FROM THE PRESIDENT

We all need to enjoy a good bedtime story and I have found that our history books provide the perfect place to find one. The articles are short enough to be read in a short time and the stories are educational, entertaining, and amusing—or even sad sometimes.

On page 80 of Grapevine’s Most Unforgettable Characters is the story of “The Traveling Soda Fountain.” In a nutshell, the mahogany Frigidaire unit with an oval mirror and marble counter top was installed in The Olympia, a confectionary owned by “Pie” Stewart in 1914. Clifford Jenkins Wall bought the establishment in 1924 and later added a drugstore. He “made a living from this fountain during the Depression…by serving nickel milk shakes. Ice cream for the store was purchased at an ice cream factory in north Fort Worth…Every morning, Mr. Wall would stop by and purchase a gallon of milk from a neighbor for a quarter. Ice and flavoring were added to the milk and ice cream to make the shakes that were served.”

Roy Chambers purchased the store in 1947 and renamed it City Drug Store. The store changed hands once more in 1966 when Joe and Scottie Wright became the owners. The fountain remained in use and you could enjoy a five cent cup of coffee or a five cent ice cream cone seated at the counter. During a remodel, the fountain was dismantled. In 1992, the fountain was restored and installed in the Claude Pharmacy in Claude, Texas, which was owned by the Wrights’ son Randy. So if you want to enjoy a cone, shake or cup of coffee at this vintage Grapevine fountain, you will now have to go to Claude, Texas.

I’m sad the fountain is no longer in Grapevine in the building where the City Drug sign still hangs, but I am glad it has been saved. I am even more delighted that our book has captured its history. It is only one of many fascinating tales you can read.

If you want to read of another treasure lost to the city of Grapevine, but saved in another place, go to page 84 of the Grapevine Area History to read about the Gano dogtrot cabin which was moved in 1974 from Grapevine to Old City Park in Dallas. It has quite a history and has enjoyed widespread publicity.

Carolyn Ernst, President

 

FROM THE 1^st VICE PRESIDENT:

Our Museum attendance for the month of April was an astounding 4001! The primary reason for this number was attendance during the days when Thomas the Train Engine was running. We had 1191 visitors April 13-15 and 1532 on April 20-22. But visitors to ride Thomas were not our only guests. As usual we saw visitors from several foreign countries: Belgium, Bermuda, Chile, England, France, Germany, Japan, Holland, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and Wales (UK).

We are recovering from crowds at both the Museum and Torian Cabin during Main Street Days. This festival originally celebrated our heritage of a town on the Grape Vine Prairie. There are many items in the Museum which tell of that heritage.

If you look in the Northeast corner of the Museum you will see why our forefathers—or in this case our foremothers—took an entire day to do the family laundry. You will see the large copper boiler that was placed on the wood stove to heat the water for the wash. (The water may have been dipped from the well.) The hot water was then transferred to the washing machine. Next you would take a FelsNaptha bar of soap and slice thin pieces into the hot water. (There was no such thing as powdered soap.) You would then manually operate the agitator of the washer until you felt the clothes were clean. If there were stubborn dirty spots you might have to use the scrub board which would rub out the spots and sometimes rub your knuckles too!

A stick or maybe a spare piece of lumber was used to fish the clothes out of the hot water and transfer them to a separate wringer. Another galvanized tub would hold rinse water and then it was back to the wringer again.

When all that was done, clothes were hung outside on a clothesline. If it began to rain, you ran outside to take them down and keep them from getting more wet. Of course you had to hang them up again after the rain was gone. That took just about the entire day when you included gathering eggs, milking the cow, getting meals, etc. Come to the Museum and see all those items that your mother, grandmother, or great grandmother used on Monday. Tuesday was reserved for ironing!

Paul Ernst, 1^st Vice President / Museum Curator

 

FROM THE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE:

Fundraising for the new Historical Museum has gotten unbelievable support from the City and the CVB. The City of Grapevine is allowing employees to contribute voluntarily, via payroll deduction, to the fund drive. The Historical Society has gotten a check for $213.33 from payroll deductions, with pledges for much more to come. We appreciate these monthly contributions.

Sadly, P.W. McCallum’s mother, Beatrice Mary Ellen McCallum, passed away on April 22. In lieu of flowers, P.W. generously asked that donations be made to the Museum Building Fund at the Grapevine Historical Society because he knew how much she enjoyed museums. So far, we have received $1,150 from these memorials. Our thoughts and prayers are with P.W. and his family at this time.

The Grapevine Garden Club has recently given $1,000 to the campaign, which brings us to a total of $109,000 in the bank.

Why do we need to continue raising money? The cost of cleaning, displaying, and preserving the items is enormous. As an example, the projected cost for all that is involved in displaying the Wedding Exhibit is $30,000, the Military is $50,000, the Dairy Farming is $40,000, and the Mayor’s Office, $60,000. There are plans for the Grapevine Attic, which will be an area displaying most of our current museum items. The cost for this area alone is $150,000. These projections are based on what is needed for first class exhibits to finish the interior of our building.

What can you do to help? If you cannot give in a lump sum, do as the City employees and give a smaller donation monthly. If you have a death in the family, add the Museum Building Fund to your memorial gifts list. If you are a member of a club or organization in the City, please ask for a donation from its members. You or someone you know may wish to leave a legacy for family members in a very visible way by sponsoring one of the exhibits. Always remember to thank the City and the CVB for their support, to discuss this project with your friends, and to continue to think of other ways to help us.

Margaret & Tim Harper, Co-chairmen

 

FROM THE 2^nd VICE PRESIDENT:

The name J. E. Foust remains one of the landmarks of Grapevine Main Street. Few of the namesakes still remain. The only other that comes to mind is Wilhoite’s that has been preserved by Phil Parker who realized the importance of historic identity. Our thanks go to you J. E. and family for your attention to the preservation of many physical treasures. Thanks for the memories and memorabilia that you brought to the group about Grapevine. Thank you Bill Tate for the relevant historic lead-in about the Foust family and as always your eloquent introduction.

Due to our May meeting date falling Memorial Day this year, there will not be a meeting in May. See you in June!

June 25, we look forward to having Michael Patterson present a program on our Northeast Tarrant County Civil War Veterans. In April of 2009, Mike created markers for three Civil War veterans who were buried in Grapevine Cemetery: James Burgoon, Clement Moore and John W. Scribner. His work is noted in our Settlement to City Museum in the Ted R. Ware Plaza. We will be entertained well by Michael with his extensive knowledge of the Civil War and local veterans who served in it. Remember we always hold our general meetings at 7:00 PM in the program room at the Grapevine Public Library on the fourth Monday of each month.

You may email me at motsimmons@gmail.com or contact me at 817-920-9790 with your program ideas. For the updated program schedule, check our Society's website at www.grapevinehistory.org.

See you June 25^th,

Tommy Simmons, 2^nd Vice President/Program Chair

 

FROM THE TREASURER:

April has been a busy month - first our taxes due May 15^th have been filed as ordered by the IRS.

Income for April included books sold $239.00, Museum donations $165.25, Membership dues $180.00, Donations of $70.00, Grant for docents of $1,690.00, McKinney road trip of $760,00, and Bank interest of $1.25 for a total income of $3,105.50.

Expenses for April included Road trip for $852.00, Communications for $171.08, Donations to Love Chapel & Grapevine Garden Club for $1,000.00, Museum docent salary for $ 449.50, Museum Purchases & repairs of $225.32, and Fundraising for $45.00, The total expenses for April equaled $2,742.90. We have a working balance of $29,750.92.

Elaine Cary, Treasurer

 

FROM THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR:

We now have 161 individual/family memberships and 13 business/organizations for a total of 174 memberships altogether. But, with so many exciting programs ahead, it is never too late to join and participate in the fellowship and fun when we come to our meetings. You can still mail in your dues to:

Grapevine Historical Society
P.O. Box 995
Grapevine, TX 76099-0995

There is a copy of the membership form on our website at www.grapevinehistory.org. If you are not sure you are currently paid for 2012, you may call me at 817-498-0560 or email me at janetdickey@sbcglobal.net. The 2012 GHS Directory will be available for pick up at the next meeting!

Janet Willhoite Dickey, Membership Chair

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Remember there will not be meeting on May 28^th because of the Memorial Day holiday. See you June 25^th when we look forward to having Michael Patterson present a program on our Northeast Tarrant County Civil War Veterans.

 

READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GRAPEVINE:

Our new pictorial book Images of America: Grapevine
The Grapevine Historical Society recently published pictorial history book arrived in August and You may purchase your book at the Grapevine Historical Museum, the Grapevine Public Library or by mail order. Cost: $22.00 (includes tax).
(Add $4.00 for postage if mailed for a total of $26.00.)

To order by mail , click here to print out the order form.

Two more Grapevine Historical Society Books:

1. Grapevine's Most Unforgettable Characters. Our book is on sale at the Grapevine Public Library. The book costs $85.00. You can pick up your copy there or order it by mail. (Add an additional $5.00 for postage and handling - Click here to print out the book order form.)

2. Grapevine Area History. There are still copies of our first book available at the Library. They cost $70.00. (Again, add an additional $5.00 for postage and handling - Click here to print out the book order form.)

Book Order Forms can be found on this website.

Mail orders for all books should be sent to:
Grapevine Historical Society
P.O. Box 995
Grapevine Texas 76099-0995