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My 1st husband worked there from 62-65 on the airplanes. IIRC there were f-4s and f-8s but that was a few years ago.
Jimmy Buffett was never a member of Wet Willie.
I already read Wikipedia's info about Brookley. I probably need to go to the Mobile Public Library to get the kind of info I want.
The skating rink was "Byrd's Rollerdrome". It was at Duval and Halls Mill. Now there's Hodges Body Shop there.
There was a Greyhound Bus Station and the Downtown Theater where Government Plaza now stands.
Channel 10 WALA studios was across the street. The building is still there.
A Walgreens now stands at the site of the old Loop Theater.
A drug store now stands at Ann and Government, the site of The Krystal.
Descendants of the Original Ozzie have re-opened the restaurant on Government near Azalea.
There is now a EPiscopal church on the site of the Bama Drive In.
Old Time Pottery occupies the site of the Auto Show at Azalea Rd.
Johnson's Lake off Hwy 45 is now a cemetery. A few remnants of the concession stand are still visible.
The peanut shop is still in business on Dauphin Sreet.
The "Peanut Man" at Houston Street died a few years ago.
As I have traveled the world in the Navy I have seen many port cities. The waterfronts were mostly seedy. Mobile is no exception.
I-65 was called the Beltline built in the mid sixties.
The banana dock moved from the waterfront to Mississippi years ago.
Pete, the hermit who lived on the little island near the Battleship was hit by a taxi and killed crossing Royal Street years ago.
"The Bluffs" on Halls Mill Creek were destroyed by construction of I-10 in the late sixties.
There's a parking lot where the Admiral Semmes Motor Hoteo once stood. Same fate for The Princess House.
The Alba Club is still there, despite some damage by Katrina.
The Gulf Fishing and Hunting Club is gone. Converted to homes.
Dog River is badly silted up, shallow, and badly trashed by litter from city storm drains.
the old drag strip was still visible on DIP south of Fowl River up until a few years ago. I think it's been developed now.
Last edited by SoalBoy; 06-26-2012 at 09:22 PM..
Reason: Clarifying
WoW.. Great info Soalboy. Brings back a lot of memories. I remember always looking at the island and the little shack amazed that someone lived there. It is sad to know that Dog River is in such bad shape. Mobile has changed so much and unfortunately not all for the good.
Thanks for the FB link, Keeper. Government Street is still very beautiful, but it has never looked quite the same since Hurricane Ivan.
I remember Wet Willie and also Brookley Field circa 1950s. And the water tower. My father was a Marine, and when he was on overseas tours of duty we lived in Mobile, which is my mother's hometown and mine. We shopped at the post exchange and commissary and got medical care at Brookley, the only military base nearby.
I know the skating rink was Byrd's Rollerdrome. Its address was 2008 Halls Mill Road. I'll post a photo of the sign I've got from it on the FB page Keeper mentioned. I lived in the 1700 section of Halls Mill Road, across from Bauer's Drugs. The last I knew, my grandmother's house, which was sold in the early 60s, had become a trashy-looking video store.
I'm looking for photos from Byrd's, hoping to find some of my parents.
I lived in Mobile in 1960, and I thought the place had a wonderful charm to it. Government Street was one of the most beautiful streets in America. One thing I fondly remember was the old street signs on the corners like obelisks. They looked like this, but this pic is not Mobile: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cUZNrgPJRK...1600/img2z.jpg
I did my clothes on a coin laundromat on Dauphin or Old Shell, that was open air, and open all night. Just a bunch of washers and dryers outdoors, with a roof over them to keep the rain off and hold up the lights. You could go there at 3 am and do your wash outdoors, listening to treefrogs and whippoorwills in the night summer air. There was no attendant or anything, nobody was afraid to be out in those days.
I saw lots of ball games, the Bears played in Hartwell Field on South Ann street, which is now an industrial parking lot. Tim McCarver played for Memphis then, I saw him play.
I rented a house on Buena Drive, but the house is not there anymore, at least I can't find it on street-view, and it was pretty distinctive. That was an open subdivision than, with just a few planted trees, now it looks like it is in the woods.
The naval air station used to rev up their jet engines and make a god awful noise that might go on for a half hour, so loud you had to turn up your TV volume, and there were no remotes then, you had to walk over and turn the knob. There were two channels, 5 and 10, black and white of course. I worked at Channel 10, WALA-TV.
Thanks for the FB link, Keeper. Government Street is still very beautiful, but it has never looked quite the same since Hurricane Ivan.
I remember Wet Willie and also Brookley Field circa 1950s. And the water tower. My father was a Marine, and when he was on overseas tours of duty we lived in Mobile, which is my mother's hometown and mine. We shopped at the post exchange and commissary and got medical care at Brookley, the only military base nearby.
I know the skating rink was Byrd's Rollerdrome. Its address was 2008 Halls Mill Road. I'll post a photo of the sign I've got from it on the FB page Keeper mentioned. I lived in the 1700 section of Halls Mill Road, across from Bauer's Drugs. The last I knew, my grandmother's house, which was sold in the early 60s, had become a trashy-looking video store.
I'm looking for photos from Byrd's, hoping to find some of my parents.
I lived near you on Ruth St. I use to go to Bauer's drugstore and get a cherry coke and/or ice cream soda. Do you remember the Carmelite Monastery? The Ole Mobilian also has a web page with lots of pictures too. I have to say it breaks my heart to see how run down that section of Mobile has become. So many of my friends told me.. you don't want to go here/there it is a bad area when I was home in April
Does anyone remember the local program "Partyline" from WKRG-TV and what it was about? All I had ever seen of the program was a video clip with John Edd Thompson presenting news. Here is a link to the video.
"Woolworths"...My Father-in-law was the store manager there back in 1978. You had a designated smoking area for studentsat murphy high in 1976.Santas rocket sleigh at springdale PLAZA .Morrisons at one end and raphaels at the other.There was no Montgomery Ward yet but was Delaney park where I played little league baseball in 1972 across the ditch from westlawn elementry.Played for Thoss Sporting Goods. and johnson chevorlet.That was next to the Royal Knight which is still kicking. Now the mini mall(Bel Aire Mall )had a leather shop where among other things you could get a leather braclet made with your name on it and exchange it with your girlfriend circa 1977. There was also big candle shop and an icee shop there. Spencer gifts might still be there. There was a big alladins castle beside mc donalds. I helped build the festival center when I was in college /construction and helped open the applebees on airport blvd.Any one remember New York Pizza that Phil and Zonk owned next to the dollar movie? Anyone remember the skating rink at the loop? There's an antique store there now. the colonel dixie is still at pleasant valley and hyw 90 still serving dixie dogs. The teen night club down the street from colonel dixie was a cafeteria style restaraunt Anyone remember the name?
Austins country palace is now closed for better or worse.The bargain bazar. Capri Theater at airport and bel aire. Ozzies bbq was where wendys is now.
Help me here. Was there a restaurant CALLED THE pUB THAT TURNED INTO THE jOLLY oX tHEN MUCH LATER TO HOOTERS BEFORE HOOTERS MOVED LAST YEAR?Early 70's. It was next to the old montgomery ward tire center.
The skating rink at the loop was called Skateland. We used to go there almost every Sat nite. I also played little league at Delaney Park in 1972, and remembered getting beat bad by the Thoss Sporting Goods team. I played for the Cox Drugs Team. If I recall Thoss came in first place that year. The cafeteria resturant you are talking about that was near Colonel Dixie used to be Morrison's. It has been several things since, but was originally called Morrison's.
The cafeteria resturant you are talking about that was near Colonel Dixie used to be Morrison's. It has been several things since, but was originally called Morrison's.
No, I think he's talking about the old cafeteria style restaurant that was on Bel Air Blvd. It was called Bonanza, then it changed to something else, then a night club called Senor Frogs. It's over there near where Shoe Station is. Maybe you're talking about the same place WAY before then.
Colonel Dixie used to have locations in midtown at the loop, Demetropolis/90, and DIP (where Gone Fishin' and now Hartz Fried Chicken is--owed by the same guy).
I do remember the Bama Drive-in and exactly where it was. It was closed when I was a kid but everything was still there for years (probably until around 1990).
OldTime Pottery used to be THE Home Depot in town and before that it was called Bo Waters (sp?). Skyland Shopping Center was still across the street back then and there was a Big 10 Tires at the very end where Southern Leather Gallery used to be (which has now also closed, I believe). I'm not sure what's there now.
How about Video Village right there at Azalea and 90? Remember them Beta and VHS movie rental before Blockbusters sprouted up then went out of business.
Right in that vicinity closer toward Krystal you had Gaylords, which became Zares, now it's a seasonal (Toomey's Mardi Gras) store.
Go down further toward downtown on 90 and across from the bus station, you had the K-Mart and the little Delchamps in that shopping center. Recently Big Lots and now--nothing.
I think I've mentioned these others before; but as they're popping into my head again I'll mention them once more for folks that don't want to read through the whole thread:
McVay and Navco: A&P Grocery!!! Al's 5&10, and Watson's Drug Store
DIP at I-10: Wigman's hardware (still there as an Ace hardware; not sure if it's the same owner). The old monstrosity Ramada Inn that was behind it---hasn't that thing been torn down long ago?
DIP across from Sherwood Forest subdivision: Consumer Foods was the grocery store, a Van's photo kiosk in the parking lot (remember those!??), OTASCO (Oklahoma Tool and Supply Co) to the far left...and who can forget the TG&Y! Pre-Walmart popularity days.
Further south, was the shopping center where Gulfdale Drive is. Godfathers was still there until recently I think, a big National Auto (parts) store, a hair salon (used to get my hair cut there as a kid), K&B Drugs, Pizza Hut out at the front of the shopping center, etc.
The mall--most people have mentioned it all; as far back as my memory goes included snap-shot recollections of the mini-mall down that hall near DH Holmes (now Belk). The mall had flooring all over back then; not carpet. There was a Hickory Farms with a storefront shaped like a barn. I used to go in there and get gummy bears. Next to that ws a woman's clothing store called Vicky V's where a cousin worked. McDonald's has always been there from what I can recall. Everyone has mentioned the Woolworth's which had great hot dogs. When I was a little kid (around 3), I used to wonder how folks got into that courtyard area to eat even though there was a door to the restaurant right next to it. I remember going to Springdale to Montgomery Ward and even the old MW Tire Center. (I was in Houston not to long ago on business, and they had a run down mall with one of those and the old Montgomery Ward Tire Center building was still there!!!! It was closed, of course, but was identically shaped and you knew what it was.)
On Airport Blvd., just west of Azalea/McGregor, there was a restaurant we used to go to called the Western Steer. It was today's modern cheezy Ryan's steakhouse type of deal but back then it was good. Western Sizzlin' was on the corner of Airport and University behind the oil change place where a Publix is now supposed to be built. The original Western Sizzlin' was on Govt. where Saucy Q is now.
Wow, I was born in late 81 and I'm remembering WAY WAY back to the age of 2 and 3 here. I'm struggling to remember anything else.
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