Archive for the ‘Pensacola’ Category
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
Hygeia Bottling Company for Coca-Cola in Pensacola Florida …
I have had this image sitting around for years and was surprised that I had not posted it yet. I went back through 390 something posts and could not find where I had put it up, so I decided to post it. The Hygeia Bottling Company had the franchise to produce and bottle Coca-Cola in Pensacola Florida when Coca-Cola first came out. I obviously did not take this photo or did my father … someone had brought me a photo to copy and I just saved me a negative. That was over thirty years ago and so I can not remember who, why or what for, but it must have impressed to save a negative. I have no clue where this is in Pensacola or the year the photograph was taken. Maybe if someone could tell the make and model of the car on the right hand side of the image, we could establish a year for the photograph. I wonder if this is the train tracks that run parallel to Wright Street or the tracks out on Border Street in Brownsville. One more thing, I have started using my Instagram account and posting all different examples of my photography and these photographs from this site. Some images have not been posted on either blog yet, so it is just not repackaged or redesigned images for Instagram. I am just trying to find new ways to attract viewers to my blogs and create new interest in my photography. I have enjoyed posting on Instagram since you get instant responses and there are a lot of new people that I can be exposed to that I otherwise would not. I still do not have a Facebook site for my photography and somewhere I am going to get around to putting one up. I really like my blogs and the people that I have reached through them and I have no plan of slowing down, even though that I have had them for years. It seems that people are so fickle now days and what is popular today will not be two or three years from now. Thanks again for looking and if anyone knows anything about this image, please let us hear from you. Also, if anyone has seen this image before, let me know. Please check back … Frank
Ronald Reagan Aboard Leadership 80 at the Pensacola Regional Airport …
Even though I posted these here on my father’s site, I made these photographs back in September 1980 when then citizen Reagan swung through Pensacola on a campaign tour for President. With Citizen Regan, you could walk-up to the plane without being hassled ( too badly, but that is another story ) and take photos and wave at the future President of The United States. Since I made these, I am posting them over on my photography site. Here is a link to my site. Read what I posted and you will see that there is much more to come. Thanks for looking and please click on the link to take you over to my site. Thanks for lookinga nd please check back …
Twelfth Avenue Fire …
On Sunday August 17, 1975, a fire destroyed this entire block. It was a Sunday morning around 11:00 when it started in the freezer of Exotic Florist. There was an electrical short in the wiring of the freezer that held Exotic’s flowers. This building was built sometime in the early 1950’s and the building code did not require fire walls between the offices … since there was no fire wall, all of the units shared a common attic. Once the fire got into the attic, it was just a short time until all of the businesses where consumed in fire. My father happened to be there at the time and was able to grab a few cameras and save them, but everything else in his studio was completely destroyed. The following is a photographic story of the fire, the aftermath and the rebuilding of the block. There are a lot of photos and they really need no explanation, so I won’t bother you with any …
I tried to enter the photographs in some type of sequence starting down at Exotic Florist and then moving north up 12th Avenue through the rest of the businesses. The entire fire from start to finish only took an hour or so. The firemen did an excellent job in getting the fire out and luckily they were able to save the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Now the next photograph is the clean-up several days later …
There was an alley between the grocery store and the building that burned, so I am sure that was the reason that Winn-Dixie did not burn. But it did have smoke and some water damage. The above photo was taken the following week and I am not sure of the date. The Moulton’s owned the property and cleaned up the damage within a week or so. Now, the next images are of the new building that was built within six months of the fire …
The aerial photograph is one that I made years later, but I thought that it added something to the rest of the images. The only businesses that went back in were Dr. Hoyt, Fischler Framing and my father. This new building was completed by February 1976. He had moved across the street to a vacant building on Gonzalez Street and this is where he had started his business in 1948. There are several other photos that I might throw up later, but this is the majority of the images that I have collected / found through the years. The Pensacola News Journal did an article on my father and the fire, but I do not know if I am allowed to publish the photos and the write-up, with copyright laws and such. Speaking of which, there is a local hospital that has been using my photos in their centennial advertisements without my permission or compensation, but that is a whole other story. Thanks for looking and please check back. Also, if anyone remembers the fire and happened to around when the fire started, I would like to hear from you … Frank. I will leave you with one more view across the parking lot looking North.
The West Florida History Center and University Archives …
The above image of ” Maxey’s Liquors ” is by the photographer Cottrell taken back in the 1920’s. You can find it in the West Florida History Center and University Archives out at the John C. Pace Library on the UWF campus. You can find these images on line here and other images from the UWF archives. These images have been scanned and are online for your browsing convenience. The files are high-resolution and not just low-resolution scans for the internet. I was really impressed with all that is out at UWF and the archives are located in the basement of the library. Anyone is welcome to use the facility and I talked to Stephanie Johnson when I was there. There are other people in this department if she is busy. The above photo of Maxey’s Liquors was just one that caught my attention because this business was located on Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola about where the Tin Cow Restaurant is now located. The L&L Pawn Shop next door was where my father used to have his wedding albums gold-stamped with the bride and groom’s name. I can remember the inside of this store like it was yesterday. Even though my father did not make theses images, I thought there would be readers of this blog would be interested in knowing that these archives are online and available to everyone. The photo below is of Gilmore’s Furniture and Jewelery Store located on Palafox Street about where the Rex Theater was located before it was converted into a church / spiritual center …
At some point, maybe the 1950’s, this business relocated to the 400 block of Garden Street. I have an image somewhere on this blog that my father had made of the new Glimore’s building at night. Just type ” Gilmore ” into the search area on this blog and the post should come up. There are literally thousands of images on this UWF site from lots of various photographers and places. I have a phone number ( 850-474-2794 ) for Stephanie Johnson out at the archive department if anyone has any questions or comments. I knew that this archive was out there, but I had no idea how large it is and how easy it is to access. There are a lot of people that are interested in local history and this is just one more place for them to go and research or just to view all of the images. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Port of Pensacola …
Here are some more images of the Port of Pensacola from back in the 1950’s. I had posted some others a year or so back of men working in this warehouse that I thought looked fairly interesting.. There are some more but they are mostly of people at what looks to be a cocktail party or something and I do not know who any of the people are in them. Here we go …
A primary product at the Port of Pensacola during this time was fertilizer I have been told. Not really sure if it was imported or exported, but I am sure that someone out there will know and can enlighten us. One thing that I do not want to hear is how the Port has been awash in red – ink for the last fifty years … I am fairly sure that the Port was in the black for a few years back in the 1960’s. I also do not want to hear from any nay-sayers that the Port should be closed down and made into condos like that did at the foot of Palafox Street. That project has turned out great or at least it looks great. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Thom McAnn …
Here are some photos of the Thom McAnn Shoe Store that was located out at Town and Country Plaza. This store looks as it was one of the first stores when the shopping center was being built. I ran across some negatives of it being built and I will try to find them. I do not know what year it was built, but it was sometime in the early 1960’s I would guess. Notice next door is “Amy’s “, a dress store and the name sounds familiar. Here are a few of the interior …
Notice how at the end of the chairs on this end is a couple of ash-trays. Now I would say that was pretty considerate!! I can vaguely remember seeing the store and going in with my mother back then. I do not know if Thom McAnn is still in business today. And I am not sure if we even have one in this area today, but I am not much of a shopper and have not been out to Cordova Mall much since it was remodeled, except to eat. Thanks for looking and please share your shoe buying experiences at Thom McAnn’s if you have any … Frank
Downtown Pensacola Through The Years …
This first image of the Palafox Wharf in downtown Pensacola was made back in the 1930’s and this is strictly a guess. I found the negative in an old Kodak printing paper box that my father used to put negatives in once he was finished with it. My guess is that someone else had taken the photograph and had brought it to my father to make prints. That is only a guess and I doubt if we will ever know the story, but it shows Palafox Street in a different era … back when wind powered the ships. The strip of land on the far side is where the Port Royal development is now located. On the roof on one of the buildings in the top right of the image is a sign advertising ” Elebash Jewelery Co. ” so that might date the photo if someone knows when the sign was painted. The next photo was made in the 1950’s …
If someone can identify the year of the car parked out front, we might have a date for this photo. I am going to make a guess and say that the car is a Chrysler, but that is just a guess. This is Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola and like I mentioned earlier, I think that it sometime in the 1950’s. I personally do not remember ” Day’s Credit Clothing ” or the ” Quality Shoes ” shop next door. The last is a photo standing in the middle of Palafox at the Romana Street intersection.
This is looking north up Palafox and I am going to say sometime in the early 1970’s, maybe 1973. I am sure that someone out there can most likely tell us. It has really changed over the years. If anyone has any comments about the time-frame of any of these images, please comment. If anyone can remember any of these stores or anything else we would love to hear from you. Thanks again for all of the nice comments from everyone over on Facebook … it is nice to know that some local people enjoy remembering Pensacola and vicinity through the years. Thanks again for looking … Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
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