time and I was able to get great lunches there. They put beer in their ketchup to make it stretch. I loved the big round sink in the girls' bathroom for washing hands ... you stepped on the ring around the bottom and water sprayed out. Mr. Hannebrink was the principal and Mrs. Rasche was the secretary. We square danced with the boys. We had a spring talent show. We did a field trip to the Lincoln Memorial in Springfield, Illinois and had a night on the Admiral. Recess was so much fun in those days ... you could play kickball, jump rope, hop skotch, tetherball, or just hang out on the swings or the merry-go-round. Oh, and we played dodgeball with a leather ball. One year there were so many students enrolled that some classes were moved to the auditorium and into the hallways. We had blue light lice checks in the nurses' office. My favorite memory of all? Singing "Silent Night" as we left school for the last time to begin our CHRISTMAS break. These were special times.
Post from [email protected] (4/11/2013)
in the 30's our phone number was HI-1260 & lived on Reber Place. very few people had cars, everyone else used the street cars & busses. the Tower Grove street car loop was 2 blocks away. we rented our house for $25. a month.
how many remember the old comic strips from years ago, when they were REALLY funny, such as Judge Puffle, Bringing Up Father (with Maggie &Jiggs), popeye, Orphan Annie, ( I will think of more later).
I thought of more comic strips: Ella Cinders - Captain Kidd - Mutt & Jeff - Barney Google - Flash Gordon - Lil Abner Dick Tracy - Little Orphan Annie - these were all through the depression era, to help people take their minds off bad times.
Post from Pam Harster (4/28/2013)
In December of 2012 someone was looking for a bakery in South St. Louis that sold a peanut coffee cake. That has to be Carondelet Bakery (Doerings) and, yes they are still in business selling peanut cake, stolen, cheese cake, plum cake, grape cake, gooey butter cake and more. My grandparents took me there in the 1960's and my Dad use to go there in the 30's and 40's. It's the oldest bakery in St. Louis. I live in Ohio now but ALWAYS go back to this bakery every trip. Great people and wonderful old fashioned baked goods.
Just found your web-site and wanted to add some of my St. Louis memories. Gethsemane Lutheran (Grade) School -- South St. Louis in Lemay (the old school long ago torn downand homes built on that site), I remember everyone loving our kindergarten teacher there -- Miss Steinborn -- we all thought she was "beautiful" -- boys and girls alike, although I remember hearing some adult "whisper" about her being an "old maid" and "spinster" -- As a child, I hadn't a clue what that meant. Miss Steinborn eventually left the school -- quit and GOT MARRIED. I remember she wrote the word "AIN'T" on a slip of paper, put it in a matchbox and took all of us kids to the playground where we all ceremoniously buried that word and promised to NEVER say it again. I went to that school till the sixth grade (1961) when it was torn down and replaced by the new school. I remember riding the bus to school and occasionally having some child throw-up on the bus. The driver then would have to stop and throw some "red sawdust" he kept in a coffee can, on that mess. I remember it smelling worse than the original throw-up and all of us kids would be gagging. The old school had a basement which housed the "cafeteria" where everyone sat to eat lunch. Some kids bought lunch (I think parents paid weekly for that privilege). Most of us brought our lunches in our favorite tin "lunch boxes" -- the ones with the matching thermos bottles. Also in the basement was a recreation area where we played dodgeball or square-danced inside when the weather was too cold or wet to go outside for recess. The playground outside had swings, slide, teeter totter and monkey bars -- and yes it was mostly gravel where we fell down and skinned our knees. There was no school nurse -- just your teacher with a bottle of methiolate ?? -- a pinkish-orange liquid that was dabbed on your "wound" with a glass dropper -- and gosh it stung! We played outside almost every school day and when we came in there was a "cloak" room to hang our coats and leave our muddy boots/overshoes. Kids don't grow up like that anymore.
Did the Four Freshman Sing during 1/2 Time at the St Louis Hawks Basketball Games at the Kiel Auditorium in the 1950,s It seems like I first remember hearing them there??
Post from Don Babchick (5/14/2013)
Your question about the Four Freshman singing at half time of the St. Louis Hawks game is definitely a possibility. The Hawks on Saturday nights after the games would have dancing and entertainment. They would clear the stage at the one end and have bands like Duke Ellington, The Four Freshman and others. One of my fondest memories is playing in a an amateur all star game before the Hawks played the Warriors in front of about 6500 people.
I grew up in Bellefontaine Neighbors, north suburbs, on a street named Avant Dr. Born in 1955.
I remember,
Walking to my first day of kindergarten by myself at least 4-5 blocks.
In the summer, we played 'four square' in the street.
We liked to pick the tar from the street repairs, it turned liquid in the summer heat
We rode our bikes in the fog streaming from the mosquito truck
Sleeping on the back porch, no air conditioning
My mom hung wet sheets in the door ways with fans blowing in an attempt to keep cool
Winter sledding down our street, skidding to a stop to avoid cars
Going to Bettendorf Rapp to shop with my mom and getting a china set piece at a time
Riding the bus to Baden
Our first TV, console, Zenith and watching Cookie and the Captain
The Vieled Prophet parade and ball
In response to a post of 03/05/2013 I did research on the old right-of-way and found all the old plat maps of the route from the east boundary of Maryland Heights all the way to Creve Coeur Park. It was an interesting project and was a lot fun and interesting history. The City of Maryland used the old right-of-way to access a new city park they built in the 1990s. I remember as a teen ridding from Overland out Dorsett Rd to Creve Coeur Park on my bike.
I was looking for some one who remembered lumkulse market on hallsferry rd at least I think that was its name and the redwood restaurant on w Florissant rd
how many of you remember some of the old "gas house gang" cardinals ball players from the 30's & 40's ? such as leo durocher, dizzy dean, daffy dean, etc.
remember in the 50's when "uncle dick slack" the jolly irishman (acually jewish) ran his radio commercials singing, east st louis- that's the place to go "
Post from Ken Bremer (Dallas, Texas) aka Diego Ceja www.diegoceja.com (6/17/2013)
Your website brought some tears. What we had, will never be again. The nurturing of the 50's, 60's is gone, but it sure is fun to remember how lucky we were to grow up in such a wonderful society and community.
I grew up in Affton. I am 57. Here are some things that I remember so fondly:
Sing-a-longs on the school bus, to and from grade school.
Trick or treating in the neighborhood... without need of chaperons. (Parents today would want to know what planet this was on.)
Frankie's Twin Pools and Springdale Pool, Fenton I think is correct.
The Veiled Prophet Parade...back then it was still PC:)
Chuck-a-Burger
Steak n Shake Chinaman's Castle
The Drive-in on 66 in Chesterfield, Park 66 (Please feel free to edit any mistakes I make in names)
Chesterfield Mall and Sears, when it was still the best dept. store your had.
The wooden escalators to the upper floors, downtown Famous-Barr.
Being treated to the Mississippi Room, downstairs, Famous-Barr Westroads??? (only kids from St Louis can always spell Mississippi)
Boy Scouts and camping, Troop 200
Summer camp at Boy Scout Camp S Bar F.
Swimming at Elephant Rocks
That wonderful doughnut shop on Watson(? you know which one, the small white buiding, best doughnuts in history) I Google Earthed it, and IT IS STILL THERE!!
Ted Drew's, somewhat up the road from it.
Grant's Farm
The St. Louis Zoo!!!!!!
Shaw's garden
Larry's Frozen Poor Boy Sandwiches (I think these were mid-west regional) Delete if you want.
McDonald's fires, pre-1967!
The Parkmore Restaurant.. Fried Chicken...near the Zoo.
The Green Parrot Restaurant
Luigi's onion rings, after a date (yeah we didn't have a lot of money).
Pizza from IL Visuvio, across from Chesterfield Mall. I worked there, I remember Carlo Casalo, the owner, and Moe the bar tender. I worked there at 16 making pizza. Moe always had a gun on him and was also Carlo's driver...yup real mafia guys. In fact the only people who dined "in" were Italian family. (please edit anything you want)
Charlotte Peters! My mom would watch her every afternoon.
Has anyone mentioned Stan Kan(n) the organist?
The Avalon, and particularly, The Granada theaters. I was so sad to see that they are both gone.
That's all I can think of for now...I'm sure I have lots more, since I lived there 22 years of the first part of my life. I often Google Earth my neighborhood, and am shocked at how it has NOT changed, except the trees are bigger.
I have just found out about St. Louis Memories and have a few comments to post.
I also lived on Garfield St. and went to Bates Grade School.
In reference to Margaret's posting 2001-03 and Don Kinder 3/5/04 I lived down the street at 3938a, The Bogardus's (son Norman) lived in the flat below.
I had always been curious about the Penrod Mansion. I had always believed that the Penrod's had moved in the 20's or 30's and had not idea that it wasn't until 1945 that they had moved. I do not know who originally built that house. Whomever, had plenty of money. The house was out of place in that neighborhood.
Kids in the neighborhood played in that house. It had a total of ten rooms. There were three rooms in the basement and three rooms on the second floor. On the first floor were three rooms and the Kitchen was in the back. All of the room with the exception of the Kitchen had fireplaces. The entry steps were Marble and on each side was large pieces of Marble. When you entered the house, the was a staircase leading to the second floor. Under that staircase were steps leading to the basement. From the second floor in the rear, there was a Spiral Staircase leading to the Kitchen. Attached to the back of the house were two large rooms. Beneath one of the rooms was a flooded room and I was told that it went down three stories. In the back yard there was a building that had garage space for four vehicles. Also in the back yard was a Spring that came up, ran for about 15-20 feet and then back into the ground
The store that sold Chickens was owned by a family with the name of "Pecters" (not a pun). They lived in the house immediately behind the store. Every day they would spread red saw duct on the floor and then sweep it.
I do remember that June had the Confectionary on N. Market and Vanterventer.
In those day, taverns were the adults socialized. On Garfield and Vanterventer was Ben and Mary's, On N. Market and Vanvetventer was Murphy's. On Prairie and N. Market was Joe's.
As a kid of about 7 or 8 years of age, we had an old man by the name of Jess who was a watchman of sorts at Wuestings Packing house and I would take his open quart beer bail and for .15 get it filled at Ben and Mary's.
It was a super neighborhood.
An item that I forgot to add to my last posting occurred in 1948/49 time frame.
One thing that we grew up with was that the Penrod Mansion was haunted.
A girl (Mary Birchkus) who lived across the street from me and I were going to the Peckters for her mother. We were walking behind the Penrod Mansion and we heard a chopping sound coming from the one of the two small attached rooms at the rear.
We looked in and there was this lady, (Mrs. Curtis) who lived on the bottom floor of the flats immediately next to the Penrod Mansion and she was chopping kindling.
Mary Birchkus in a loud voice said "Chop, Chop Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Curtis threw the hatchet in the air and ran out of the building.
As kids we thought that was really funny.
I distinctly remember, as a kid getting pizza from the pizza wagon. It would park in a parking lot on St. Charles Rock Road and drive to that area walk up and order our pizza and wait in the car until it was ready. My mom, sister and I seem to be the only ones who remember. I thought maybe you could help find some additional pizza wagon memories out there.
Post from Sandy - Class of '65, Affton High School (7/20/2013)
To Ken Bremer who posted a few before this one. Ken, you are the one that said you are 57 and grew up in Affton. I am 66 and I did too. You asked for corrections - so...when you kept referring to "Chesterfield" Mall and IL Vesuvio across from "Chesterfield" Mall and also talking about the 66 Park In drive in theater in "Chesterfield", I think you may mean CRESTWOOD. BTW, Crestwood Mall is soon to be yet another St. Louis Memory. I too, have the fond memories of our Affton and surrounding neighborhoods, we were indeed blessed with where we were raised.
Post from Tom (7/31/2013)
At age 71 lot's of memories of life in St Louis...North St Louis, Glascow at Natural Bridge...could smell the Krey Packing House in summer, the Elmers Hot Tamales were made in basement of Confectionary Glascow at Barrett St, had alley behind house, old man with wagon would come by every week yell " Rags Rags" would buy sell or trade rags, we would throw rocks at his horse and holler " Sheany " no idea what that meant, had soda fountain at Schaums Drug store Natural Bridge and Grand Ave...had Speedys Sandwich Shop there as well..went to Northside Show , Lindell Show on Grand, put pennies on streetcar tracks to make them flat, went to Irving School on 25 th at Parnell, Mrs Rallo had snow cone stand .05 in front yard also had candy apples....10 cents went to Salisbury Show to see Tarzan movies on Sat for .10 cents, rode bikes on N Broadway, would hold onto backs of trucks would really go fast, would sneak into Fox Show as a pal was usher, would take clothes props and trash can lids from older womens yards, played Knights jousting, played ball and went fishing and swimming in Fairgrounds Park , went to Forest Park Highlands for school Picnics, would march on 25th St and then ride bus to Highlands, went to Farmers Grove on HallsFerry at Chambers for church picnics, learned to Duck and Cover with AirRaid Drills at Grade school, moved to HallsFerry Circle area in early 1960's then Spanish Lake area, then to Chicago Ill. Came back here in 1975, now live Creve Coeur...long way from N St Louis
Hope these memories are shared by others, Thanks for your Site.
Response to a 07/19/2013 thread about the Pizza Wagon.
If you go to a web site " I grew up or had friends in Overland Missouri" who will find some conversation about the Pizza Wagon. The man who owned it was a guy named Charlie (don't know the last name, but it is listed on the site). For years he drove around Overland, St. Ann, St. John selling snow cones off the back of his truck. If you didn't have money you could pay him in soda bottles.
Charlie was a great guy and I think he and his wife had the pizza wagon at St. Charles Rock Road and McKelvey in Bridgeton for years on the corner of a gas station lot.
Post from Joyce Miller (8/19/2013)
I just thought of another great memory. There was a neat burger place on DeBaliviere called "The Goodie Train" where your food was delivered by a train that ran on a track on the counter. I also forgot on the way home from the park we would stop at Greenleas or Velvet Freeze. Another fav things was stopping at Garavelli's on DeBaliviere so Joe would give us bread sticks. Their fried fish was yummy and I didn't even like fish in those days
Post from Linda Strautmann (8/19/2013)
So many memories. I miss my childhood. It was so fun growing up with 8 of us kids during the 1950's & 1960's. The third house we lived in was in south St. Louis on Meramec Street across from Bailey Farm Dairy. Brown Shoe factory was behind our house. Every day the workers would walk past our front yard. Sometimes we sold them "box turtles" for 50cents that we found at Valley Lake (we had a summer cottage that our parents built so we could go there on weekends to swim and fish about 40 miles from St Louis). We would also dig worms and sell them to a neighbor for fishing. We were about 6-7 years old.
We had a very large family 39 first cousins. My mom and aunts took us to be on TV "Cookie and Captain" show. We took up the entire audience with the exception of 1 little boy. It was so much fun. We got a large shopping bag full of goodies from the sponsors of the show. My brother was one of the mates on the show as well as 2 of my other cousins -- he won an ant farm but my mom wouldn't let him send for the ants. My parents also took us to Forest Park at lot when we were growing up especially the zoo, Muny Opera (where we sat in the free seats in the back), Steinberg Skating Rink, the art museum, art hill to watch the colored fountain lights. I remember attending my uncle's wedding when I was 12 years old at a big hotel in downtown St. Louis and it was the night of the Veiled Prophet parade --- which was right outside of the hotel so we got to go and watch it.
It was so much fun. Went to Resurrection of our Lord Church and School till 4th grade then went to Assumption of our Lord in South County. Attended Lindbergh High for 2 years and then 2 years at Northwest High in House Springs, Mo after we moved to Lake Fon Du Lac in Fenton, Mo. We lived in about 8 houses from 1951 - 1973. My dad loved to build houses--- it was always fun helping with the new construction of our house. I am enjoying your site. We moved to Largo/Clearwater, Florida in 1973. ----
I'm looking for the Names of a Ladies Dress Shop & also a Men's Clothing store in the Warson Woods Shopping Center in the 1970,s They were both Upscale not Goldie's but the name of the Ladies might have been Josephine,s ??
Is Joan thinking about Arthur's (womens clothes) and/or Boyd's (both men's and women's clothes)?
Born at Jewish Hospital on Kingshighway in 1951.
We lived in U. City and moved to Ladue (on Conway Road about 2 miles west of Lindberg) in 1957 or so. Our phone number was Hempstead (HE2-5119) and our postal code was 31 (now 63131).
On Saturdays when in Grade School (Wright Elementary School, around 1960) my friends and I would meet at the Campbell's gas station on Lindberg and Conway Road because there was a bus stop there. We would leave our bicycles (unlocked) at the station and catch the bus (for free because we were under 12) which would take us to Crossroads Shopping Center (now the Galleria in Clayton) where we would change busses and catch a bus that took us downtown to Sportsman's Park. We got into the ball game for free (or maybe it was 25 cents) because we were under 12. We would watch the Cards play and then after the game we would wait outside and they would come out and sign autographs. Boy, I wish I had kept all of those. We then would catch busses for the return trip—all without our parents or any adult being involved. St. Louis was so-o-o safe.
We would go to the zoo and look at Phil the Gorilla. We would go to the Arena to watch the Greatest Show on Earth. We would go to the Winterland for ice skating where you could wear speed skates and zoom around the rink.
In high school we used to love eating at Chuck-a-burger. Their Chuck-a-pizza burger was exceptional. For prom dinners we would go to Gaslight Square where one night our table was adjacent to one where Lorne Green was eating dinner. As we left the restaurant and walked past his table we all hummed the theme song to Bonanza. We used to love going to the Washington U. fair or whatever it was called and get "near beer" which was something with a little alcohol but not as much as a real beer.
There was no finer pizza or salad than you could get at Nino's on Olive Street.
Life was great back then.
Post from Neeni Gherardini (9/29/2013)
My name is Neeni Gherardini and I lived on Riley st. at the corner of Water street next to my cousins Rog's tavern the Roc and Rog. I love this sight. We left St. Louis in 53 but came back often because my dad thought it was the only vacation spot in the world. My neighborhood was called vinager hill the l as it was one of the oldest Italian areas.
Post from Peggy (10/1/2013)
WOW!!! How awesome! Lived on Pestalozzi and Michigan from 1950 till 1964. Then moved to Affton. I went to St. Wenceslaus grade school. Graduated in 1964. I remember those Notre Dame Nuns! Their habits were so big, they could not see from side to side. Let us get away with a lot! Boys sat on one side of the room, girls on another. 2 play grounds. One for boys one for girls. We wore uniforms and no matter how hot or cold, we went outside for recess! The girls were lucky. We had a big vent that blew out hot air, from the cafeteria, so we would all huddle together around it, praying for the nun to come out and ring the big school bell. After lunch we were allowed to line up at the candy closet to buy a big nickel candy bar. Kutis Funeral Home was right across the street from the school. We would sneak in and look at the dead bodies. In the front of the church was a beautiful statue of Mary holding Jesus when he was taken down from the cross. One day a few of us girls were praying in front of it. To this day.......I believe the statue moved. We all looked at each other and ran out to tell our teacher. All I know was that the church was closed for the day. The statue was removed. I think of that often and wonder if anyone ever heard of it.
Peggy sent this from her AWESOME i Pad that her beautiful daughter and son in law gave her. I am so blessed!
Post from ? (10/23/2013)
my uncle was the fire captain at engine house 34 at broadway & davis for many years named fred meyer. he knew many people in that area. he retired in 1960.
Post from william guinan (11/9/2013)
Playing stick ball at the old bus station botanical and thurman . Going tom boy store on 39 Th street my mom worked there . Going to ragazzi , waiting for tennis ball in tower grove park so we could play fuzz ball . Fishing for gold fish in tower grove park . Vevet frezze good. Looking at the crazy lite antena on top of the bank on south grand chippawa . Paper boy , church at st margrets of scott land , soccer, bair park one ball 22 Kids and nun with whistle . Bevo days , hill days before the fire works disaster . The ymca on grand and the j and k club . Sinclair station on grand that checked your oil cleaned your windows . St pats parade in dog town , the arena . When imos was open on thurman . Staying out late playing tag in st louis and no one worried , my dad yelling it is time come home from four blocks away . Watermelon stand by Thurmurs tavern on cheerkee st . Ben franklin next sears store , the candy section at sears. 905 Stores , southtown famouss barr , old woolworth downtown . Macs cafe on st louis and 16Th street beer pool, and booky . Waiting for Dad with Mom to get off work at Mqueen norris piston ring factory on the hill , now the bocci ball club . St louis cardinal bleachers . Flying kite at cheerokee park . The granada show . THATS for this web site I miss st louis real bad .
Post from Dale Mullaney (11/11/2013)
Dave, I have enjoyed reading the St Louis Memories for a long time. As I get older it becomes even more fun to remember some of the times we spent in South St. Louis. I went to Long School and served as a Patrol Boy at the corner of Delor and Gravios, in front of MacDougell's Furniture Store. I Graduated from Cleveland High School in '49. Cleveland was great. We had a wonderful music program and gave a Spring show and a Musical or Operetta (such as Robin Hood, Good News and Wizard of Oz) every year. I was member of the Gymnastics Team coached by Doc Sailor.
My memories were refreshed by a tour of Varrelman Ave with my adult children and Grandchildren. Last week. We stood outside Bevo Mill. I often wondered as a teen if I would ever have enough money to eat there. I explained that the bar called the Yacht Club in the basement of Bevo was miles from the nearest water, the stalwart Mississippi River, and there were no Yachts to speak of in Carondelete.
Great Memories treasured by an ever decreasing audience.
Post from Peggy Beauford (Johnson) [email protected] (12/8/2013)
I have great memories of growing up in South St Louis in the 7800 block of Minnesota. I went to Blow elementary and Lyon elementary schools up to 1958. I have great memories of the foot long hot pretzels on the corner by Donhachs every Sat. morning, buying a soda for 5 cents or a whole bag of candy for 5 cents. Use to go to the show on Michigan St. every Friday night. I enjoyed donuts every Sat. morning from a little bakery a couple blocks away, cant remember the name and there use to be a hamburger place a couple blocks away had the best hamburgers, kind of like white castle only better. Remember kipps candy store on south Broadway. And loved those Bonnie Buttered beef steaks we use to get, cant get them any more. When I was a kid there was nothing to be afraid of, walked all over, never had to worry about being picked up or raped. Every once in a while I go back and look at where I was raised, I cant believe how much it has changed or should I say the people have changed. Played ball at St Boniface school yard all the time. Played bottle caps in the ally. I was born right by Soulard market but parents moved to south St Louis when I was just a year or so old. It was really nice reading some of the same memories I have from others. Later when I was around 28 I moved to Florissant and Ferguson , Berkeley and now live in Wappapello Mo and raise yorkshire terrier for some 36 years. I would be great if we could all unite at some time for a day of remembering and fellowship and all bring a dish, what a nice and wonderful day that would be. Its been great sharing some of my memories with you all. Have a Blessed day. Peg
I was born and raised in St. Louis in 1945. I was the first Miss Teenage St. Louis in1961 from Brentwood High, Miss St. Louis in 1962 & 1963. I was a dancer and performed every year on the Admiral Boat and on the Charlotte Peters Show. Gaslight Square, the Admiral, and double-header games with the Cardinals were date night. fond memories of Ronnie's Drive-in and the Parkmoor. Always looked forward to going downtown to Famous&Barr with my Grandma for their famous Chicken Salad. Road on the wooden rickety roller coaster and roller skated in the collisium more times than I can remember. I will always have my best memories of my twenty years there.
I'm so glad to see someone posted recently. This is such a great web page. I grew up in the University City, Overland, Hanley Hills area, I graduated from Normandy High School in 1960, went to Mercy High School for two years and All Saints Grade School. I loved the Delmar Loop,went to the Tivoli and Varsity Theater's. Enjoyed the street cars and shopping in Wellston, Downtown and Northwest Plaza.
Post from ?(3/12/2014)
I stumbled onto your site by accident. Here are my memories of St Louis. I grew up in Velda Village close to Pine Lawn, in Normandy School District. I spent many Saturdays at Hodge's Roller Rink in Pine Lawn. Ridging my bike all over the neighborhood and up to the library on St Charles Rock Road. Sledding on the fringes of Greenwood Cemetery. Arriving early and picnicking in the free seats before the show at the Muny. Ice cream on special occasions at Cyrano's. School picnic's at Chain of Rock's amusement park. Horse back riding at Ace Stables.
Post from happyFeet (5/22/2014)
I am on your page of memories of North St Louis especially the Baden Area,I used to live in Baden on Gimblin Avenue,my family and I went to Mt. Carmel and then I got married June22,1974 at Holy cross,
I can remember The wedge in baden on Broadway at Xmas time with the big tree decorated and lights strung up all the way down broadway and hearing Xmas carols playing, especially Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and even today when I hear the song a flood of memories come back and they are good memories.
Baden was great to grow up in ,you could walk anywhere without being in fear of loosing your life,to muggings or gunfire.
Our neighborhood used to have block parties where all the neighbors used to hang out on a fellow neighbors porch during late nights.
Kids used to wait for Roy the snowcone man to come around at night,everyone knew their neighbors and everyone cared for each other and the caring aspect showed as the grownups took car of the kids on the block.
Yards and houses were kept up and no grafitti was written on walls ,businesses were booming not like now when places are empty and boarded up,because of crack houses and pimps and hookers walking the streets.
The change baden has undergone is not a good change ,people are afraid of living in baden because of the inhabitants living there,it really is a shame as the people make up each of the neighborhoods of St,Louis and none of them are like they once were.
People are scared,and they feel betrayed ,I am sure many a person who lived in Baden in the early 70-80s would move back in a heartbeat if the neighborhoods especially in North St Louis would move back in ,but who wants to live in an area where crack houses exist and where police and firemen do not want to go into a neighborhood where people shoot you for doing your job and can you blame them?
My house I grew up in has been torn down three times and rebuilt it is now a crack house and a child molester has lived there, and it really angers me that things changed ,no one give s a damn anymore they feel that living in an area of squalor and meaness is okay .but do not go there because you do not live in that dark world and you want no part of it.
I hope you publish this page as ther are a lot of people who feel as I do,after living and growing up in baden.
Post from Judy Morse Braddy (5/31/2014)
All I can say is Thank you,
I just found this, I live in Texas now.
I only spent 20 years in North County, Riverview Gardens and Bellefountaine Neighbors .
We are having our 50th Class reunion in Sept. in St. Charles, so if any grads are from 1964, contact Jerry Pelker or Karen Lederele Dickson.
I will tell all about this sight. I have tears running down my cheeks remembering along with everyone else.
I remember, I sat waiting for my mother at the downtown dress shop where I rode up on a wooden movable stairs and sat and petted two white sheep standing next to the clothing department, Stuffed pretend sheep.
I remember, going to hear the musicals at the park, and the art museum, where I got ill on the floor close to the steps going down to the first level.
I remember the Arch being built and having a High School field trip at the old French Catholic church and seeing for the first time our new president from Texas,LBJ, only a few days after the death of JFK. We interviewed the police in the hotel and asked why he was visiting St. Louis. We missed the school bus and had to call my boy friend to pick us up at the hotel. So sorry about going on. But thank you.
Post from Ed Farber (6/1/2014)
I was poking around looking for information on Food Centers in St. Louis and your site popped up. I've been browsing here for hours reliving my own memories as your contributors were reciting theirs. My name is Ed Farber. I'm 82 now and was born and raised in St. Louis. From 1932 to 1954 I lived in four different houses in the 1300 block of Clara Avenue between Minerva and Ridge in the northwest part of the city where I spent most of my childhood, poor but didn't really know it. I attended Emerson School on Page and Arlington (the building is still there but it hasn't been a school for a long time) and Blewett High.
Most of my younger years revolved around a neighborhood settlement house called Council House on Wells Avenue at Temple. It was established to give the poorer kids in the neighborhood a place to hang out that was safe and supervised. I was a member of a club at Council House called the Panthers which was started in 1943, and some of us who were in that club back then still meet for coffee every Friday, aches and pains permitting.
The Food Center I was looking for was, I think, located on Page and Hamilton. Anyone remember? I worked there as a kid, stocking and bagging. I'm revising my book of humorous anecdotes about St. Louis, entitled "Looking Back with a Smile" available as an ebook on Amazon, and your site of memories helped me remember many more of my own. By the way, for those who remember all the old radio shows like the Lone Ranger, I Love a Mystery, Red Skelton, etc. here's a link that will let you relive those old shows: http//dumb.com
Just found this GREAT website last night. Have not had much time to spend reading through it yet, but will most certainly make that time in the very near future.
Post from James Steven Clement (6/11/2014)
My name is Jim Clement and I was born in Saint Joseph's hospital on 18 June 1955. Most folks from Maplewood would have known me as Steve Gutierrez in those days. I currently reside in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here are a few of my Saint Louis memories in no particular order:
First place I recall living - 7401 Zephyr Place in Maplewood. The building still stands.
Kindergarten and First grade at Lyndover Elementary School, located at the intersection of Sutton Avenue and Zephyr Place. The building no longer exists.
Second through Sixth grade at Valley Elementary School in Maplewood. The building no longer exists.
Mr. Softee Ice Cream trucks driving through our neighborhood.
The Pevely Milkman made deliveries to our house.
"Johnny Rabbit" on KXOK AM 630.
Appearing on a "Corky the Clown" episode. Cliff St. James who used to do the news was "Corky" on Saturday mornings.
Jim Bolan (Sp?) who was a weatherman playing Cookie, the Captains First Mate on the KPLR Channel 11 Riverboat show.
Watching "Captain Kangaroo" on a black and white television. Bunny Rabbitt and Dancing Bear were my favorite characters.
Watching the United States enter the "Space Race" launching Alan Sheppard on our country's first manned spaceflight.
Going to the Fireman's Rodeo at the Arena, and shaking the hand of Michael Landon and Dan Blocker who played "Little Joe" and "Hoss" respectively, on the "Bonanza" TV series.
Riding my bicycle behind the mosquito fogger truck that came through our neighborhood.
Receiving the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated while sitting in Mrs. Robinson's Third grade class.
Beginning to take drum lessons at the Kennedy-Brownie Music store at age ten. Mr. Hoffman was my instructor. He worked for the U.S. Post Office as a mail carrier during the day, and taught drums during the evenings.
Seventh and Eighth grade at Maplewood-Richmond Heights Junior High School, meeting the first black people in my lifetime. I was thirteen years of age.
Marching with the Greater St. Louis Demolay Drum and Bugle Corps 1968 to 1970. We used to practice at Moolah Temple on Lindell Boulevard one night each week. Some of the names I recall from that time are Leonard Pennock (Bugle), Terry Houser or Hauser (Snare Drum), Charley Ault (Bugle), Jean Chard Jr. (Bugle). Jean's father was the Band Instructor when I attended Maplewood-Richmond Heights Senior High School from 1969 to 1973. During my freshman year, Dr. Ferdinand del Pizzo was the principal. Warren Detering was the Vice-Principal. Mr. Detering would occasionally administer some much needed discipline with a paddle made out of wood with some holes drilled into it. He called it "applying the Board of Education to the Seat of Wisdom" (Chuckle). Sad that this practice has been allowed to lapse in our schools today . . .
Attending the last game at Sportsman's Park, and the first game at Busch Stadium. That day was a double-header. We saw the first game at Sportsman's Park, then got in our cars to travel to Busch Stadium for the second game.
Cardinals Bat days.
Shaking the hand of Bob Gibson. To my mind, he is one of the greatest Cardinals ever. The chips weren't really down when Big Bob was on the mound . . .
Lou Brock. One of the greatest base stealers the world has ever seen. . .
". . . and it's a long fly ball . . . deep left . . . way back, way back, WWWWAAAAYYYY BACK . . . it looks like . . . it might be . . . HOLY COW!! IT IS!!!! A Home Run!" The sweetest song a Cardinals fan could ever hope to hear, sung by the immortal Harry Caray. Jack Buck and Harry Caray, the greatest broadcast team ever!
Marching in the Veiled Prophet Parade every year from 1968 to 1973. What a thrill that was!
Going to my first dance with Carol Perdue after baseball league ended. I was around ten or eleven at the time. Paul Revere and the Raiders provided the music.
Going to watch the trains at the switchyard from the old Fyler Avenue Bridge. Or was it a Trestle?
Reading "The Bugle" newspaper published by Don Fanetti. That man had a wonderful sense of humor.
Listening to Leo Chears Jazz show on KSD late at night. There never was anybody like Leo, and there never will be. That was one Cool Cat! I knew him personally during my high school years. He had a huge influence on my love of Jazz. Proper Jazz - - - not the Kenny G. crap. Big Sid Catlett, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Cannonball Adderley, Charley Mingus, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, et al. The list could go on forever. Leo "The Man in the Red Vest" needs to have his star on the Saint Louis Walk of Fame. In the '60's and '70's - - - that man kept Jazz alive for a lot of us who did not care for the Beatles. It could reasonably be argued that Leo was the Savior of St. Louis Jazz in much the same way that Babe Ruth saved Baseball.
Stocking up on White Castle burgers before a High School football game. Seven cents each in those days.
The McDonalds on Manchester Boulevard offered the "All-American Meal". Burger, fries, and a Coke for forty-seven cents.
My first kiss from Elaine Bundy, a Southside girl from Mehlville.
Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps at the Recruiting Station in Overland. Gunnery Sergeant Nickerson was my recruiter. May 1973.
Attending my first funeral. My great-uncle Van Morton Sizemore who was married to my great-aunt Bertha Clement. He worked for Jay B. Smith funeral home in Maplewood for quite a few years as a mortician. They had two children, Linda and Sharon. They lived on Zephyr Place in Maplewood.
My paternal Grandfather, Orla George Clement being a Maplewood firefighter when the fire station was located at the corner of Manchester Avenue and Big Bend Blvd. After the station was torn down, they built the White Castle at that location.
Tom-Boy Grocers.
Pressed for time now. Have many, many more to share. Will do so at a later date. Thank you so much for maintaining this website!
Post from Vicki [email protected](9/3/2014)
I'm looking for anyone who knew of the ma and pa markets near Cass AND Mullanphy st 1963. I am looking for a worker there named James-"Big Jim". I could use any information-memories available about the markets that were in that area during the time. I'm trying to locate my family members that worked there and lived in the housing area not too far from there.
Post from Don Yarber (10/28/2014)
I worked at many Katz Drug stores. 7th and Locust, 9th and Washington, Maplewood at Manchester and Sutton, Kirkwood on Lindbergh, and a few others. Great people!
Post from Mary Ellen Stanton (10/28/2014)
At this time of year, I cannot help but remember the wonderful times I had as a kid at Halloween in St. Louis. I lived in Wellston until I was 10. I vividly remember how all the stores had their windows painted with Halloween scenes. My brother and I loved to go from store to store to see what was on the window. We went to Notre Dame on Keinlin Ave. They would always have some kind of a show and then give the kids treat bags afterward.
Then we moved to Florissant in 1955. It was a great place to be a kid. On Halloween the streets were filled with kids going from door to door. In those days people would often ask for a trick and we would sing a song or tell some joke. We often came back to our house two or three times to dump our bags and go out for more. Those were good times.
Post from Pauline Brand (1/9/2015)
My memories of South St.Louis. I lived at 1522 south 11th street. It was part of the LaSalle park neighborhood that was torn down in the 1960's. Such a terrible shame to demolish all those historic homes and almost impossible to find pictures of. I lived in a house that was built in 1844 and that had survived the tornado in the late 1800's. We were one of the few houses in the neighborhood that still had an outside bathroom. We also had a building behind us that contained horse stables and a dirt floor. There is a house in historic Soulard on 8th street that is identical to the house we grew up in. Many of the homes on those streets had the old black wrought iron fences in front of them. I remember: Massmans Confectionary that had the first soft ice cream machine, I believe it was called Dixie Cream, Bill and Marys Confectionary that sold the best raspberry filled donuts, Kleins Confectionary, the original Guardian Angel settlement where the nuns lived where we attended a girls club on Monday evenings: Rose's Tom-Boy grocery where the butcher would make us a bologna sandwich for 5 cents. Sadly all these places were demolished. Vincent's IGA on 12th street, Kroger store on South Broadway, shopping at Soulard Market every Saturday, summer and winter. Then the closest area to shop was on a South Broadway at Rosenthals, and the Big Store. We played at the Kindom House where I went to a cooking class with a teacher named Judy. and a Salvation Army community center that I believe was on 12th street that had a trampoline indoors. I remember the rag man that came through the area, the ice man that drove a wagon pulled by a horse that if you ran behind it in the summer you would be splashed with ice cold water and the hot tamale man. Our next door neighbors, the Scott's who sold snow cones from the front of their home every evening in the summer. We lived one block from St John's where they closed off 11th street for the Ferris wheel they had every year for their school picnic. I remember petting the iron horse head hitching post that sat in front of St Vincent's every morning on my way to pestalozzi grade school. Does anyone remember an elderly teacher from Pestalozzi name Mrs Delcor who had a diamond ring in her nose. I also remember some racial tension in about 1955 pr 1956 where either a news station or police helicopter landed in the school yard. We also attended Madison and Lafayette grade schools and McKinley High School where I was a cheerleader in 68, 69 and 70. I remember Coach Blanke and Frieda Speropolous at McKinley and Cynthia Pillsbury our coach at Lafayette. Some names from the old neighborhood were the Browns, the Stanfields, the Fords, the James's, Mr and Mrs Singlar who were elderly and had a beautiful home right next door to us. We could play outside everyday in the summer until after dark and never be afraid. There was a man that came through the neighborhood who we called Tony Bal-lony My parents always said to stay away from him. I remember the ash pits in the alley where people still burned trash and all the teen age boys who would play bottle caps in the alley behind us. I remember the coal schutes that were on some of the buildings in the neighborhood. We heated the house with oil stoves and we couldn't afford to use the oil to heat with at night. The house would be so cold that Ice formed on the inside of the windows. I wonder if anyone remembers the plastic curtains that you bought at the dime store and the linoleum we bought every couple of years to cover our wood floors. We hung our washed clothes outside in the summer and inside during the winter where the clothes would freeze hard. We ironed our clothes from a basket where you kept them damp from sprinkling them with a soda bottle. The cord for the iron was plugged into a one light bulb cord that hung from the ceiling. The light would move as you ironed. We had screen doors and never locked the main doors. There was no air conditioning and all the windows had screens and they stayed open all night, even if you lived on the first floor. I don't ever remember being off school for snow days and we walked several blocks to school, never even heard of a school bus. I remember everyone went to Dr Wiesbrods office on 12th street and City Hospital if you were really sick. I remember being in Dr Wiesbrods office one day when they brought in a kid named Teddy in my neighborhood who had blown his leg apart with firecrackers I remember eating from lunch wagons that sold sandwiches in City Hospital. I remember the horrible green paint in the basement area at a City Hospital. I remember the old ambulances that went through the neighborhoods and the police paddy wagons. There are such good memories of those days but very hard to explain to the grand children today. Thanks so much for a site where these memories can be recorded.
Post from Ed Wilburn, now living in central CA (1/11/2015)
Great website, here's some of my memories.
First 27 years of my life at the end of Arsenal Street near Maplewood. 1955-1982
Learning to fall asleep from the rumble of the engines from the train yard near the house I grew up in that my Dad built.
Hoping my yard wouldn't flood when River Des Peres overflowed.
Raking and burning leaves in the Fall. I love the Fall in St. Louis.
The fireflies......I miss the fireflies. (and the thunderstorms).
Riding our bikes through the smoke from the mosquito trucks as they drove through our neighborhood. Hey, I'm still here!
The cast iron gaslight street lamps that were converted to electric in my neighborhood.
Katz Drug Store in Maplewood at the corner of Sutton and Manchester. I bought my very first Hot Wheels car when they first came out, in their hobby department downstairs. I bought the very first copy of Rolling Stone Magazine there (wish I still had it). They had a diner counter where I had my very first cherry Coke.
Luigi's Pizza, the first pizza I ever tasted and have not tasted one like it since. I can't even find one in CA that comes close to Imo's.
My first McDonald's hamburger was from the very first McDonald's in MO on Watson Road near where I grew up. They had only been open about a year and I must have been 4 years old.
I used to walk all the way from Arsenal Street down McCausland to Forest Park with a friend when I was 10 and hang out at the zoo and the Art Museum. We even hiked around in the woods. No problem.
Sledding on Art Hill in the winter and trying to make it all the way to the frozen pond at the bottom. (Shades of "It's A Wonderful Life").
My first roller coaster ride on the Bobsled at the Highlands.
Barnum and Bailey's Circus at the Arena. (included an appearance by the 3 Stooges).
My Dad taking me to my first Cardinal's baseball game at Sportsman's Park in 1963.
Watching the Beach Party movies at The 66 Drive In.
Took my first guitar lessons at Kennedy Music in Maplewood.
Always stopped at Velvet Freeze on my way back from High School on Arsenal Street. Best Malts....long walk.
Sneaking out of Southwest High at lunch to go to Burger Chef down the street.
Checking out the bands at "Mary Magdelen's" recreation center on Kings Highway.
Bought my first REAL guitar and amp at Tower Grove Music.
Bought my first waterbed (and other things) at Spectrum Headshop in Webster Groves
Started some bands out of High School (Southwest High) Pegasus, AX and ACTS. Played all over St. Louis area including the Admiral on the River Front. Stages, Ricco's 1&2 (across the river), Rusty Springs Saloon, The Fifth House, River Days all the usual hangouts and more.
Finally getting to play at the Kiel Opera house, opening up for Pat Traverse.
Had the privilege of playing in "Adrastus" before moving to CA in 1982.
Cunetto's Pasta House - The Hill (in general) - Ted Drew's - Talayna's Pizza - White Castle - Steak N Sheak - Imo's Pizza (I think I already mentioned that).
. Winning the Newlywed Game when it came to Six Flags. Woo-hoo!
I could go on and on, but needless to say, St' Louis is DEEP in my heart.
I lived on Compton and meramac by st anthony of padua church my mom taught 4th grade at st anthonys my memories of st louis in the 70s are ted Drews on grand gussipies pizza now is a fancy restaurant but when I was a kid it was a walk in pizza place st anthonys picnics and parades October festivals in marquart park grandpa pigeon, ventures, Woolworth and burger chief . The man who sharpened our knifes walked with his cart every Saturday . When it snowed it was great ,and deep . Meramac decorated at Christmas all the stores like ben Franklin and rexall IGA and Kroger. Or Al Smiths restaurant on grand and meramac.
Post from Kathy Levy Steenbergen (2/4/2015)
David, Hi my name is Kathy Levy Steenbergen and went to St Thomas Aquinas High from 59'-63'. What a wonderful time to grow up in! In light of the events in Ferguson I had to share the wonderful memories we had there. I hate the fact that the town has been reduced to what is portrayed on television. We didn't have all the electronics the kids have today so we made our own fun. There were ballgames at Guadalupe's field playing against the nuns. Walks to the Savoy to see a movie. Bowling at Ferguson lanes. The Ferguson Fair was the big summer event to go on rides and meet our friends. Winter ice skating at January-Walbash Park was such fun. Seeing, then Senator, Kennedy at Northland was our town's claim to fame. It was and still is a town filled with wonderful people. There have been soldiers who have fought for our country and some even lost their lives from Ferguson. I hope Ferguson will come back stronger than ever together.
Post from Billie Lackey(2/13/2015)
2001-2003 I remember doing these same things,as I lived on the end of Jefferson & Palm. I would get a quarter from Dad or Uncle Cleat to go to the corner of Jefferson and Herbert to tavern "Willy's". I would go a couple of time or more when they had a shrimp cook. I started keeping a nickel each trip and get a 20 cent fill up and suck the foam off while walking home.They have nothing like that good old beer today.
Post from Susan Calandra (2/17/2015)
I grow in the early sixty by Marquette Park on Virginia Ave and went to St. Anthony's school. I would love to see a picture of our school uniform jumper.
I loved Marquette Park it was so much fun with so many activities. I am so
Grateful to the St Louis Fire Department that saved St. Anthony's church several years. And grateful to the people who helped restore it. I was there about a year ago and it's still so beautiful. I have many good memories of the school, school and the park.
My family moved to Chicago when I was in 7th grade.
Post from Dawn (2/17/2015)
I attended little Hodgen in kindergarten , 1965. A long time ago. I was kidnapped with a girl named Marilyn Allen. This happened on our way to school. She was about 14 at the time. I was 5. I have searched for her all these years. We moved to indpls in. Just wondering if you know of her or heard about the kidnapping? My name is Dawn
I just found your website it is absolutely wonderful bringing back such good memories . I grew up in North St Louis close to the old water tower on Grand Avenue. I went to Brian Hill Elementary then went to high school at Beaumont graduated in 63. I would love to hear from others from this area. Thank you Dave from the bottom of my heart for these precious memories
I would like to thank you for your memory site and I hope you can help me.
I literally grew up in and around nursing homes. I would like pictures of these nursing homes from the early to mid sixties.
I have tried to find pics but one has not been a nursing home in many years and the other had a name change.
The main one was once called Park Side West ( Nursing Home? )
Im not positive if the nursing home was part of the title or not.
The other is or was Lackland Nursing Home in Overland. PSW was formerly owned by Boyd Williams then sold to his brother Robert Lloyd Williams.
Robert Lloyd Williams later added Lackland which I dont know if he owned or not.
Even if I could afford the trip back to St. Louis I wouldnt know where to look anymore. I have just told my family about it but I cant find pics.
Oh! Katherine Williams was co-owner I believe of PSW.
Her home 2503 Wismer in Overland was also a nursing facility/home.
It would be great if you could post or email pics to me but I dont actually understand how you do all this and I dont want to impose so please just let me know. Thankyou and Blessins!!!
Post from Don Merz (4/19/2015)
I just discovered this website. Spectacular. I have lived in Las Vegas for the last 15 years but grew up in Kirkwood and lived in the STL area until I was 52. Graduated from Coyle High in 1953. I found this website looking for the name of a pianist / comedian who appeared three nights a week at the show room of a hotel in the Central West End on or near DeBaliviere Ave. He opened and closed his show with a shortened rendition of a song of the day "It looks like rain in cherry blossom lane, in cherry blossom lane it looks like rain …..". He did the current songs and his patter was blue, but hilarious. The hotel he performed in was known to be the home of Tennessee Williams' mother, who passed there in 1980 and was buried from Christ Church Cathedral at about 13th and Locust in downtown St. Louis. I ran into him as he was about to enter the church before the crowd arrived and had a short but memorable conversation with him. But that is another story. My objective here is the name of the "cherry blossom" guy, and the hotel in which he performed if possible.
Post from Tracy (4/22/2015)
Hi Dave, I've been reading through the memories on your website & I've enjoyed everything so much! Thank you for creating a space that houses so many great things!
I've lived in South St. Louis City my entire life but I wasn't born until 1981; however, the history of St. Louis and all of its people & businesses fascinate me, partially because my dad owned a restaurant, confectionary & tavern back in the 1960's & my Uncle (his twin brother) owned a tavern during that time as well.
Someone on ancestry.com suggested that I contact you because I am having a lot of trouble locating any type of records and/or photos of my dad's restaurant & confectionary (he had the restaurant first and then turned it into a confectionary) and also any records and/or photos for my uncle's tavern.
She said maybe you would be able to give me some guidance or possibly even someone you know would either have some advice or remember any of these places?
My dad's name is Jack Hopson and he had a restaurant later-turned confectionary located at 1300 South 12th Street St. Louis 4, Mo. The name of his restaurant was "Quick Lunch Truck Stop" but I don't know what the name of the confectionary was. I have one of his business cards from the restaurant dated 1962. This building was located very close to the Darst-Webbe housing projects; my mom lived in the J.M. Darst projects for 11 years & worked for my dad when she turned 16 in 1963. To my knowledge, this building was torn down quite a few years ago, but I don't know why and/or what replaced it.
His tavern was located at 2201 South 7th Street, on the corner of Ann & 7th. The name of it was "Jack's Lounge". This building is still there & on the list of National Historic buildings in Soulard. The inside was rehabbed & reopened a few years ago as "Historical Crossroads Bar" but as of sometime either in late 2014 or early 2015, the owner for some reason closed it.
My uncles name is Jill Hopson (yes my dad & his identical twin brother are named Jack & Jill, lol) and his tavern was right next door to my dads (Jack's Lounge) but has been torn down. I don't know the name or address of the location, other than it was right next door (on South 7th Street) to 2201 South 7th Street.
I would absolutely love to find records and/or photos of these locations! I have the original sales paperwork from when my dad sold his tavern & a recent photo of the building, but I don't have anything else on this location or any of the other locations.
If you could provide some guidance or if you post this & anyone else remembers any of these businesses, I'd love to hear about it!
My email address is [email protected]
You or anyone else with advice, stories, photos, records, anything, is more than welcome to email me! Thank you so much & I look forward to hearing back!
Post from Rich Kotowski (7/22/2015)
sledding down the "Hill" in forest park & ice skating on the lake in Ferguson Christmas trips to the cousins out in Troy
I was born in 1945 In about 1950 or 1951 there was a watermelon stand on Chippawa and Gravois.No air so everyone looked for ways to cool off.This stand you bought a piece of watermelon on a paper plate and sat at picnic tables to eat..At night it was surrounded by a string of yellow bug lights Elevators had metal gates that operator shut and an elevator operator took you up and down at the department stores Escalators in early 50s had wood slats for the steps not metal like later... Summer nights people would take blankets and coolers of tea or lemonade to Forest Park lay onbhill by the fountain.. The fountain had changing color lights playing on it.
Reading others memories. Came back to me! PLateau 2-6548.. 1950s Go in Famous Barr pick a record 45 or 78.. and go in the play booth to play it see if you wanted to buy it. Milkman had ice keeping his milk cold..would pitch us chunks of clear ice if we asked .sit on the curb sucking cold ice ..what a treat. Chippawa and Brannon i think paperman would park while he sold or delivered papers to the delicatession right there . He had a horse called Bluebird. Across Brannon was A doctor Manion. my sister went to.Corner was the pharmacy with big containers of colored water in them blue and yellow i think.To get something off a top shelf they had a big tall sliding ladder. Across Chippawa in the basement of a house ..the shoe repair man.It was always cool in summer in there waiting for a shoe that needed fixing sewed up..taps added.all shoes were made of leather Shoe repair smelled wonderful of leather and polish Small i went to Dr Robinson in the Beaumont building on Pine?. After the shot with that steel reusable needle...yikees... he had a big oak desk.Every drawer had different penny candy .You got a little bag and got to pick what you wanted. Remember the Fuller Brush or other men come to the door selling brushes or notions like buttons needles? im not even sure what all was in his suitcase .My grandma always bought something.Yes and hot tamale man scissor sharpening man .fruit vendor Yes fresh straw berryyyysssss.We only had corner groceries no big groceries then Firstbig one i remember was Bettendorfs..Hampton Village. Always went to Avalon Show or Roxy Friday nights.or cartoonsxat Roxy Saturday matinee. As young teen..Seeing Ike Turner play in a little bar on south Kingshighway. we stood outside to listen .Teen town.. records played on a player up on the stage on Sunday nights. dancing.. Cathoilc churches had them in their gyms.
Post from [email protected](7/2/2015)
Looking for info of Slay,s Caruso,s Restaurant in the 1960's. & also was there a Club Casino on Macklind Ave in the 1950's on the Hill ? My email is [email protected] Com Would love St Louis Info on Restuarants in the 50's & 60's
Post from Robert T. (Bob) Agee (7/2/2015)
I'd like to share a few memories of St. Louis. I grew up in the 60's and have lots of fond memories. I went to elementary school and Jr. High in Berkeley, at Caroline School and later Berkeley Jr. High. Who could forget the Berkeley Jr. High Social Club? Dances Every Saturday night where the guys wore suits and ties, white socks, and St. Louis Orange Wing Tips!!! Those were the days where we wore suits on Game Day for Football or Basketball. Doing the opposite of what most folks did, my family moved back into the city and I transferred from Berkeley Jr. High, to Roosevelt HS during my freshman year. A real transition for a county kid moving to the city, and being a "Newjay" at a new school. We lived on Botanical Street, a block away from Tower Grove Park. Walked to school with never a thought of worrying about safety. I remember that even at a Public High School, we still had fish on Fridays. I remember that there were two different kinds of sauce…Of course the standard Tartar Sauce, but also a "red" sauce that I would love to be able to recreate to this day. If there is someone who knows what the recipe for that sauce was, I would surely like to have it. I remember the Velvet Freeze on Gravois across the street from Roosevelt, and I remember the Smoking area directly behind the Gym, for students and teachers… In 1966 I moved to Webster Groves, and Graduated from Webster Groves High. I was the guy with the Red Honda Scrambler pulling wheelies in front of 100 Selma. I remember sneaking across the street from the gym at lunch time to have a smoke in the garage with no doors on it directly across the street. We used to hang at Rock Hill Steak n Shake on Fridays, and make the circle from Rock Hill Steak, to Park More at Lindbergh and Manchester, to either Scheinthorst's in Ladue, or Kirkwood Steak n Shake at 66 and Lindbergh. Saturday night was usually date night, and it consisted of taking my girl from Cor Jesu to either the 66 Park In , or Ronnies at Baptist Church and Lindbergh. Those were some Days…Also, I would be remiss in not mentioning the infamous "16 in Webster Groves" which documented my Junior Class at Webster, in quite an unfavorable light!!
After Graduation, most of us went our separate ways. I got my first new car that summer of 1967, a brand new Blue Pontiac GTO. To this day it was my favorite car of all time. We used to drag race down on Hall Street until the St. Louis FD turned the fire hydrants on. Some Great times, for sure. I ended the 1960's the way many of the young men of my age did. I turned 21 pulling guard duty in Viet Nam. I was lucky and came home relatively unscathed. I met my wife of 40 years the day after I got out of the army. Fittingly, at the Steak N Shake on Lindbergh at 55…..
We still get back to St. Louis on occasion, as my wife still has family there. There are a few must haves when we get back that way…..
1) Imo's Pizza
2) Dad's Cookies
3) Ted Drew's Concrete
4) Fried Chicken from Hodak's on Gravois and McNair
5) White Castle
P.S., not necessarily in that order, because there is a White Castle just a mile from my Sister in Law's House in Eureka.
Got a few more memories from back in the day.
Phil The Gorilla at the Zoo.
Khoury League Baseball at Champ (Spring Company) Fields.
The Shriner's Circus held at the old Public School's Stadium
The Fireman's Rodeo
The Borman School of the dance (yeah, I had to take dancing lessons, but I made my mom and sister bribe me to do it) Dancing on the SS Admiral.
The Goldenrod Showboat
Holiday Hills Amusement Park
Chain of Rocks Amusement Park
The Comet at the Highlands
Taking the Red Bird Express to the old ballpark, renamed from Sportsman's Park to the First Busch Stadium
Playing Khoury League Baseball for Art's Boys Club
The Muny Opera
The Best Baseball Broadcasting Team Ever……Joe Garagiola, Harry Carey, and Jack Buck. All under contract at the same time.
The Day the Arch was completed
The Day JFK was assassinated. Most all of us from that era could tell you exactly what we were doing at the time the announcement was made.
As I mentioned before, I graduated from Webster Groves HS in 1967. That was right after the split between Bob Kuban and Walter Scott.
WGHS had the Bob Kuban Band for our prom, and Walter Scott and the Guise for our After Graduation Senior Party.
And of course, Turkey Day Football between Webster Groves and Kirkwood.
The Old Missouri Liquor Control ID Card!!!
Post from ME in VA (7/8/2015)
I remember going to a watermelon "restaurant" in the 50's. It was Sam the Watermelon Man. It was similar to the one ???7/22 described. They would have the watermelons in great big tubs with big chunks of ice floating around. My brother and I would push the chunks of ice back and forth across the tubs to each other. You could buy watermelon by the quarter or half or take a whole one home. I loved to go there.
I also remember the yard being full of lightning bugs in the summer. We rarely see them now. There were also heavy rain storms that would flood the back yards and knock out the electricity.
I stumbled across this sight while trying to find the history (not much out there) of the two schools I will mention below.
I grew up in Edmundson which is on the other side of Woodson Terrace and remember all of the things that Anonymous 1/12/07 talked about like Kratz Elementary and Ritenour High School (class of 81) which I attended. I was in every band they had (Tenor Sax and Clarinet) and we won many awards (not bragging...just proud) while the football team stunk...now both of them stink. My village was mostly destroyed by a developer and we had to move in 1998. They turned me down for patrol guard at Kratz because I was too small. We used to buy candy in that little shopping center across from Kratz (mostly empty now). Both schools are still there and now have been extensively remodeled and air conditioned... man, do I wish we had that when I was there. The surrounding neighborhoods are in decline and dying off. I remember going to Holiday Hills (right before it closed) and the Woodson Terrace Park which I always preferred to mine because it was smaller and right next to it. I used to cut through ours to get to that one. I remember being told in the 70's that I couldn't ride my sled on the hill because it would kill the grass, not being able to ride my bike, or skateboard there and telling the guy that it was a park and it was stupid not to be able to use it as such. I used to ride my bicycle in Woodson Terrace for hours looking at how much nicer the houses were than in my neighborhood. The Del Monte changed into a Shop n Save and now a Dollar General and the Big A Burger became Chuck A Burger. I also remember Burger Chef on Woodson Road (great hamburgers) before it became Hardee's. Both hoods are run down now and I think Woodson Terrace Park is not used much any more. The Rock Road has changed a lot since then also. I loved Northwest Plaza at Christmas and the fountains before they closed it in and ruined it (now mostly empty). I also liked Shoppers Fair on Natural Bridge and Spartans on the Rock Road (I think). If you go to Google Maps you can see how much everything has changed. It is sad to witness the death of yours and others hoods. People get old and can't afford to keep their houses nice and then it is the beginning of the end. Most of my older cousins and my 2 brothers (lost the oldest in 011) and 1 sister went to Ritenour and I was 10 years behind Anonymous but my footprints are there also like those before us and those that will follow. Long live the Huskies and the Orange and Black!
Post from Elizabeth J. (7/13/2015)
Lived in Baden on Lowell street from 1964-1974.
It's not the same! So sad to see the neighborhoods go bad.
But, I have wonderful memories living there during those years.
Going to Velvet Freeze for some bubble gum ice cream, then going next door for my dad to get some things from Western Auto.
Catching the bus on Riverview where I attended Baden School. I still remember the smell of that school. Not quite sure what it was, but I think I would know it again if I smelled that. My kindergarten teacher was Miss. Hopfinger and Mrs. O'Brien. We would walk to the public library and check out books.
We loved to go to the 7-11 on Broadway so we could get our "Wacky Packs" and the silly stickers inside.
Halloween was usually raining, so I never got to really show my costume. Covered by my coat.bummer!
We would sometimes go to Clayton , Mo to trick or treat in our friends neighborhood. My little niece needed to use the restroom really bad. We actually asked one of the homeowners if she could use hers. She said "yes"! Would we say yes today?
Christmas in Downtown, River Roads mall, pizza by the slice at the drugstore in there. Imo's pizza, Steak n Shake and my favorite White Castle. Every year my dad would drive around and look at the Christmas lights. I remember a huge clock you could see from the freeway. Lovely at Christmas .
We would have our school picnics at Chain of Rocks, oh so much fun!!!
I miss my childhood and I miss my beloved St. Louis. We moved to Southern California in 1974. I married and moved to Arizona in 2001.
I have returned many times. Most recently for my 50th birthday. I visited my birth hospital De Paul, the old one. Now a senior living facility. Ate at Hoddacks, bought a birthday cake from a wonderful baker in Florissant.
Stayed in Downtown by the Arch and had a wonderful time.
The two most important people could not be with me, but when I was there my mom and dad where alive in my memories.
I know there is more, but just can't recall.
Thanks for a wonderful sight. It made me feel really great reading how others feel about one of the greatest cities in our nation.
Go Cards!
Post from Bill Albright (7/20/2015)
I've seen people's postings of clubs on Airport Road in Berkeley, but the earliest I remember was Velasco's Teen Town which hosted many up-and-coming groups, most notably Ike & Tina Turner. I also remember living in Frostwood and trying to get the attention on Ken Boyer and Wally Moon.
I remember you could ride a bus all around town as a kid and no one bothered you. I remember when Powell Symphony Hall was the St. Louis movie theatre and the Fox was just down the street. There was swimming at the YMCA (can't remember if that was on Grande or North Market) and old Sportsman Field nearby. My first job the summer of 1966 was working on the SS Admiral. I can remember sitting in my high school psychology class at McCluer and watching a filmed version of Sixteen in Webster Grove and laughing my head off at the pretention, how our teacher got hold of the film I do not know. Oh yes and I remember that our psychology class could visit the state school after a warning that we needed to be cautious because we might remind someone of another person they disliked (the days before litigation put a stop to education). I remember that sarcasm was taken in by a St. Louis kid like mother's milk and developed into a fine art. Hodges roller rink, the Arena, Sam the Watermelon Man and Circle Steak and the Airport Road circuit and riding the baggage carousel in Lambert clothed in my prom dress and Bob Kuban and the in Men, Johnny Rabbit's the Bat Cave, the Castaways and of course when Kemoll's restaurant was on North Grande and you felt completely safe there and cherries jubilee at Cyrano's. From when I was very young I remember milk shakes at Crown's Candy Kitchen and Mavrakos downtown would have chocolate covered strawberries. School clothes shopping downtown at Stix and Famous, the fabulous toy department during Christmas season at Stix and Famous and seeing Santa and the store windows. I still remember a giant stuffed giraffe that appeared life sized and having the good sense to enjoy seeing it without the desire to own it as I knew that was an impossibility for our tiny apartment. There was girl scout camp at Camp Cedar Ledge. I remember when Phil the Gorilla was alive and drinking a Bud and later visiting him again after he was stuffed, which seemed terribly inappropriate and sad. Thanks for the memories. Always Anonymous St. Louis kid, it wasn't me!
I can remember when McCluer High School was the largest high school in the state of Missouri and there were Missouri Colleges with a smaller enrollment, approximately 3500 kids in a 3 year high school and our five building campus was called "The University" by other high schools. I remember 23 bus loads of kids being taken to Jeff City for the state championship, which we lost. I remember that we were preppy goodie two shoes in our Bass Weejuns and we did not step on the Crest and that we reverently sang the school song at assemblies and that non conformist were ably kept in line, as if they had a choice. I remember two Ferguson cops, two Florissant cops and two County cops going through cars and popping trunks in the student parking lot looking for booze and whatever else, "we don't need a warrant." Our class was so large in 1967 that we graduated out of Kiel Auditorium. I remember Dr. Ludwig at our last assembly pleading with us that we had to go out with dignity (I think the handwriting was on the wall for the future). I remember that the vast majority of us were good kids and the bad ones were not that bad. I remember being in a bar in Houston following my last evening law school exam trying to enjoy a traditional end of finals martini and some jerk asking me the typical St. Louis question, "where did you go to high school," to which I replied "McCluer" and he said, "I'm sorry." I did not give him the satisfaction of asking him in return because I too am from Missouri and I know a jack ass when I see one, run along back to St. Louis now, love to the wife and kids.
Post from Jeanette Melton (7/28/2015)
I'm a former child who lived in the Masonic Home (on Delmar) with my sister in the early sixties. I would like to see if any body remembers me or my sister. Would love to see any pictures they might have. My name was Jeanette E. LEWIS. MY sisters name was Debra Marie Lewis we were in the home 1960-1964 thanks contact me if you can help
Post from Theodora Savetz (7/28/2015)
I just wanted to clarify that The original Chariton Restaurant at 4301 South Broadway was started in 1937 as a barbeque stand started by my grandparents, Theodore and Nora Wieland. My family owned and operated it until the mid 60's until it was sold to Joe Tangaro.
Post from ?? (9/28/2015)
Anyone remember The Younger Brothers from the 1970's...........great band.
Post from Scott Johnson (9/28/2015)
I was born in St. Louis in 1962. We moved to Florissant and lived in an apartment on Waterford then over to Old Town, 790 Clark St. The Hoette's (Lambert, Lorraine. Denny,Ricky, Paul ,Diane ,Janet and Brian my best friend )lived across at 795. The Strelow's were next door. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson lived at 33 Godfrey Ln in Ferguson. My other Grandpa Marvin Graves had been a city policeman in St. Louis from the 30s until 1960. They lived on Hoffman in south St. Louis, The neighborhoods still looks great. I went to Combs elementary. I remember Mrs. Littleton for second grade, Miss Baronowski "The Red Baron" for third. Moved out to 3640 Seville in Parc Chateau, then went to Wash DC for the 71-72 school year. Halls Ferry for fifth grade, Commons Lane for sixth then Cross Keys for 7th. We moved to DC for good in 1975.
Memories:
Listening to Harry Carey then Jack Buck call a Cards game on a hot summer night on the AM radio. Lambert would drink Busch beer in the dark breezeway.
The Mosquito Spray Man.
Walking to A&W with Brian.
Just like someone else posted, swimming at Bangert Park, climbing the tank, then laying in the library to cool off.
Buying penny candy at Hendel's.
Going to Northland on the bus with Grandma Johnson.
Playing in the woods behind Seville by Coldwater Creek. I see the woods have finally been cleared according to Google Earth
Bike races down St. Francis
Lightning bugs
Not enough for all of them.
Post from Robert Cowles [email protected] (10/31/2015)
Dave I worked near Blackjack Missouri in the late 60s and through the 70s. There was an old hardware store, a country type, that was run by a very small man maybe under 4ft. He was so nice and knowledgeable and nothing stood in his way to get the job done. I have been thinking about those days and wonder what ever happened to him and if anyone has memories of that hardware store.
Post from Ed Farber (11/13/2015)
Dave, all this talk about the Westlake Landfill reminded me of the old Westlake Amusement Park which, as I remember, was about where Natural Bridge and St. Charles Rock Road converged. My old elementary school, Emerson School, used to have their picnic there. We would board double-decker busses and ride all the way to the park. Parents would meet the busses, round up their kids, and we'd spend a great day on the many rides. The other amusement park we went to often was the Forest Park Highlands on Oakland. Great memories on your site. Keep it up.
I remember walking from Roland blvd. To Britts dept. Store when my sister and I were little. 5 and 6 yrs. Getting our haircut at Famous Bar in Northland shopping center. They had airplanes that we could sit in abd the,ladies would cut hair. Such a simpler time back then. I remember walking to Thomas Jefferson school. At Christmas we would get in the car and dad would drive downtown so we could look at the window displays. Our phone # back then was Evergreen 3 4977
Post from Michael Williams (4/11/2016)
Morning, I had read a post from 2007 regarding a Tim Boy market... He had ask if anyone knew his Dad and Mom. As a kid I worked for them. I just wanted to know how I could get in touch with him? Thanks
Regarding post 1-7-2007 jar... Yes I remember your mom and dad. Bud and Irene from the old neighborhood Tom Boy once Rapps Market.. I worked for them after school. Great people loved working for them. If I'm not mistaken did you have s sister as well? She had a girl friend named Michael. I believe your sister had a boyfriend that worked on Saturday delivering groceries. His name was Henery. I lived up the block on 22nd st. Love to chat with you. Thanks for you post I remember all the places you mention... Thanks Michael
Post from sh (4/20/2016)
Does anyone remember the bowling alley at River Roads Mall? In the early 1980"s I used to go over for beers and watch TV at the bar there over lunch hour, then grab burger and fries at Woolworth and then return to work (well, more or less return to work. Ha ha)
I remember that The Bat Cave (teen club) was in the basement of the Club Imperial, where Ike and Tina Turner performed, I thought it was interesting that it was called the Club Royal in the movie. I remember there was the Aerospace Lounge in Berkeley and on Airport Rd. you could cruise through Steak and Shake and Bob's Big Boy. Drag Racing on Hall Street and how a hot summer day could turn into a perfect night for a cool drive with the nice breeze coming in through the rolled down car windows (unless your father had sprung for the automatic push button windows). "Don't bring it home sitting on empty." Anonymous kid.
Post from Michael (5/14/2016)
To sh, Sure do remember the bowling alley downstairs, only place you could buy a beer when you 18 and not even be looked at twice let alone carded.
Post from Elaine Venverloh (Winka) Bell (5/14/2016)
Response to Yolanda 1/22/2012
The Edgewater Club was at 5500 S. Broadway, in St. Louis, MO. Phone - Riverside 0725
The owner/manager was Jack Harrigan.
It was known as the Garden Spot of St. Louis, known for good food and courteous service. My parents, Jerry Venverloh and Eleanor Kimmich Venverloh had their wedding breakfast there on May 22, 1948.
Post from Joe in Colorado (5/22/2016)
Dave...in your current memories section, there is an anon statement about a person stating that Fred P. Rapp was his Grandfather. Asking anon about two managers of the Rapp's Market in Lemay in the mid to late 1950's:
Mgr. John Meyers & Virgil Nadler...whatever happened to them?
I worked there after school hrs. for several yrs. & John & Virgil were really great mgrs. to work for. They had a work ethic that was inspiring (to a kid) & have thought about them many a time. Worked with really good guys, Chuck, Dale, Ray, Robin, even took that beautiful girl, Janet, who worked in the Bakery, to my Senior Prom at DB.
I read quickly through all of the posts of St. Louis memories, but I didn't see any reference to the street where I grew up — Paulian Place, a short street one block north of the old Easton Avenue between Union and Academy Avenues. It ran into Sherman Park, where the old Christian Brothers College (CBC) had been before the big fire in 1916. What remained of that building became the Sherman Park branch of the St. Louis library system and a community center with activities for children and adults: acting, singing and dancing classes; woodworking; painting, crafts, and a large indoor swimming pool. There were ball fields, an outdoor children's playground with a small outdoor pool and handball courts. Children went to Cupple's school or to St. Mark's Catholic school, which also had a high school for girls. McBride High School for boys was a few blocks north and east from Paulian Place. The Union Theater was between Paulian Place and Easton Avenue; my father had a restaurant on the corner of Union and Easton. There were shops along Easton Avenue east of Union Avenue — a barber shop, Parson & Putnam's Appliances, Plegge's pet shop. Besides the Union Theater, there were the Will Rogers Theater on Union and just north of Page Avenue and the Aubert Theater, just east of Kingshighway on Easton. I wonder if anyone else remembers Paulian Place and its environs.
Post from Richard Benner (8/23/2016)
Playing 45 records in one of the record booths at South Town Famous on Kingshighway.
Getting xmas trees out of the ash pits and building a xmas tree fort at the lot on Ridgewood Street.
Riding our bikes down "bumpity alley".
Putting flips or balloons on our bike wheels to make neat motor sounds. Looking at all the fish at Vick's Aquarium on Gravois.
Taking my bike up to St John's to serve 6AM mass on a week day.
Yearend school parade and carnival.
Sledding down Art Hill in Forest Park.
Friday night movies at the Granda Theater.
Delivering/selling Post/Globe papers from my wagon.
Post from Kristy (McArthur) Rees (8/24/2016)
I went to Rose Fanning Grade school from about 1960-1964. From the 3rd grade to 5th grade. Lived on the corner of Gravois and Spring St next to the Drug Store. Ph # was PR 2-2395. The "PR" stood for Prospect. Then moved to Webster Groves and attended Clark Elementary, Hixson Jr High, Webster Groves HS. Graduating in 1970. A great many fond memories of growing up in St Louis area. Went to the Highlands Amusement Park for school picnic at the end of the year. One good grade school friend, Kathy Edmonston and I had many fun times. I recall her father owned a Tavern on Spring street. Anyone know of her whereabouts? I recall while attending Rose Fanning that they broadcasted the Cardinals world Series game over the PA System and also had the news broadcast of President John F Kennedy's assassination playing. We had a boys side of the playground and a girls side. A line marked the separation and you could not cross it without getting reprimanded! I could go on………….good memories!
Post from Fran Nelson (8/24/2016)
I was born before the second world war, and remember going to a wonderful ice cream shop on Gravois, Chippewa or somewhere in that area in the 40's or 50's. It was a special trip for us, and and the sundaes were huge. Not Cyranos, which was on Clayton, but a similar name. Just came across this website. What fun memories. We had a special childhood.
Post from Philip R. Hanlon 10.25.2016
I lived in St. Louis from 1950 – 1969. Phone number: PArkview 5-4181. Graduated from Saint Louis University High School in 1967. Resided in Clayton the whole time, Claverach Park to be exact. Walked the old neighborhood recently. Happy to report that the houses and the subdivision have been very well maintained. I am the first of eight and big families were common in those days, so no trouble finding playmates.
Many activities centered around our parish: Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL,) 7148 Forsyth Blvd. Completed 8 grades in the "old" school. It was demolished just after the end of the school year in 1963. The "new" school (and gym) is still going strong; first classes in September 1963. The school had an active Cub Pack and Boy Scout Troop (280.) I'm not sure how frequently we met; weekly or every other week seems likely. The fall and spring week end camping trips (Camporees) to Beaumont Scout reservation (10-20 miles southwest of town) highlighted the Scouting Year. The volunteer Dads supervised us with a very loose rein. We were allowed to experiment with cigarettes. I don't remember any beer or booze. It was an all weather operation. Rain or cold didn't hold us back. During my last few years in Scouting, we attended summer camp at Beaumont for a week; a great opportunity to earn Merit Badges. As youngsters, my parents sent us to Camp Don Bosco for a week during the summer.
Lay teachers were just starting to appear at OLOL. My third grade teacher, Miss George, drove a 1957 Thunderbird; the one with the porthole. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet still taught most of the classes. Baseball counted for much more than it does today. My fifth grade teacher, Sr. Mary Kevin, allowed a portable TV in the classroom for the final game of the New York – Pittsburgh World Series. Saw Mazeroski homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. She also wore a Kennedy button discretely under her habit. She would flash it if you asked.
Post from ? 10/31/2016
Trying to remember a beef sandwich place on st charles rock road near the old bridge Called Checks I believe it had check marks as its logo was in 1950 and early 1960
Post from Philip R. Hanlon 10/31/2016
Does anyone remember September 14, 1960, the day the Kennedy campaign rolled through St. Louis? He addressed the International Association of Machinists that morning at Kiel Auditorium. I crossed paths with the Kennedy caravan at the northeast corner of Clayton Road and Big Bend Blvd. We were 10 year olds on bicycles. It must have been later afternoon since Wednesday was a school day. My best friend, Dan Dewes, and I noticed a couple of limousines had pulled over next to the Parkmoor. Upon discovering that this was the Kennedy motorcade, in typical ten year old fashion, we immediately asked, "Where's Kennedy?" Response, "He's not in this car, but Mrs. Kennedy is." We dutifully greeted her, but we really wanted to see KENNEDY!
Once the trailing vehicles caught up, all headed north on Big Bend. I let them go, but Dan pedaled off in hot pursuit. He ran them to ground right around the Delmar Loop, where soon to be President Kennedy had stopped for some impromptu speaking and handshaking. Dan got to shake his hand. Changes: a modern Walgreens store now occupies the site where the A&P store formerly stood and a parking lot has replaced the Parkmoor. Heading further east on Clayton Road, Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) bought out Porter Paints. It's still a paint store, but lacks the distinctive orange and white diagonal stripes of the 1960s. On the other side of Clayton Road, the Esquire appears to still be showing movies.
I remember seeing movies at the Fox Theater on Grand Avenue (Sink the Bismarck, Toby Tyler, Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates) but that required adult participation (driving.) We were on our own at the The Shady Oak, the second building from the SE corner at Forsyth and Hanley Road. We saw uncounted Saturday matinees for the sum of $0.25. It was demolished in 2008. During my high school years, I worked as an usher at the Apollo Art Theater on De Baliviere Avenue ('the strip.") One of my neighborhood friend's mom was friends with the owner, Mrs. Picione. Pay was $0.90/hour. Black & white foreign films with subtitles! Documentaries, such as To Live and Die in Madrid, made some sense, but films by Bergman, et. al. remained impenetrable to me no matter how many times I saw them. I assumed that much of our business came from the Washington University students and faculty. Ms. Picione also owned the (more conventional) Varsity and Tivoli movie theaters.
Another Clayton landmark, now gone and replaced by a multistory office building: The Saint Louis Institute of Music (SLIM.) 7801 Bonhomme Avenue. It occupied half the block bounded by Central, Bonhomme, and Bemiston. My mother enrolled me, and several of my siblings, for piano lessons at SLIM. Every Tuesday afternoon, my long suffering teacher, Mr. Joseph Kline, and I would confront the fact that improvement comes only with practice. Once I switched to drums, I practiced for hours in our soundproofed basement rec room. Mr. David Rizzo (St. Louis Symphony percussionist and SLIM faculty) gave me a solid grounding in the Rudiments of Drumming. By junior year in high school I took the first step in most rockers search for glory: the garage band. We eventually settled on a name: The Bitter Suite. We played private parties; very few, if any, paying gigs. I never realized that there were so many bands in St. Louis. www.stlmusicyesterdays.com. We didn't make the list. The BS lasted until the summer of '69. By that time I was playing in a college band (frat parties, paying gigs) in North Carolina. The difference between (most) high school and college bands resembled the gap between high school and college athletic teams. Bob Kuban and the In Men, Jay Berry, Walter Scott and the Guise, played regularly at weekend CYO dances. We listened to bands like the Acid Sette and the Aardvarks at the Castaways and the Rainy Daze.
Post from Joe Forshaw 10/31/2016
I was born in 1952 and grew up on McKnight Road in Richmond Heights. Life centered around home and parish (Immacolata). My brothers and sisters (there were 5 of us) walked a mile to school every day, rain or shine. Tuition was $30 per child per semester, and any children after the first three were free! We received an excellent education from the very dedicated Sisters of St. Joseph. Classes were large – we had two sections in first, second and third grade, and when we merged in fourth grade, there were 52 kids in the class! There were about 450 children in the school, so discipline was strict. On the playground, when the bell rang signaling the end of recess, we were to STOP (many boys would immediately try to assume "cool" poses to impress the girls). 7 or 8 seconds later the bell rang again, and we WALKED to the designated "lineup" spot for our class and got into alphabetical order. When the bell rang for a third time, we slowly proceeded into school in designated class order, with NO TALKING.
Our school was frugal. We covered our books with paper and did not make marks in them. If a student threw up on his book, it was placed on the radiator to "dry out." I know this because it happened to one of my books.
After school, unless it was raining or extremely cold, we played sports outside until dinner time. The best days of the year, after the usual suspects, were snow days. We would get up very early and listen to the radio or watch on our tiny black and white TV as the announcements rolled in. If our school was closed, we all started shouting and cheering. It took a heavy snow to make the school close.
Do you believe I miracles? I do. One morning when I was in 7th or 8th grade, we were having a math test on some topic that I was very confused about. I was watching the clock anxiously, sure that I would flunk the test and ruin my grade average. Suddenly Father Butler, who was in charge of the servers, appeared at the door and told the teacher he needed four servers for a funeral. I was pulled out of class. The teacher sighed and said that the test wouldn't count. We missed the rest of the morning's classes and were each paid a dollar!
In those spacious years, summer was heaven. We organized large neighborhood baseball games, played "capture the flag" and were free to ride our bikes all over the neighborhood. We chased lightning bugs in the summer. We played Khoury League baseball, wearing very heavy cotton uniforms that were always the wrong size. We drank immense amounts of Kool Aid; I was always astounded at how much sugar went into it! Special treats growing up were hamburgers and root beer at Fitz's on Clayton Road. It didn't bother us that "washing" the mugs seemed to consist of dipping them in a sink filled with warm, rather cloudy-looking water. Maybe that's what made the root beer taste so good! Other favorite activities were playing miniature golf at Ambo's on Manchester Road, and visiting the Forest Park Highlands.
I went to St. Louis U. High starting in 1966, getting up at 6:30 so as to leave the house at 7:00 for a one mile walk to Westroads shopping center (now the Galleria) to catch the bus. SLUH was a tough school academically, and I got a first-class education as well as the opportunity to make many lifelong friends.
I'm very thankful for a childhood that had plenty of discipline but also lots of space and time to just be a kid.
Post from Stella Elizabeth Sanders Forshaw 11/3/2016
My name is Stella Elizabeth Sanders Forshaw, better known by the name of "Peppy"" . I was born in 1926 and grew up on Maryland Ave near Washington University. I attended Our Lady of Lourdes, Villa Duchesne , Marymount College in New York and then when the second WWar ended in 1945 I stayed home and went to Maryville College.
In my childhood years I went skating at the Winter Garden every Sunday morning where I often skated with Mr. Joseph Forshaw who had competed in the Olympic Games . Little did I realize that I would marry his son after his service in the Navy during the war. Truman's order to drop the bomb saved my future husband's life and the lives of countless others.
Life growing up in St. louis in the thirties was simple with all Mothers in the home. When it rained on any given school day, Father O'Connor had us stay in school until 1 o'clock and the go home for the day. Since we normally went home for lunch he didn't want us to walk back to school and sit with wet feet. Almost everyone walked to school every day.
We always had birthday cakes from Wotka's Bakery on Clatton Road, we rolled bandages at St. Mary's Hospital during the war, we served breakfast to the boys in service stationed at Washington U at our Parish on Sundays after Holy Mass and took our Maypole to Scott Airfield to do the Maypole dance for the boys in the hospital where they were all sitting around in bathrobes recovering from whatever had happened to them. Red Cross ladies served us coca cola. I took piano lessons from Marcella Kaletta, Wilson Robinson , and Alfred Schmeid . I disliked piano recitals intensely. So many memories flood my brain . How grateful I am to God for dedicated parents, a happy childhood and a marriage that lasted over sixty-three years. The blessing of five children made our marriage complete.
St. Louis is such a special.city for a wonderful life. I am 90 years old and I thank God for every blessed day. Time is fugiting!
Post from Tom Hartman 12/7/2016
I wonder if anyone out there remembers a record store in the Sixties, probably around 1966, called Melody Makers? I think it was….and it's manager, a nice guy named Gary.
It was, I believe in the city of St Louis rather than out in the county somewhere. I actually never went there, but called it every once in awhile to chat with Gary about what cool new records were out. When I heard there was a new Beatles single I called him immediately and asked if he knew about it.
"Yes it's going to be called "Hello Goodbye," and the other side is called "I Am The Walrus" he laughed.
"I AM THE WALRUS???? I asked…..
"Yep that what it says ….should be out in about a week. Some time after that I was reading the Post Dispatch and read that the owner of a record store downtown named "Melody Makers" was shot during a robbery, and killed.
It was poor Gary.
Anyone remember anything like this?
Thanks to the Clayton Century Foundation (ccfhistory.wordpress.com) I have discovered a trove of Clayton Memories. Check them out.
Landmarks of my youth in 1960s Clayton: Glaser's Drug Store, Famous Barr, Clayton Library, Shaw Park (swimming and skating.) Starbucks now occupies the storefront which Glaser's held at Hanley and Wydown. I remember the food counter in the back, but I considered patronizing it extravagant. The ubiquitous soda (and cigarette) machines (returnable bottles) offered more sugar water for your dime. On the left side of the store, just before one reached the diner, lay the magazine rack. Artful loitering allowed free reading. I remember the pharmacy in the right rear. Thanks to Gilbert Chemistry sets and additional reading, we set out to make gunpowder. Of course the pharmacist knew exactly what we had in mind when we requested a pound of saltpeter! "You must have a note from your mother before I can sell you any potassium nitrate." My mother, a physician and chemistry major, still had a lot of girl in her. She promptly supplied us with the necessary paperwork. Such behavior today would initiate a call to Child Protective Services or Homeland Security. I'm happy to report that no children were injured during our Gunpowder Days. Inferior technology and product (and guardian angels) prevented any real damage.
When we had "nothing to do," a visit to Famous Barr was always in order; cutting through Brentmoor Park had us there in ten minutes on foot. The book and stamp departments never grew old. The Clayton Library (Forsyth and Bemiston, right next to the Firehouse) considered The Hardy Boys infra dig and refused to offer them. So, we had to purchase them at Famous. The library's policy was not without merit, but my mother supported the "any reading is good reading" point of view. I realized that the department store catered to amateurs when I discovered a "real" stamp store. World Coin and Stamp Exchange, 7636 Gannon Ave, Pete Glovlesky proprietor, was an easy bicycle ride away, near the intersection of Delmar and Hanley. I eventually amassed a collection of mint (U.S.) issues from the early 30s to the present day (1960s.)
Shaw Park pool favored big families. A season pass cost $25.00 regardless of family size. We kids thought that lending the extra tickets to our friends made perfect sense. My mother put the kibosh on that plan. The skating rink (1961) gave us even more reasons to frequent Shaw Park. For a change of pace, we also skated at Steinberg's in Forest Park. The pool later added 5 and 10 meter platforms. I jumped off the 10 meter, but never trusted my diving. It was a long way down. We loved snowfall, both for missing school and for sledding. We had a great little run just three houses down. When we could garner a ride, Art Hill, in Forest Park, was sledding heaven. Everyone that I knew owned a Flexible Flyer sled.
We didn't eat out often, but dining at the Hollaway House became a family tradition before piano recitals. The shopping center (now demolished) just across from Famous Barr housed this cafeteria style restaurant, as well as Neisner's variety store and others. The first McDonald's that I remember was south of Clayton, off Laclede Station Road (near its intersection with Manchester Rd?) There was a Putt Putt golf course right next door and the burgers cost 15 cents each.
Post from [email protected] 12/17/2016
Help! I worked in downtown St Louis 1968-1971. It was so much fun to go to different restaurants for lunch and Famous Barr for shopping. I am trying to remember the name of the wonderful Mexican restaurant downtown. It was small and you sat on couches with bright orange napkin/towels on your lap. My mind is telling me the name started with F??? Anyone? Anyone?? Thanks. Al's was good too in the dark warehouse dock area. For the menu, waiters brought trays of steaks and seafood over to your table. And Trader Vic's. Crab Rangoon and Mai Tais!! Who hoo.
Post from mike 2/27/2017
Ok here are some of my memories from breckinridge hills, coles ave. going to bettendorfs on the rock road, Spartans store/ hoods behind the stores on the rock road/ walking to st Gregory school daily/ kindergarden at marvin school/ dolly Madison outlet across from marvin school/ jeromes pizza on woodson/ the delmonte outlet on woodson/ luigis pizza up from the white castle on natural bridge/ totes bigboy by the airport/ of course holiday hill amusement park/francis Chevrolet across from the dairy queen on wodson and st Charles rock road where francis the (real live mule) had his own house and would come out so you see him from the road/ 905 liquor store on rock road/Olympic drive in/four screen and airway drive in/getting blown over by the jet engines at the airport watching area as they take off/the mall at woodson and page/popes cafeteria at the mall/freezing while shopping at northwest plaza before they enclosed the mall/the trio on natural bridge/cruising between the steak and shake on the rock road and the on natural bridge/buying fireworks (under the table) at the bridge before you went over to st Charles/trying to climb the roof of the old library in st ann, it was steep/ going to brokerage on the rock road with my mom/getting sawdust from the sawmill next to bettendorfs for my hampsters/harpers market on woodson next to Breckinridge police dept/ whew that's enough for now. Thanks for listening mike
Post from Joni 4/14/2018
I remember my dad telling me that my mother and him used to square dance at Tower Grove Park. The time frame would have been about 1950. He said the parents all dropped the kids off at the playground and then square danced and when it was over they walked over to the playground and picked up their kids. I would have been about three and my brother about six. He said it was safe and nothing ever happened. (NOTE from Dave Lossos: I have vivid memories of square dancing lessons in Tower Grove Park (probably because it was the first time I got to hold the hands of girls). I was about ten in the early fifties.
Post from Marshall Hill 4/14/2018
I grew up in South St. Louis in the 50's. It was fun reading some of the familiar, but forgotten, unique memories of my childhood. A few that I have that I did not see mentioned are;
Casa Loma Ballroom on Cherokee & Iowa Street. As a kid I could never quite figure out what it was all about.
Globe Drug Store on Cherokee St. and the Favorite Bakery down the blocki where my Mom would but gooey butter cakes.
Berlinger Dairy where my first job paid 50 cents per hour.
Mizerany Appliance store on Broadway.
Mrs. Smith's Confectionary on Chippewa St. My mother and I walked from our home on Michigan St. one snowy November 7 to buy a Howdy Doody marionette for my birthday.
The Lionel Train store across the street and a little further west on Chippewa.
The Sears store on South Grand. I could see the red "Sears" sign from my bedroom window. I remember going to sleep at the with the window open looking at that sign.
The A&P store on South Jefferson and Winnebago St. I thought it was the only supermarket in existence.
The Melvin Theater on Chippewa St. for double-feature movies.
Cant remember the name of the soda fountain on Chippewa near Froebel School but used to go there for a "Red Cow" ice cream soda made with vanilla ice cream and red cream soda.
Thanks to all for the memories.
Post from Chris Benson Cantu 1/10/2019
Thank you for the walk down memory lane, even if much of it is not exactly pertinent to me.
I have lived in Seattle since 1973 but spent the first 21 years of my life in SLMO.
I first lived on Claxton Ave which Ithink was near Walnut Park? Not sure, we moved when I was 8 years old.
I do very clearly remember a tiny but wonderful grocery store near there called Barney's, an old fashioned candy store about a block away, the tamale man, the sharpening man and the milk man with Whitey the horse and walking each day to St Philip Neri school w older brother Mike.
We always had to pass a tavern on the way home and I still remember the smell of beer.
Once I fell down in the middle of the big boulevard ? Grand?? when my brother had left me behind , and the men in the bar came out and got me, propped me on a bar stool and fed me Coke and peanuts til my brother finally found me!
I was perhaps 6 years old, and never was I in danger.
Simple times.
Then, my Dad moved us to Normandy, 71 Greendale Dr., but since school year was not quite ended, my brother and I took the bus every day from near Normandy Golf course, transferred in Wellston !!, and arrived somehow at school on time.
I was way too young for that, but nothing ever happened and I remember it as a big adventure.
Well, BelNor grade school was amazing for me, but Normandy High,not so much.
The bright spots were dancing at the Breckinridge Ballroom, being on TV at the ST. louis Hop and all the usual cruising around with boyfriends to the various hamburger joints.
I went to UMSL for 2 years, I worked at Wash U for a while, and then I married a guy from U City/Wash U and we left, we were really eager to see another side of life.
My family still lives there, and I think very fondly of St. louis always and frequently,it really gets under your skin.
Post from George Usher [email protected] 5/16/2019
Jack and Jill Ice cream parlor, 1950s. I worked there from 1957 until I graduated from SLU in 1961. It was on Olive Street Road in University City. Most of us who worked there went to Mercy HS or U City High nearby. It was owned by Sid Ladin (Ladinsky) who was a great boss. In addition to ice cream we sold hamburgers, etc. Many of the customers were regulars whom we got to know by name. Ernie Heldman was a frequent customer.
Post from Freda Johnson [email protected] 12/16/2019
Does anyone remember The Lantern Bar? I think it was around Gravois and 12th Street, it was a two-story building located at the wedge before you got on I-70 heading North. The structure itself may still be there. It was kinda, sorta known as a biker bar, owned by Bud Smith. Trying to find any information on it, exact address, pictures, etc. Would be interested in hearing if anyone remembers this place. Thanks!
Post from David Ross [email protected] 3/1/2020
My Dad worked at Schobers Wine Restaurant on South Lindbergh. Special was Bratwurst Potato Dumpling with Sauerkaut for $1.35
Post from Mary Ouellette [email protected] 4/2/2020
Hello,. In referencing Jeff Silvers post (1-5-2009). My Grandparents owned the Dairy Dell. My mom, who is still alive, ran the Dairy Dell with them. I was doing a google search and this site came up. I'm happy that others remember this restaurant. It would be fun to hear stories, about their experiences of the Dairy Dell. Sincerely, [email protected]
Post from Jerry Wuenscher [email protected] 4/2/2020
I grew up in Affton like others on this post and enjoyed seeing it. My Dad worked at Pevely Dairy and I am looking for pictures or memorabilia from Pevely. If anyone may have something I would love to see it. My memories of St. Louis are so many that it is impossible to list them. Bevo Mill is certainly a fond one. I went to Lutheran High School south but not live in south Carolina.
Post from Tom [email protected] 7/21/2020
Thanks for the site. It has brought up tons of great memories. My name is Tom and I was born in 1951 and have lived in St. Louis my whole life. Up until I left for college I lived on University Street between 25th and Parnell. I went to Sacred Heart Church and Grade School. Most of my memories have been told by others but one that I remember was the big milk bottle on a pole at Horack Dairy ... much like the Vess soda bottle. There are tons of pictures on the net of the Vess bottle but none of the milk bottle. I wonder if any of your readers might have a picture of that ... or any other pictures from that area. Horack Dairy was located on Jefferson between Sullivan and Hebert.
Post from Mike Collins [email protected] 11/29/2020
My Mother was born and raised in St. Louis. She was adopted/born in 1922. Unfortunately, I have found no record of her birth or adoption. I've been searching for 40 years since her death with no luck. Fortunately, with the advent of DNA, I do have a list of relatives, but no one closely related enough or with enough family tree information to make any concrete connections. I love your website. I remember my Mother talking about several of the places mentioned. I know this is probably not the right place for this, but if anyone aware of the Cunningham family that lived on Vine Grove Ave in th 1930's. My Mom's name was Mary Smith, but her adopted Mother later married a Charles Cunningham. He owned a Coal and Gas company in St. Louis. My name is Mike Collins and my Email is [email protected] if anyone might have any information that could help me. Thanks.
Post from ROCKLAND TAYLOR [email protected] 1/1/2021
Spent some of the early 60's growing up in Pruitt Igo. Not the best of years. Sold newspapers at Purina and had route that included Viking Trucking and The Tradewinds Bar. Loved going to Forrest Park. As a kid i thought my life would be in Pruitt Igo. Little did i know. Have traveled the world and my career has sent me around the country. Now retired in Hawaii. If young people work hard and look forward they can change their world. Being a lad in Saint Louis still enters my mind often. Many times throughout my life I've looked back on that young boy and wondered how his life road changed for the better. I'm a lucky man.
Post from Steve Anton [email protected] 1/9/2021
Born at 3310 south Compton
My dad was a huckster on the street selling produce after ww 2. His name was Elmer
And had a great business in so St. Louis until the big supermarkets ruined his business
Remember Thurmers bar Compton and Cherokee
The roller coaster at Downs park on south Broadway
The big green Vess bottle on Hampton and gravois I believe
A bar or confectionary on every corner
Who remembers a confectionary on Osceola owned by a guy named Dobbler or Dobler where Crusoes bar is now in the 50s my grandmother lived upstairs there for 40 years
Anyone remember a risqué bar on Chippewa by Sears and you had to walk down some nasty steps. The guy had gorgeous bartenders
The world theater on Lucas (soft porn)
Olympic drive in in north county
Who remembers the hottest club in St. Louis early 70s called the Cellar owned by mike galdoni off Lindbergh in so county across from hooters I think it's now a Chinese restaurant
There was a bar at Nebraska and gravois and they had girl go go dancers in cages just like the ones on tv
The jury room on 14th st my after work watering hole
All of my family were customers of California donut company
Post from DIANNE WALLS - [email protected] 1/16/2021
I stumbled onto this site while doing genealogy research on my Dad and his family. What a gem this is, and I'm so thankful for finding it! Because of a Covid lockdown where he lives, we are not able to physically see Dad right now, so phone calls have to suffice. I just want to tell you that, through the wonderful posts of so many people, Dad and I have had fantastic talks, with so many memories for him popping up through common memories others have shared! Thank you, thank you, so much!!! My dad was born in St. Louis city, near Forest Park, in 1929. At the time his parents lived in an apartment on Oakview Place, near the old Deaconess Hospital, then later on Chippewa. His parents divorced in 1934; his mother remarried, and they then lived in North City, specifically on Sherry Avenue, near the old arms plant on Goodfellow. He graduated in 1947/48 from Beaumont High School. Dad has shared so many memories with me about his childhood and teen years in "the city"……and, at 91 years old, it truly amazes me how just the mention of a place listed in these shared memories, sparks renewed memories for Dad, and how much he remembers in great detail! Because of this site and its treasure trove of memories of activities and places and people, it's nothing for he and I to be on the phone for 2 hours…..and it makes my heart happy that he gets this diversion from the cabin fever he's got!!!! I too, was born in the city, at the old DePaul hospital, but my childhood was spent in Ferguson, until we moved to "the country" in 1969. My siblings and I loved growing up in Ferguson, and I have my own memories that I may share at another time, but for now, I just want to say a huge thank you for taking on this project, and for all the folks who have contributed and shared on this format that Dad and I can share together! God bless you all!
Post from Susie Haines, Durango, CO. 6/2/2021
I attended Emma Ogle School of Dance in Ferguson, MO. from the age of 3 to 8 (1951-1956). Then we moved and it was too far for me to go back to her dancing school. She turned over many students to the St. Louis Muni Opera and Broadway. She had many connections in St. Louis, including the Schmidt Shaefer Shows (Which she put me in). The Smidt Schaefer Shows were mainly in St. Louis and performed at Arsenal Mental Institution (on Arsenal), Bellefontaine Neighbors Mental Institution, St. Louis City Hospital, many nursing homes, a few Universities, for many Christmas Parties, Boys Town in St. James, MO., Veterans Home in St. James, MO., Jefferson Barracks, etc. I saw the best of St. Louis talent on the stages from tap dancing on roller skates, musicians, mimes, tap, jaz, and ballet dancers, singers, etc. I learned lots about songs that originated in St. Louis and I recall Schmidt and Schaefer playing the accordion, the other one singing to older St. Louie songs such as St. Louie Woman, St. Louis Blues, and Kansas City (here I come). This period in my life I learned so much about the older music, and music from that time period. Susie Haines Durango, CO.
Post from Jim Clement - [email protected] 6/24/2021
Been a few years since I wrote to share some St. Louis memories. Back then, I was living in Honolulu. Now I live in Alamo City, USA. Good to see some posts from a few others that grew up in Maplewood. Particularly Gary Palazola. I went to school with his brother Mike, and his sister Debbie
A few more for the M-RHer's:
Remember the Cousin Hugo's Tavern shooting on Laclede Station Road?
Laux Bakery on Big Bend?
Bettendorf's grocery on Sutton Avenue? It became a Pier 1 Imports around '67 or ''68.
Scheidts Hardware on Manchester Ave?
Bob's Market on the corner of Sutton and Lyndover?
Velvet Freeze on Big Bend near Folk Ave? Or was it Bog Bend and Williams Avenue?
How about the old Putt-Putt Golf and batting cages on Manchester near Hanley Road?
Golde's Department store?
Katz Drugs on Sutton and Manchester? After Katz closed, it was turned into a disco around '76. What was the name of that disco?
The Bonanza mini-bike dealer on Sutton?
Anybody remember going to school with the Hooker twins? Jacqueline and Laura? No, that really was their names!
Mrs. Reuter's Market. Corner of Laclede Station Road and Flora Ave?
Houskas Grocery store on Big Bend?
What a great site this is, Dave! Just awesome!
Post from Diana Fox ([email protected]) 11/10/2011
Hi my name is Diann and I was born in 1946 at St Anthony's Hospital. I grew up on Alabama Street until the state took our house for the freeway. My parents opened St Louis Skateland on Gravois Avenue in an old Woolworth 5 & 10 store. My dad even, for a short time, put an Archery Gallery in the basement of the rink. I loved going to The St Louis Hop when it was on TV. I remember every Sunday driving through the park to buy Soft Pretzels from the man on the corner, 5 for $ 1.00, still love big soft pretzels to this day. I remember the ice storms and trying to walk to school holding on to fences or walking on grass and not 10 miles to school (lol) just a few blocks. My Grandmother worked for many years at Boxerman's Men Clothing downtown, she was the seamstress. I would love to hear from anyone that remembers St Louis Skateland . Love your site, it brings back such good memories.