Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Austin: gym, teachers)

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by BudB

Memory tells me that policeman Matheny was a bachelor but I'm not certain about that.
Thanks for mentioning the old Humble station on S. Flores as that was one of many I visited as a small boy with my granddad. He was nearing retirement after nearly 35 years with the Humble Co. when I began living with them at age 5. His job then was to drive around in a red over white 1949 Chevy pickup to Humble stations all over town dropping off new batteries, tires, or other parts that customers ordered and occasionally taking extra cash receipts to a local bank. Mostly I remember being treated to sodas, peanuts and candy, etc. by the service station guys who all knew my grandfather so thot his grandson was there to spoil. That and jumping up and down on the air hose laid across the driveway that made a bell ring.
One special memory is of a motorcycle cop stopping to get a Coke at the station we were visiting. He opened the bottle and drank a quick swallow or two then poured salted peanuts into the bottle and slowly drank the rest; I don't know why but I can close my eyes and see him doing it plain as day. Wish I could remember where all those Humble stations were but there were so many and almost none survive except for this one at 1091 S. Laredo. Take a look at it here; San Antonio Humble Gas Station Wins National 'This Place Matters' Contest.
You also mentioned the fire training site on Zarzamora which I don't recall. Where is the current one located?

Nice photos again . Yep heard of it's fate..great news. I was pretty familiar with that old station. Finck Cigar Co. used to be across the street from it.

The old Humble station at Hart and South Flores street was run by Mr Keil or Kyle. Used to have a guy working for him that wrecked his old 55' or so Corvette. It was red and white. It sat there at the station what seemed like a long time. Think he was red headed and unusual looking. He was very reddish and maybe had a freckled complexion. Nice guy can't recall his name. Saw him around for years after station closed. Mr Kyle or Keil went on to run a new I think American station on Roosevelt just south of river bridge and north of Southcross. Next to the old trailer park and about where the RV Center was in recent years.

The old Humble at S.Flores and Hart Street was in the middle of my old turf. Went to kindergarten half way between Flores and Mission Rd. Little elderly lady ran it in her home across from the tiny Curry's Grocery Store. Just across the street from the old Humble they built Cuda's Grocery Store. BTW, my dad had an old white 51' or 52' or so Chevy truck back then. His shop was next Malone's Hardware store.
Sam Sawyers to the south and Sapp's Garage across Hart from it. Sam Cherry's TV Repair between Sapps and Division and Little's Boot Shop. On the East side of Flores north of Hart they built the Blanco Pharmacy maybe late 60's. North of it was Malone's Hardware Store (50's & early 60's).
I'm assuming the Fire Department moved up as the SAPD (Jefferson's) did. Not sure though. It was south of Culberson I believe was the street. It was north of the old SASA Shoe Factory on Zarzamora. North of the intersection of Zarzamora, Nogalitos and Somerset Rd about 1/2 block i guess!

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by BudB

Memory tells me that policeman Matheny was a bachelor but I'm not certain about that.
Thanks for mentioning the old Humble station on S. Flores as that was one of many I visited as a small boy with my granddad. He was nearing retirement after nearly 35 years with the Humble Co. when I began living with them at age 5. His job then was to drive around in a red over white 1949 Chevy pickup to Humble stations all over town dropping off new batteries, tires, or other parts that customers ordered and occasionally taking extra cash receipts to a local bank. Mostly I remember being treated to sodas, peanuts and candy, etc. by the service station guys who all knew my grandfather so thot his grandson was there to spoil. That and jumping up and down on the air hose laid across the driveway that made a bell ring.
One special memory is of a motorcycle cop stopping to get a Coke at the station we were visiting. He opened the bottle and drank a quick swallow or two then poured salted peanuts into the bottle and slowly drank the rest; I don't know why but I can close my eyes and see him doing it plain as day. Wish I could remember where all those Humble stations were but there were so many and almost none survive except for this one at 1091 S. Laredo. Take a look at it here; San Antonio Humble Gas Station Wins National 'This Place Matters' Contest.
You also mentioned the fire training site on Zarzamora which I don't recall. Where is the current one located?

I did some work at my church today which is on South Presa. For dinner, we walked over to Rosario's. I passed by a building that looked identical to the one in your picture, but lacked the blue color at the bottom of the columns, and it was much closer to Presa. I will take a picture of it on Sunday, and get a more accurate address.

[GWhopper]

Here is what I once posted on the original GBNFSA thread a few years ago. Somewhere on that original thread, another poster had taken more detailed pictures of the structure. I am convinced I saw another one today, so may be this isn't the last.

//www.city-data.com/forum/1676872-post1537.html

I also posted some other pictures of Humble Oil stations from SA that are definitely gone today. I don't have the time to hunt them down now, but I think they still reside on my old iMac. I'll see if I can get it up and running this week.

[SATX56]

What was the little station at Mulberry and St Mary's heading into the Zoo?? Mobil? I don't recall.

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by satx56

What was the little station at Mulberry and St Mary's heading into the Zoo?? Mobil? I don't recall.

There used to be a Conoco station at that intersection.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by ged_782

There used to be a Conoco station at that intersection.

Thanks! That makes sense ... to me. There are so many old service station buildings still around occupied by other businesses now. They're everywhere from a time when they were on every other corner it seemed.

[oldlibrarian]

Well, you just learn something new everyday on this forum. I had no idea about Mr. Winn... Wasn't the first Radio Shack located in a Tandy's store on the ground floor of Wonderland Mall?

[BudB]

Originally Posted by GWhopper

I did some work at my church today which is on South Presa. For dinner, we walked over to Rosario's. I passed by a building that looked identical to the one in your picture, but lacked the blue color at the bottom of the columns, and it was much closer to Presa. I will take a picture of it on Sunday, and get a more accurate address.

Whopper ol' buddy, please do share an image here when possible of what may be another Humble site. I "drove" down S. Presa yesterday using Google's street view format but never did see the station you mentioned as being near Rosario's. Old gas stations may not be the most exciting topic we've discussed in these pages but it sure trips my trigger. That's because of the personal connection with my grandfather's long Humble Oil Co career as previously noted.
A footnote to that story is that following granddad's retirement in 1952, the local Humble office occasionally hired him to do "traffic counts" at various locations around town, usually a busy intersection. This was done to survey traffic patterns and volume at specific sites and we did it manually. That meant sitting near a busy intersection manually counting traffic by sight as vehicles traveled thru it in every direction. The count included turns as well as flow and the required information was gathered by pencil onto large pads divided into each direction plus turns. It began early in the morning as my grandparents shared the task especially at rush hours while sitting in the family car with drinks, sandwiches and snacks until well after dark.
I can still recall a few of the locations, one being at Gevers and Highland Blvd. where a gas station was eventually built tho not an Humble site. I walked to that one after school at Highland Park Elementary and joined my folks as they counted. Another was at Goliad Rd. and Pecan Springs and another on South W.W. White & Readwell near W.W. White Elementary School. There was one on Somerset Rd. somewhere and one way out north on Bandera Rd. when it was still mostly undeveloped near what became Loop 410. It was "make work" for a longtime, loyal employee and the modest income the occasional counts provided was always welcome.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by BudB

Whopper ol' buddy, please do share an image here when possible of what may be another Humble site. I "drove" down S. Presa yesterday using Google's street view format but never did see the station you mentioned as being near Rosario's. Old gas stations may not be the most exciting topic we've discussed in these pages but it sure trips my trigger. That's because of the personal connection with my grandfather's long Humble Oil Co career as previously noted.
A footnote to that story is that following granddad's retirement in 1952, the local Humble office occasionally hired him to do "traffic counts" at various locations around town, usually a busy intersection. This was done to survey traffic patterns and volume at specific sites and we did it manually. That meant sitting near a busy intersection manually counting traffic by sight as vehicles traveled thru it in every direction. The count included turns as well as flow and the required information was gathered by pencil onto large pads divided into each direction plus turns. It began early in the morning as my grandparents shared the task especially at rush hours while sitting in the family car with drinks, sandwiches and snacks until well after dark.
I can still recall a few of the locations, one being at Gevers and Highland Blvd. where a gas station was eventually built tho not an Humble site. I walked to that one after school at Highland Park Elementary and joined my folks as they counted. Another was at Goliad Rd. and Pecan Springs and another on South W.W. White & Readwell near W.W. White Elementary School. There was one on Somerset Rd. somewhere and one way out north on Bandera Rd. when it was still mostly undeveloped near what became Loop 410. It was "make work" for a longtime, loyal employee and the modest income the occasional counts provided was always welcome.

BudB,
I will get you a picture this weekend. This past weekend I was held up at my church because I am the bookkeeper. I wanted to drive around the area and find the station to photograph it, but I got the feeling my wife wasn't going to let me indulge in my little hobby. She was hungry and cranky, I know thin ice when I see it.

[Ken Southeast]

Originally Posted by BudB

Thanks for adding the info Boss and '56 seems about right for that awesome icehouse fire. As mentioned Capt. Matheny lived directly across the street from the icehouse so his front yard became prime viewing spot while the local firemen fought the inferno. That would have been the men from Fire Station #9 which is still there as seen below. It sits at the corners of Mittman and Delmar and is a good example of a number of fire houses built in SA during the 1920s. all over town.
Capt. Matheny's nickname was Babe, and had apparently been given to him originally because he looked like Babe Ruth at a time when the baseball great was at his peak.

I had a Light paper route in '52 and '53. We got our papers delivered in '53 at Mrs. French's house (must have been in the 400 block since it was just south of St. Anthony). I know her sons are still around in SA. I lived "down the hill" from Poe on St. Anthony between Denver Heights and Essex. I have a lot of memories of Poe (good and otherwise) and was grateful about ten years ago when they had an open house and let everyone visit the old building just before they tore it down to build the new one. It was great to see everything again after 50 years and it all looked pretty much the same except the auditorium was much smaller than I remembered. What I remember most about the "Shop Building" is freezing my butt off at 8:00 am on the New Braunfels side when we waited there for the Mech Drawing teacher to come open the door for us.