Archive for July 2015
Easter Sunrise Service in Pensacola at Bayview Park on Bayou Texar …
This post is going to be all over place … Going from Bayview Park on Bayou Texar to First Baptist’s new church building on Palafox Street, so please bear with me on this. But at least you are going to see some interesting images that I do not think that I have posted before or if I have it was years ago. Here we go … the other day Troy Moon from the Pensacola News Journal wrote an article about some group wanting to remove the cross at Bayview Park on Bayou Texar. The cross sits on the site where the Easter Sunrise Services were first held and the group wants the cross aken down because it offends them – my words not Troy’s. I do not have any photos of the cross, but I do have photos from one of the Easter Sunrise Services that was held on the site from back in the 1950’s. The First Baptist Church of Pensacola held the services and it was widely attended by thousands of people and I can remember going with my parents and having a good time as a kid. The choir’s sashes have ” PHS ” on them, so I am assuming them to be from Pensacola High School. That could never happen today …. a public school participating in a Christian Church’s function would most likely take an act of Congress in these times for that to happen. But I will not go there … Here is another view of the stage –
Apparently First Baptist Church was in a growth spirt at this time and they were out growing the building that they had been in and had decided to build a new sanctuary on Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola. I know that I have photos of the original church and congregation in older posts, so if you want to search them here on the blog, please feel free. So they must have been doing something right at the Easter Services since the church was attracting new members. Now this is where I shift gears and go to some ground breaking photos on Palafox …
I have no idea who these people are and I have other photos from the ground – breaking, but these were handy and ready. Now I am going to move onto some the new sanctuary photographs …
The second image is a panorama view from the first service held in the new church sanctuary. I have a photo of Reverend Jim Pleitz that I ran across and I am embarrassed to admit that I do not know if he was here when the new church was built, but I am sure that someone out there can tell us …
And the last photo is a view of downtown Pensacola with a sign and a cross adverting the Easter Sunrise Service at Bayview Park. You know that would never be allowed today, since no telling how many people that it would offend today. I want to thank Troy Moon for writing the article and it would be worth your time to read it and see how ridiculous this group’s request is. Whatever happened to if you do not like something, just turning your head until you pass or just not going there to begin with. I guess that the people who like the cross’s meaning and beauty have no say so in this issue. Here is the Pensacola downtown photo …
Thanks to Troy Moon for writing the article and I am sure he will keep us posted with the group’s progress in demolishing / taking-down the cross. Stay safe … it is a crazy world out there!!! That is it for me. Feel free to comment and please check back and please read the PNJ … Who knows, maybe Andy Marlette will draw a cartoon with Mayor Ashton with a hammer and chisel taking down the cross and the City Council picking up the pieces and hauling them off in Councilman May’s truck.
1930’s Delchamps Basketball Team …
Back in the 1930’s, my father worked at Delchamps Grocery store when it was located at the corner of Garden and Baylen Streets. He played on their basketball team and he is the guy standing, second on the right side of the photograph. This photo might have been taken between 1932 and 1934. He graduated from PHS in 1934, so I know that it was not after that time. The photo was taken in the old gym that was located on the corner of Baylen and Belmont Streets, but it is no longer there. Note the walk-around that surrounds the court behind the backboard. I scanned this photo years ago and have been looking for it because it has the names of all of the players written on the back. I am sure that there are some “old-timers” out there that will recognize some of the names. Carter Photography on Palafox in downtown Pensacola made the photograph, but I just put my tag on it for identification. This is also the original tone of the photograph and I did not bother to alter the color just because it looked interesting to me. If anyone has any photographs of this old basketball gym, I would like to see them. I am not sure if the building might have been the original YMCA before it moved to it’s present location on Palafox, but if anyone knows please comment. Thanks for looking and as always, all comments are welcomed and appreciated. Check back … Frank
OK … I have found the back of the above photo with the name of the players:
The names are as follows: from the left – Delmar Jones, Clarence Dannelly, Murdock Campbell, Albert Swain, Mr Roberds_Manager, Mr Aiken_Frank’s Boss, Albert McLellan, Frank Hardy, Jack Britton.
Some of the names of the players I recognize – McLellan, Campbell, Dannelly are all familiar to me. If anyone recognizes any of the other names, let me know. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Water Skiing on Bayou Texar …
I have posted some photos from this ski show that the ski club had back in 1979. I ran across these photos a while back and have been sitting on them for a while, so I thought that I work them up to post. I remember getting some comments when I posted the other ski club photos and thought that you might enjoy looking at them. As usual, I do not know who any of the skiers are since they are younger than me. I would guess that the boy and girl on either ends of the group above might be Bonifay children, but as usual, I could be wrong. Here are some of the group skiing …
That is all for now. I have not gotten a lot of images worked up to post, but I am working on a few as I write this. Please check back and feel free to leave any comments that you might have … Frank
Bayou Texar …
This is Bayou Texar around 1920, if I had to make a guess. I would also guess that this area would be south of the Cervantes Street Bridge. The grass flats are still in the area and the oak trees on the bank are still there. Someone had brought me this image to copy thirty years or more and they told me that it was a photo of their family. The photo was in horrible shape and they did not want to spend the money to have the image restored, so I just copied the print and made copies. I found the negative and scanned it, then worked it up in Photoshop in an hour or so. And that is what you are seeing here. I do not know who the photographer was, but it looks like an image that might have been created by Cottrell, who was located in downtown Pensacola at the time this photo might have been made. But as usual, that is only a guess and I could be completely wrong. I can not remember who brought this print to me either, it was such a long time ago. I have been busy with other things the last month or so and have not posted much, but I have not forgotten this blog and plan to keep it going for some time in the future. I have been posting to my Instagram account and here is a link. I post everything from my personal images to photos that I have put on this blog. I like the way Instagram works and the people that respond to my images are different than the ones that are just looking at blogs. I have tried Twitter and have it linked to my blogs along with Facebook, but I do not really care for either one of those, especially Facebook. That is it for today and I will be back with some new photos in several weeks. Let me hear from you if you have any comments or questions and thanks again for looking … Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
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