Archive for the ‘Bayou Texar’ Category
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.
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
Bayou Texar Ski Club …
I am not sure if these were made in 1977 or 1979, but I know that someone will let us know. For some reason, I want to say that these were made for publicity when the Ski Club appeared on the Labor Day Jerry Lewis Telethon. I used to ski in the Bayou back in the 1960’s, but once I started going to UWF, we sold the boat and that was the end of my water skiing. I always enjoyed skiing and I have a lot of photos around of me skiing that I will try to find and throw up so everyone can get a good laugh. As usual, I do not know who most of the skiers are, but I can pick out a Bonifay or two, and I will throw that out when I run across them. So here goes some photos …
I am fairly sure that Paul Bonifay is the clown on the right side and I think I know the guy next to him, but I want to make sure before I embarrass someone. A few more with the girls …
Now we are getting somewhere … I am pretty sure that that is Ginger Bonifay on the front row left as you are looking at the photo.
That is Ginger on the far left in this photo … cannot tell you who the other girls are but they are some cuties ( if I insult any of the girls with my sexist remarks, I am sorry … I think I am just stating the obvious ) I do not know where I was this day that my dad went and took these photos, but I sure missed it!!! Here are a few more …
That is five or six that I have worked-up and I would say that I have several more that I will get ready and post. If any one recognizes any of these skiers, let us hear from you and if you know any other info about the Bayou Texar Ski Club, please share it with us. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Bayou Texar Early 1900’s …
This photo was taken of Bayou Texar in the early 1900’s and was in a book created by Pensacola photographer Cottrell. The book was brought to me and I copied the photos for the owner of the book. I have never seen another copy of this book and I have mentioned it in earlier posts … the book was titled ” Picturesque Pensacola “. I believe that this area of the Bayou is what you see to the south when you drive across the Cervantes Street bridge. I have never seen this photo reproduced anywhere … I have checked down at the Pensacola Historical Society and they do not have a copy of the image. If you have seen this anywhere, please let me know or if you have ever run across Cottrell’s book let me hear from you. I have some other photos ready that I will post in the next few days … thanks for looking, Frank
Pensacola Ski Team …
Not Snow Skiing, WATER SKIING ! I found some negatives a while back from the 1970’s that my father had taken of the Pensacola Ski Team / Club. I do not know any of the girls, but a few look vaguely familiar. I am sure that this was taken at the Bonifay’s ” Ski Beach ” on Bayou Texar. For some unknown reason, this was the only negative I scanned … I will have to go back and find the negative envelope and scan some more. Thanks for looking and if anyone can identify any of these girls, please do. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
More Skiing on Bayou Texar …
I do not know these skiers, but it is more interesting to look at how Bayou Texar has changed. Just looking at all of the trees on either side gives you a feel that their are not that many homes on the Bayou. When in fact the Bayou had homes on almost all of the lots going from the Cervantes Street bridge all of the way to the 12TH Avenue Street bridge.
One thing that you do notice is the lack of boat houses on the Bayou. Most homes had a small dock, but there did not seem to be a lot of boat houses … now some of the boat houses are large enough for you to live in.
Thanks for looking and please let us hear from you … Frank
Bayview Park …
This photo above of Bayview Park must have been made in the early 1900’s, maybe around 1910 or so. My father obviously did not make this photo, but he had a negative of the image. Someone must have brought the photo into the studio and had a copy print made. I have not seen very photos of the old Bayview Park and I thought that it looked interesting. Notice the old Model A’s in the parking lot on the left hand side. I can remember my father talking about going swimming there at Bayview Park when they moved here in 1925 from Muscogee Florida. All comments are appreciated … Thanks for looking …
The ” Round – House ” on Bayou Texar …
This is another photograph my dad made with the panoramic camera he owned – The WideLux. This house is still located on Bayou Texar, but I have no idea who lives in it today. The Lautner family used to live here back in the 1950’s and 60’s. Mr. Lautner was the builder of our house on Dunwoody Drive, which is just two blocks up from this house. I found some other images my dad made with the WideLux from this boat trip that I will post later. Note how there was a train track that would take their boat back and forth from Bayou Texar. I can not remember if it was motorized or if there was a pulley system to take the boat back and forth to the ” Round – House “, but whatever there was it left an impression on me. Thanks for looking …
Bayou Texar Aerial …
You see Bayview in the bottom left and Johnson’s Marina is on the other side to the right. As you can see, the community center had not been built yet … it was just an area for swimming. It is hard to believe that this area had so few houses in the 1950’s when this image was made.
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
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