Long ago on independence square (Lexington: cake, credit, to buy)

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Today's tough trivia tease!

What well-known family lived in this house, and what still-standing building did this house make way for?

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Margaret was the family member responsible for donating the home's location for the new building, although she never lived there.

Would it help if I mentioned Margaret's last name?






I'll whisper it in case some of you don't want the hint.








Swope.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

To my recollection, I had not heard of either the Arrow Rock or Kentucky Hills country clubs.

The Kentucky Hills Club was along the north side of Colonel Drive, a few blocks west of the Kentucky Hills Thriftway we discussed some pages ago.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

The Kentucky Hills Club was along the north side of Colonel Drive, a few blocks west of the Kentucky Hills Thriftway we discussed some pages ago.

It looks like the outline of a pool is still there from looking at Google Maps.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Isn't that further west from 40 and Noland?

I dont recall it but I recall a Roger Maris Indoor golf place along Highway 40 that was interesting.

You would step up in a cubicle and drive a ball and hit a huge screen that had a picture of a green at, say, Pebble Beach.

The computer would determine the speed of the ball and the direction and one would play golf--sort of.

I tried it with some friends and none of us were impressed. This was around 1960 way before computers ever became a part of anyone's life.

The price was expensive and the process may have not been that accurate. His enterprise did not last long.

Also in that same area was a series of batting cages where you could load a pitching machine with a number of baseballs and then take batting practice. I never could hit the fast or medium.

The fast ball seemed to make a buzzing noise as it went by and I whiffed at it.

The Roger Maris simulated golf course and the batting cages were on the south side of US Forty somewhere between Noland and Crysler--perhaps in the area of Cool Crest.

The simulated golf was indoors and the batting cages were outside. The cages had mesh netting dividing each batting cage. The mesh was all around including the top. I recall going more than once so they must have been around for a while. They were lit up for night use.

Roger Maris was something of a golfer. As much as I can recall, the Roger Maris simulated golf was something that Maris lent his name. I don’t believe he invested so he made out whether the company went belly up or not. The one on US 40 was a franchise. I did not even know what a franchise was back then, chuckle.

Once you drove the ball into the screen, the screen changed locations to reflect the power and the direction of your drive. This went on until you got to the cup area.

Once you got on the cup green, there was a cup surrounded by artificial turf that you putted the ball into, similar to miniature golf, to complete the round.

A couple years ago, I saw a reference to the Maris simulated golf effort but have not been able to find anything on the web lately.

[Mad Anthonie]

While y'all continue to scratch your heads over my mystery house, I thought I would allow you to wax nostalgic. Tomorrow is the opening of Santa-Cali-Gon, whet your appetites with this blast from the past (1941).

[Major Tom 58]

In case you don't want to read the book, here's the movie;


http://youtu.be/Rjl4QM4X7xo

[WCHS'59]

This is not directly related to Independence, but does anyone remember the comic book advertisements for the “98 pound weakling” back in the fifties?


At the beach, a scrawny under nourished guy was having sand kicked in his face and lost his girlfriend to a much heavier and in better shape guy.


The point of the advertisement was to sell Charles Atlas body building courses. One clipped a blank order from the comic book and sent off for information on Charles Atlas body building courses.


A good many comic books had the full page advertisement. The ads were printed from the 1940s through the ‘70s.


The ads appeared so often that they became a topic of conversation among both the girls and boys laughing about some guys being a 98 pound weakling.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

While y'all continue to scratch your heads over my mystery house, I thought I would allow you to wax nostalgic. Tomorrow is the opening of Santa-Cali-Gon, whet your appetites with this blast from the past (1941).

I am going to stick my neck out and say that the raccoon(?) hatted individual holding the muzzle loader in the crook of his arm is Raymond Blake. Blake owned the almost always closed museum located at Walnut and Kansas where the Blue Grey Book store is today.

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Would it help if I mentioned Margaret's last name?






I'll whisper it in case some of you don't want the hint.








Swope.

William Chrisman High School, on the south side of Maple Avenue, built in 1918, was named for William Chrisman because his daughter, the late Mrs. Logan Swope, gave the old Chrisman home, which stood next to the school where the Maple Wood Apartments now stand -- she gave that property to the school board with the understanding that it be named for her father. The old mansion, the old Chrisman mansion was razed, and another addition of the high school was built there. Margaret Truman was a student there.


Even if this is not the right answer, I find it interesting that The Van Horn mansion was demo'd to build the high school and the Chrisman home the same.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

William Chrisman High School, on the south side of Maple Avenue, built in 1918, was named for William Chrisman because his daughter, the late Mrs. Logan Swope, gave the old Chrisman home, which stood next to the school where the Maple Wood Apartments now stand -- she gave that property to the school board with the understanding that it be named for her father. The old mansion, the old Chrisman mansion was razed, and another addition of the high school was built there. Margaret Truman was a student there.


Even if this is not the right answer, I find it interesting that The Van Horn mansion was demo'd to build the high school and the Chrisman home the same.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are the lucky winner. You now have FREE admission to this year's Santa-Cali-Gon.