HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Panel Group 06'arks:
Memory Lane: �
Name q1 `1
Interviewer
Interview Place
9
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Special sources of information
Date tape received in office # of tapes marked
Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd
Describe Photos
Interview Agreement and tape dis
Given to interviewee
Date Signed
Transcription:
First typing completed by
First audit check by (�
Sent to interviewee on 6I I)) ( lQ
Received from interviewee on
sal
PIM
Copy editing and second audit check by
Final copies: Typed by
Oral History Stage Sheet
0
Proofread by: 1)
2;
Photos out for reproduction:
Original photos returned to:
Indexed by:
Sent to bindery by
Received from bindery
Deposited in archives by:
Received Yes No
Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No
lnterview No.
interview date 4 lb'
Interview length
(name)
(name)
6 alai
(name)
Where to:
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Date
Date:
Date:
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
arks:
L
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Memory Lane: l,
1
Interview No.
Name ( (3lam. ilL ATV . Interview date 4' 11.,
Interviewer e 1f'ffl 41{- {r�,4^ Interview length
Interview Place r114 _ 1cCj
Special sources of information
Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date
Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd
Describe Photos
Interview Agreement and tape dis • n safprm:
Given to interviewee • 1 17 i Received Yes No
Date Signed Restrictions- lf yes, see remarks below. Yes No
Transcription:
First typing completed by Pages Date
(name)
' � �/4/
Sent to interviewee on v l (p r (name)
Received from interviewee on
First audit check by
Oral History Stage Sheet
Copy editing and second audit check by
Pages Date
Pages
(name)
Final copies: Typed by Pages Date
Proofread by: 1) Pages Date
2) Pages Date
Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date:
Original photos returned to: Date:
4 Indexed by: Date
Sent to binalery by Date
Received from bindery Date
Deposited in archives by: Date
larks:
Oral History Stage Sheet
1'
Name Pi )V4 1
Interviewer & I e xtthe
Interview Place YYVI . I t9G
Special sources of information
Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date
Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd
Describe Photos
Memory Lane:
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Copy editing and second audit check by
Final copies: Typed by
•
Proofread by: 1)
2;
Photos out for reproduction: Where to:
Original photos returned to:
Indexed by:
Sent to bindery by
Received from bindery
Deposited in archives by:
Interview No.
Interview date " / %p- q ,
Interview length
Interview Agreement and tape disposal form:
Given to interviewee on Received Yes
Date Signed ' - Restrictions- ff yes, see remarks below. Yes
Transcription:
First typing completed by
First audit check by
Sent to interviewee on OJ
Received from interviewee on
(name)
(name)
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Date:
Date:
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date S/13
Date
Date
No
No
4.
irks:
Memory Lane: I r T ,h D V
V %� r 1 Interview No.
Name i�l� ` � Interview date
1/" v�r
Interviewer
r� JPPI� k ,1r Interview length
Interview Place yyn , lo
Special sources of information
Date tape received in office # of tapes marked
Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd
Describe Photos
Interview Agreement and tape disposal rm:
Given to interview7 on Received Yes No
Date Signed ti 1 p ( l t Restrictions- If yes, see remarks below. Yes No
Transcription:
First typing completed by Pages Date
(name)
First audit check by
Sent to interviewee on Si 11 I G1"
Received from interviewee on
Copy editing and second audit check by
Final copies: Typed by
•
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Oral History Stage Sheet
(name)
(name)
Pages
Proofread by: 1) Pages
2 ) Pages
Photos out for reproduction: Where to:
Original photos returned to:
Date
Pages Date
Pages
Date:
Date:
Indexed by: Date
Sent to bindery by Date
Received from bindery Date
Deposited in archives by: Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
This is 1,1.e ?cJ
I'm interviewing for the /
time }IA, iv.t41 (4/0 Ikyr
_ (Mr., Mrs.,
I- 1) cA r it) 1 4/ swi t) (A
Miss, Ms., Dr., Etc.)
This interview is taking place in Room // of The
.�� at 1300 George Bush Dr.
College Station , Texas . This interview is sponsored by the
Historic Preservation Committee and the Conference
Center Advisory Committee of the City of College Station,
Texas. It is part of the Memory Lane Oral History Project.
Have each person introduce themselves so their voice is
identifiable on the tape recorder.
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Today is z`. / ,
(month) (day) (year)
The City of College Station, Texas
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
INTERVIEW AGREEMENT
The purpose of The Historic Preservation Committee is to gather and
preserve historical documents by means of the tape - recorded interview. Tape
recordings and transcripts resulting from such interviews become part of the
archives of The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and
Conference Center Advisory Committee to be used for whatever purposes may
be determined.
with
I have read the above and voluntarily offer my portion of the interviews
(Name of Interviewee)
1. 7.
2. 8.
9 _
(/)A, 10.
5. / 11.
6. 12.
In view of the scholarly value of this research material, I hereby assign rights,
title, and interest pertaining to it to The City of College Station Historic
Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advisory Committee.
Interviewer (signature)
Date
Interviewer (Please Print)
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
City of College Station, Texas 77840
ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET
I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College
Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and
contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of
original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed.
Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all
claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense
thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of,
any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the
parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties
hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with
Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of
action in whole or in part are covered by insurance.
hrcin kG Kl� cl c^►y� r�. 7v
Eh e
Integer (Please Print)
P1 -'e of Interview
viewer
List of photos, documents, mans, etc.
In viewee (Please print)
Signature of Interviewee
Name
0 c b uz-e
Address
LI 3 SGL, -f
Telephone
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
/ LWY, V PY'yG
>14 17 IQ2.8
Co I { ace S tc --I- , „
In progress
Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and
employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability
of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property,
arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by
CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such
indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in
whole or in part from the negligence of city.
4 44%(
Date ..(
Initial
Tie- `1 &'Q
List of photos. documents. mans. etc.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
City of College Station, Texas 77840
ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET
I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College
Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and
contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of
original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed.
Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all
claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense
thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of,
any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the
parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties
hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with
Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of
action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. ,/w
Interviewer (Please Print)
Signature of Interviewer
(�6 ��,r,� C.E �linG.
Plao4 of Interview
� n 8c) S
InterV.�e Please print)
Signature of Interviewee
Name
1
dress
V-/ (.1 7 4S 7 ?
Telephone -,-(6 --(-)7c) 6 Date of Birth / J L
Place of Birth S - d-t- 1 (c)‘--aS ,
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and
employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability
of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property,
arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by
CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such
indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in
whole or in part from the negligence of city.
Date
Initial
ea ,- ( g/, ,
In progress
P1 = - of Interview
List of photos. documents. mans. etc.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
City of College Station, Texas 77840
ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET
I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College
Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and
contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of
original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed.
Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all
claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense
thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of,
any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the
parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties
hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with
Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of
action in whole or in part are covered by insurance.
5I krfE EI6(4 . j <J
Interviewee (Please print)
Signature of Interviewee
Name
£ l /G 1 I lamLOtt ,Q ,1571, t
Address
r l7 &Oc
Telephone q7L _ o T . , -
Date of Birth
Place of Birth AW Y 4/v
Integyigwer (Please Print)
Signature of Interviewer
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
In progress
Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and
employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability
of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property,
arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by
CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such
indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in
whole or in part from the negligence of city.
Date
Initial
0
I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College
Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and
contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of
original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed.
Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all
claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense
thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of,
any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the
parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties
hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with
Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of
action in whole or in part are covered by insurance.
1.I w ti' b - 4, r-
Int I. e print)
Ar
Signature of Interviewee
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
City of College Station, Texas 77840
ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET
Integer (Please Print)
Signature of Interviewer
Plac% of Interview
2- J (s 9 - 5 ;517 �i e --
List of photos. documents. mans. etc.
C
Name
Address
a6
Telephone
Date of Birth 1 1� I rq a
Place of Birth Vdtdrdc , 'MFG
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
In progress
"l6/ C
Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and
employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability
of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property,
arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by
CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such
indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in
whole or in part from the negligence of city.
Initial
Date
Moderator: Eileen Sather
Transcriptionist: Lisa Meyer
Camcorder: Bill Kling
Interviewers: Curtis Burns
Shirlireed Walker
Nelson Durst
Frank Anderson
My name is Eileen Sather. I am the narrator for this Memory Lane
Transportation. Today is April 16, 1996. And now I would like to go around the
room and give your name, just a little bit about where you were born and then,
we'll go around the room and then we'll start reminiscing about transportation in
College Station. OK?
Let's start with Ms. Walker.
S.W. - I'm Shirlireed Walker, and I'm a native of Bryan. I was born in 1913
in Bryan, Texas. And I've been interested in historical research and had the
opportunity to write a couple of chapters in the Brazos County history.
And so I'm enjoying this meeting.
E.S. - Well, we're glad that you're here. Mr. Burns.
C.B. - My name is Curtis Burns, I was born in Bryan, and then lived in Bryan
through first grade and then moved to campus...called A &M College. My father
was a professor and we lived on campus until 1940 and then my parents moved
to College Hills. And lived there until I graduated from A &M in May, 1952. And
went into the Air Force for 21 years. Came back and settled in Bryan.
E.S. - Thank you. Nelson Durst.
N.D. - I was born in Pontotac, Texas (Mason County). I came to College Station
in 1937 and stayed here most of the time since then.
E.S. - Thank you, Mr. Anderson.
Final Co f)
F.A. - I am Frank Anderson. My nickname as a child was Rusty. I was born on
the A &M campus in 1928 and lived on campus until 1940. Thereafter I lived in
College Park until graduating from college in 1950 except for the freshman year
of college which was spent on campus. I have had a career as a physician and
practiced in Bryan from 1964 through 1993. Incidentally, I was president of the
Humana Hospital Medical Staff the year application was made to move to
College Station. I will not say that my background influenced that decision as
other factors were included.
E.S. - OK, thank you. See I'm the new comer I haven't. We moved here in
1980. so everything that I learn today is something that is really interesting and
its exciting. But what we like you to do is just jump in anytime when someone
hits on a spot that you remember something like that or correlates with that just
jump in and say I remember when. But the type of thing we are interested in is
the mode of transportation back in the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. What kind of
roads; how much did things cost, huh, those of you that are A &M, I understand
there was a lot of hitchhiking going on couldn't get home because they didn't
have cars like our students have today. So Dr. Anderson let's just start with you.
Think of way back when, things that really stick in your mind.
F.A. - The first transportation story that I can tell I was reminded of when I saw
Bill Hensel today. That was turning the corner on the sidewalk by the Hensel
House with my tricycle in the early '30s. The next memory I recall that might be
mentioned is Mr. Sam Cavitt sitting on a horse supervising a work crew on
Houston Street in front of our house on campus. At that time Houston Street ran
through the campus from North Gate to South Gate. In the same period, about
1933 or 1934, I recall Highway Six being constructed between Bryan and
College Station. Prior to Highway Six, the main road between Bryan and
College Station was College Avenue. In south part of Bryan, College Avenue
was esplanaded. The esplanade was part of the former site of the defunct
interurban trolley which was between Bryan and the college.
E.S. - On the trolley?
F.A. - One of the major transportation elements was the railroad from which the
name College Station originated. I remember my father, who served time as
commandant, saying that the cadets would sometimes put butter and grease on
the upgrade north of College Station. This would cause the wheels of the engine
to spin and lose momentum if not actually stopping the train. On the more
positive side, freshman were detailed the job of cleaning and sweeping out the
trains when they stopped at the depot. One of the questions on the
questionnaire I was sent was what type of car did you or your parents have. In
the 1930s my parents had two Buicks, and one Reo. Reo cars are not now
manufactured. My parents enjoyed traveling and each summer we took a family
automobile trip. By the time I was 21 years old we had been in the then 48
states.
E.S. - Do you remember what gas cost at that time. How many miles you got to
the gallon.
F.A. - Yes, my dad use to say that his car automatically turned into a station
where regular gasoline was 11 cents per gallon. The better grades were in the
mid to upper teens to twenty cents a gallon in the 1930s. Our Buick did not get
2
too many miles per gallon - possibly 12 to 14. Incidentally the students at A &M in
these years were not allowed to have cars. During the visit of Franklin
Roosevelt to the campus in 1937 access was restricted to cars with a pass.
E.S. - Nelson
N.D. - Well
E.S. - When did you move to College Station
N.D. - I first came in 1937.
E.S. - Oh that's right.
N.D. - The matter of no cars on campus was not hard, there just were no cars.
The main mode of transportation instead of the automobile was the train. There
were excellent passenger trains to Houston and Dallas until the late 1950's.
The Southern Pacific had trains going south to Houston at noon and north to
Dallas at about 6 o'clock in the evening.The Missouri Pacific had a train which
left Houston about 9 o'clockat night, arrived in College Station about 1 a.m after
stopping for passengers in every little town north of Houston. It was called the
Owl. The Southern Pacific train stopped only in College Station and Ennis. The
latter stop to change crews. I remember riding both to Houston and Dallas. The
transportation between Bryan and College Station was by bus and taxi, there
were lots of taxis and buses. One bus -stop was at the YMCA building on the
campus and the other was downtown by what used to be a bookstore and now is
the Main Street Bookseller I believe.
E.S.- Do you remember how much that cost you?
N.D.- No, I don't...I have a poor memory (laughter).
E.S.- Ten cents?
N.D.- My recollection is that a bus left at 7:30 a.m from downtown, stopped at the
YMCA building on the Texas A &M campus, then left there at 8 a.m for
downtown. This continued throughout the day until perhaps 10 p.m. The taxis
operated whenever we could flag one down. As I remember the taxis also
stopped at the YMCA building, I don't remember where the downtown taxi stop
was, but technically there wasn't such a place. Now I lived on the campus for
four years. I lived in the graduate student hall (ramps J and K of Walton Hall.)
There was another dormitory (a frame building) west of Walton Hall for graduate
students. Then after those two years I stayed in the YMCA on campus for two
years. The upper floor of the YMCA was a whole lot like a dormitory, primarily for
singles like me on the faculty, and other Texas A &M employees. My roommate
3
who stayed there for almost two years was Ed Holdredge, now retired from the
Mechanical Engineering faculty.
E.S.- Yes, I know. Now were any of the roads paved in the area? And how
about when you went out into the country a little bit. Rivers, did they have good
bridges, or how did you get across rivers and that sort of thing?
N.D.- I 'd say they were not the bridges we have today. They were pretty good
bridges of course, we didn't get out all that much.
F.A.- In 1940 we moved to 501 Fairview. This is basically an extension of
Houston Street off campus. At that time Fairview at that level was not paved. It
remained gravel until after World War II.
E.S.- O.K., how about you Curtis?
C.B. Well, those early years my primary mode of transportation was either
walking or bicycle, but we rode bicycles a lot. Matter of fact, during the war
years I had a paper route on my bicycle, and used to pick up the papers over at
the YMCA. The community was so small at the time, my paper route included all
of Northgate, all the way down to the back of Northgate and then up to Sulfur
Springs Road. And then around all Rosemary Estates, and then all of College
Hills, but that wasn't that many houses then I remember my parents traded in a
Chevrolet for an Oldsmobile in 1937, and then we had Oldsmobiles in our family
the rest of their lives until my mother quit driving at 90 years old 4 years ago. I
remember one of the things we used to enjoy doing was going down to the depot
and watching the sunbeam train come in. I still think it's the most beautiful
railroad train with maroon, gold and black. It's funny to remember the excitement
of going to see a railroad train coming through. It was adventurous. I don't
know of any family who had two cars , those that were able to afford a car, could
afford one car, that wasn't everybody. The bicycle was the best means of
transportation. In 1939, the campus theater opened. The first movie ever shown
was Gunga Din. Well with my bicycle I had leaflets and passed them pretty
much all over College Hills. As a reward I got an airplane ride at Easterwood
Airport which did not have a paved runway at the time. I flew in an Aeroned. It
was very close to the ground. They hadn't mowed the grass, the grass was
touching the bottom of the airplane, and it taxied out to what served as the
runway. I was really smitten by the airplane ride which led to career flying
planes in the Air Force.
S.W.- Got you interested in the Air Force.
E.S.- What was that movie again that you said?
C.B.- Gunga Din. Have you ever seen it? It's the greatest movie ever made.
4
F.A. Curtis and I lived within a block on campus. When the move off campus
occurred you went to College Hills and we went to College Park. Returning from
the campus theatre at night College Park children had to walk or bicycle through
a dark once wooded section at the south end of the campus. Among the movie
we saw was as Curtis mentioned "Gunga Din ", an action movie. Returning to
transportation in 1941, dad happened to be mayor at the time of the dedication
of Easterwood Airport. As I recall it was a rather sparsely attended occasion.
Later my brother took flying lessons at Easterwood. Subsequently, he became a
Navy pilot. During the time, train passenger service continued sometimes
would take the train to and from Galveston to College Station on weekends when
I was in medical school.
E.S. - Some of the possible questions they had down here is that the first
automobile you had and how much it cost, and how your parents or yourself had
to go about getting a driver's license.
-- I can tell you about that. There were no tests. As I recall I was off to college,
my father got my driver's license and signed for me.
-- So that you could drive.
E.S. What was your first automobile? Caddie. Now the first time you rode on
a train. Did ya'II ride on trains a lot back then? How old were you . Miss Walker
how old were you?
S.W.- Two years old, we took trips to Austin. My grandparents lived there and
so I rode a train real early. One of the trips I always looked forward to was
Thanksgiving because they sometimes had a special train for the Thanksgiving
game with the Aggies and the Longhorns and we would go on that train. My
parents would go to the game and we would be with the grandparents. I loved to
go on that train because of the excitement of traveling on that trip something to
connect with A &M and the train. Also with A &M and the train I remember a
custom they had train sweep. Some Sunday afternoons I guess in September
that Aggie would make a freshman get on the train and sweep it out. That was a
custom I remember that about trains. But one thing that I remember about
transportation in my early days was how we were from Bryan St. to W. 26th St.
by the time I started school. And when I was a student in what was called West
Side School and later was Bowie. All of the students had to walk. We were in
walking distance, but there was one family, the Davis family, that lived out on
Sandy Point Rd. where the Britten Ranch is now, came in on a buggy and there
was a hitching post for them to tie up. It was one of the one seat buggies and
there were 4 or 5 children that came, and the oldest girl was about 12 years old.
She drove the buggy. That was the only one. But the most unusual mode of
transportation I've ever known was another student named Kohler Lobello who
rode a bull to school. He raised the bull from a calf, and I guess it was just about
5
a yearling at the time, but he tied that bull to a hitching post and rode that bull to
school everyday and lived out on Finfeather Rd. and came in and one thing
about that , that was in the early 20's. In 1942 I moved to Dallas, to take a job
there and lived in a neighborhood of North Dallas High School, and when I got
off of the street car I stopped off in the drug store. It was across the street from
the North Dallas High, and I hadn't been there very long before the store owner
asked me where I was from , and I said Bryan and he said Do you know Kohler
Lobello. And I said sure do, he used to ride a bull to school, and he said he had
told us that for years when he was a student at North Dallas and they didn't
believe him, and I said it was true. So his family moved to Dallas when the
oldest brother Leon graduated, and went to SMU so that was the most unusual
mode of transportation I've ever known about.
E.S.- So did any of you or all of you ride the trolley?
C.B.- The trolley closed down about 1919. (S.W. - added to transcription in her
corrections: I am sorry that I did not hear this remark because the trolley
operated until the mid- '20s.)
E.S.- Oh it was closed that early.
C.B.- The tracks were still in place. The tracks were taken up for the iron for the
war effort.
E.S.- So there were busses and taxicabs.
Did any of you have friends or parents talk about riding horses to school. Your
friends out in the country?
S.W.- One of the things I remember about the first car we had was a Ford
Roadster and we went to Austin - my grandfather had a second hand Packard
and that was really very elegant to us and the thing I think about now is the
conversation we had when we arrived in the car it was nearly always about how
many flats did you have on the road, and it was not unusual to have three. From
here to Austin if we'd had less than three flats going to Austin it was a red letter
day.
E.S.- How about people who came in to visit College Station - most of it by train
or car, where would they stay and eat?
F.A.- In the 1930s visitors often stayed in faculty and staff homes. Dinner
parties and bridge parties in these homes were regular occasions. The
Aggieland Inn, the predecessor of the MSC, also had dining facilities and a few
hotel rooms. My parents lived there the first year of their marriage (1925).
About 1940 the Blue Top Tourist Court, a motel, opened off campus. It was
located on the east side of Highway 6 overlooking the campus.
6
E.S.- When did airplanes first come in?
C.B.- I can always remember Easterwood Field. I believe it was 1935 or 1936. I
can vividly remember an air show at Black's airport out on Leonard Road. They
had parachutists and stunting planes.
E.S.- But they didn't take passengers anywhere did they? Point A to Point B.
C.B.- I know at this air show it was $5 a ride. That was a lot of money, too much
for my budget.
E.S.- So it was business flying in here?
C.B.- No, this was the last of the barnstorming age. The planes coming here....
Easterwood there was no schedule, or transport, or anything like that at any
time. During the war a few military planes came in.
F.A.- In the 1930's there was a crash where the vet school is now.
E.S.- We haven't really mentioned hitchhikers. Did you have to hitchhike
anywhere? And people didn't think any thing of it, you know now we wouldn't.
C.B.- It started during the war years, there was a lot of hitchhiking, post war too.
hitchhiked to Denton at least once a month.
F.A.- Hitchhiking was prevalent. Aggies would form a line at the east gate
entrance at Highway 6. The first in line for the right direction got the next ride. If
a student caught a ride a few blocks upstream he was branded "an upstreamer ".
On one occasion in the 1930s, dad picked up what turned out to be a French
artillery lieutenant who was seeing the United States. That day dad was hauling
a load of fertilizer to our farm to fertilize some young live oaks. After dad
mentioned that he had been in France during the war and that he was an
artillery colonel the lieutenant turned and looking at the trailer said, "with that."
N.D.- There was a man by the name of Weicks who lived at the intersection of
Winding Road and Langford Street. His house was one of the first in the area.
He did the research out at the wind tunnel near Easterwood Airport. He had a
small plane which he used to commute from his home to Easterwood. There was
an open area between what is now Winding Road and Haines Street which was
his home landing strip. Part of this area is now the far back on Winding Road.
C.B.- Yes he did, Fred Weicks, had developed and designed the air coupe
airplane before he came to Texas A &M to head of the aeronautic engineering
7
department. He had an Ercoupe out there, and a landing strip just south of his
house. And he would fly Easterwood.
E.S.- As a young lady Mrs. Walker, were you allowed to travel alone?
S.W.- Was I allowed to travel alone?
E.S.- You know, a young lady , to get a cab or travel on the bus, or did you have
to be with someone?
S.W.- At what age?
E.S.- I was thinking of, as a teenager.
S.W.- We used to, well when I Went to college, I traveled on a train. I didn't
travel on a train alone until that time. One of the things I remember about trolley,
it made stops between Bryan and College Station. One at Dellwood, there was
a park , at one time there had been a racetrack there. And a place where people
went out, it was a stile(a stile is a set of steps over a fence) over the fence so
you could get across to College Road. College Ave. curved out into College Rd.
and was the only road between Bryan and College Station. And there were two
big two -story stucco houses not far from the Dellwood stops where you got off,
so you could get off and go to those two homes. Homes belonged to the Zuber
family and Pipkin family. Pipkin was a preacher and had a pretty large family so
a lot of people got off at that stop. One thing about that interurban it lasted
longer than some of the records seem to show because they began to eliminate
the part that went clear into Bryan, there was a station on 26th St. , and then it
went on 24th St. out past Allen Academy and clear to the Ursuline Convent.
And they ended that part of it, the part from the station to the convent. But the
Bryan College Station parts were there still in the late 1920's. But I've seen
records that said they were discontinued in 1925 or 1926, but it was still going
on when I went to high school, I walked to high school, unless the weather was
bad, then mother took us in the car, but uh, so I crossed that track , and the
students came in until late 1920's on that interurban.
E.S.- Do any of you remember , or of your parents talking about knowing
anyone who worked for the city or the county who had to work on the roads ,
paving them or going wrong?
N.D. [inaudible]; I do not know about Brazos County, but in the county where I
grew up, grown man (21 +) had to work 2 -3 days each year on the road until age
45. They could pay the county instead and the county would hire somebody
else. I don't know if this was done statewide, but I always assumed it was.
8
F.A.- In Brazos County some of the county roads were not all weather. I
understand that Dr. R.M. Searcy who began practice in 1932 had some
experience along that line. On one occasion if not more he had to be hauled
back into town by wagon after doing a home delivery. During the wait, rain had
occurred and the road was impassable for his car.
E.S.- Texas Ave. or Highway 6, that has always been there right?
F.A.- Since sometime in the early 30's. HWY. 6 of course was a two lane road
put in sometime in the 1930's, probably completed about 1934.
N.D.- It had been finished not too long before I came here in 1937 when Texas
Avenue and Highway 6 was built where they are now,it created a new main
entrance to A &M
E.S.- Which is Main , and Texas Ave.?
N.D.- Priar to the development of the present Texas Avenue and Highway 6, the
main entrance to Texas A &M was the west entrance where the train station was.
C.B.- Well, the main road to Houston, road to Wellborn, and Millican was HWY.
6.
S.W.- The road that I remember was called the "long trussel" road, now there's
really no such word as "trussel" but that's what the natives called it. It took two
bridges to cross the Navasota River at that point because there was a slough, I
guess " trussel" was a good name, it was a "trestle" that was trussed.
E.S.- Trusted to get you across?
S.W.- But the plank road stretched from the two bridges that it took. The shorter
bridge was on the Brazos county side, and there had been a slough that finally
became the main river, and when it was full, it would overflow and was under
water a lot and was muddy, so they built a plank road between these two
bridges. And the longer bridges was called "Chaney's Crossing" was on the
Grimes County side. It was the road that you took if you wanted to go to Keith or
Iola in Grimes County. So this plank road was a couple of miles, ran between
these two bridges. It sounded like it was coming apart every time you went over
it, and one of my memories was my family used to take long rides out in the
country, and like to take great aunts riding just for a ride. We would go over
some of these bridges over the Navasota River and they rattled like they were
coming apart, but they stood up.
N.D.- During the early Texas period part of what is Brazos County was part of
Washington County, which is on the other side of the Brazos River. When
Brazos County was formed , it was called Navasota County, then renamed
9
Brazos County. The formation of smaller counties made it possible for citizens to
live closer to a government center. The railroad was built from Houston to
Millican priar to the Civil War. The railroad was extended north after the Civil
War.It bypassed Boonville, the County Seat, which was then moved to the new
settlement called Bryan. When Texas A &M was opened in 1876 near the
railroad , College Station was the name given to the location.
E.S. - Tell about what tapes are for.
N.D. - Very few places in the country, where one lives where you can...
E.S. - And I think that's happened, it's really helped the community and as we
grow with A &M and the George Bush Library, I think well see that it's going to be
used a lot more with people flying in. and bus loads of kids coming in.
S.W. - Nearly all the bridges across the Brazos, the Navasota River were once
the site of a ferry. Now I never saw a ferry. A crossing sometimes was not
anything at all except a low water spot where they could cross. And one of these
crossings was pretty well known was on the Sulpher Springs Road, the street in
Bryan now is just a few block long, but it was once a road that wound down all
the way to the Navasota River, and there was a low water crossing. Mr. Fletcher
Pool of Millican, whose father had a lumberyard back in the 1800's, used that
crossing to bring his lumber in. It was usually fairly low water and they could
cross. The last bridge that was built on the Navasota was at the Fergusson
crossing, and the old bridge is, it's just a little piece left, east of the present Hwy.
30 bridge now. At the crossing there was a Baptist preacher named Morrell, who
lived up where Marlin is now at the time of the Texas Revolution, and he wrote a
book called Flowers in the Wilderness and he wrote about crossing at that spot.
And all they did to cross, is they sat in the bank on the Brazos county side and
hollered at the man on the Grimes County side and he would throw them a rope
and they used the rope to pull the wagons across. So there an old -old bridge
and part of it & Ferguson crossing is still there, but you have to go in the woods
from hwy. 30 to see it and huh it's an interesting spot.
E.S. - Thank You for sharing that , Is there anything else, are there any
questions?
F.A. - This area suffered somewhat when the major interstate between Dallas
and Houston went to the east of Bryan and College Station.
E.S. - That's very, very true.
10