30's Family Garage

[BoydS]

Just wanted to share a photo of my grandfarther's garage that he had in the early 30's. He had this garage for about 15 years prior to the breakout of WW2. My Mom even pumped gas at this station. There was a repair shop in the back where my grandfarther worked to repair cars, while my grandmother worked the front. Things where tough during these times. Just a part of history I wanted to share.


<ahref="http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/BoydS054/?action=view&current=GarageFamily4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/BoydS054/GarageFamily4.jpg" border="0" alt="Smith Garage 30's"></a>

 

[Bull]

Insanely cool pic. Can you ID either person shown? Does the building still exist?

 

[e-tek]

AWESOME PHOTO - thanks for sharing it!

 

[krooser]

Great history...

 

[ddawg16]

Great pic and story.....if you have more, please share....

Not trying to hijack the thread....but you brought back some memories....here are a few old pics.....

This is my grandparents (Dad's side).....loooong time ago...

My dad and his little brother....winter time in Chicago...late 20's I believe...

My dad in ROTC at college during the war....(WWII)....man, I miss him...

My grandpa (Mom's side) and uncle Ottis...mom was the oldest of 13 kids....born at home....raised in a 1 room house....I remember using the outhouse.....2 seater....and coed....

And this is me at the age of 6.....check out those cuffs on the jeans...

Kids now days don't realize how good they have it.....there were no video games....no cable....no fast food....just about everything was closed by 6pm...we prayed at each meal....and got stabbed with a fork if we put our elbows on the table....If I told my parents I was bored...they gave me work to do.....

 

[slicktoptt]

These pictures are great. Reminds me of a country song by Jamie Johnson..."You should have seen it in color"

 

[mikester]

Sorry to say but I think the world was better off in some ways back then. I know we've had huge advances but you have to admit things were so simple. Im 55 and there are so many days that I wish I could turn the clock back to when I was a kid.

 

[jamesemery728]

Great pics, and memories. Thanks to all. I grew up in a small town in upstate NY. There was a tiny general store, post office, volunteer fire company, 4 room school and a gas station. The owner of the gas station was an excellent mechanic and fixed all the cars and everything else for the town folks. Unfortunately I have no pictures, but would not trade the experience for anything.

 

[Falcon67]

Extra cool pic. The signs and the gas pumps are probably worth more now than the building cost back then.

 

[BetterDays]

Kids now days don't realize how good they have it.....there were no video games....no cable....no fast food....just about everything was closed by 6pm...we prayed at each meal....and got stabbed with a fork if we put our elbows on the table....If I told my parents I was bored...they gave me work to do.....

They don't have it good.

They have it easy.

Big difference between the two.

 

[Costner]

I wouldn't go so far as to say modern kids have it easy. They just have different stresses in their lives. They might not have to work in a field to pick rock in order to be able to afford the drive-in on Saturday night, but they are expected to understand Organic Chemistry and Advanced Physics before they graduate High School. College, or at the very least a trade school is almost to the point of being mandatory if you want to find a decent job, and in our current economy nothing is guaranteed.

People also need to realize that not every kid in this nation sits around and plays video games or ***** down a six pack of Mountain Dew every day. It might be fun to think that, but I don't know any parents who would allow it, so I'm guessing those types of stories are blown just a tad out of proportion.

So do the kids have it easy? I suppose it is a matter of perspective. Every generation seems to think they had it worse than the generation after them, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

 

[BoydS]

Originally posted by Bull
Insanely cool pic. Can you ID either person shown? Does the building still exist?

Not sure who the person on the left is, but I'm sure there were a few folks he did employ. One I remember was a black man named Monk (sp) who was an excellant mechanic however I don't believe that is him. The man on the right is my grandfather.

I'm pretty sure the building doesn't exist any longer, but don't quote me on that as I haven't been back there for many years. But it is possible it could be still standing, as there is not much development (never has been) in that part of Louisiana.

I believe my granddad had this garage up until 1942. Many of the local folks could not afford to have their vehicles repaired and parts were drying up and being diverted to support the war effort.

Here's another pic. I'm not sure who all those folks in this pic are, as some could be just friends posing for the picture. You may not be able to make out the license plate, but it's a 1931 Texas plate. My Grandfather is sitting on the bumper.

<a href="http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/BoydS054/?action=view&current=Garage100dpiBoydSmith.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/BoydS054/Garage100dpiBoydSmith.jpg" border="0" alt="Inside Garage"></a>

 

[Bull]

Holy Moses, man, those pics are family and historic gold. I hope you have made duplicates for safety, and have them framed and featured somewhere in your home.

In the first pic, the top left corner of the building shows some lettering on the unpainted portion of the structure. Any idea what it would have said?

 

[Matt M PA]

Well guys....seeing all these cool old pics of Dads and Grandads....I have to post one of my Dad who passed in January.

I know it's off topic as Dad was not a car guy...he was a musician. But...I miss him every day and think of something he'd say or do. Since all the pics in the thread are not auto related....I guess it's okay.

This one taken in the early '50s. He's the one with the accordian. Funny thing is...I play in a country band and I begged him to find the old pics. He said he didn't have any. After he passed I found the box.

 

[thammel]

About these days and the good old days - I'm 59 and remember the 50's and 60's very well. For me, they were the good old days. If I could travel back in time, I think I would. Then again, I was younger and maybe that's part of it! Was it any better? Tough to say. Definitely simpler. When I was a kid we'd leave the house at 8am to play and come back to eat lunch then go out again and come back for dinner. My mom never worried about us. Things were safe. I also was a budding scientist (I've worked as an engineer for 36 years now) and played with chemicals all the time. I found out how to make explosives so I made all kinds of powerful firecrackers and small bombs. I never hurt myself or anyone else but learned a lot about chemistry. I'd be jailed now and labelled a public menace. Too bad that kids' curiosity is stifled these days.

Tom