This picture is my grandfather, Alfred Wucherpfenig's old gas station. It is still there--located at the north end of the business part of Howard, across from the old Howard National Bank bldg. (or across the street from the Cox Bldg). It is now a part of the Gragg museum.
I used to work there on Saturday afternoon and nights when I was a young boy. This was about the early 1940's. I got $2.00 for it. I think gas was around 13 to 18 cents a gallon, then. Most farmers and ranchers would come into town to visit and buy groceries on Saturday afternoon and evenings.
The kids would go to the picture show, then after it was over, their parents would get their groceries at either of the two grocery stores on the east side of Main street. The cars would be double-parked. Then on their way home, they would stop in at the station and buy $1-2 worth of gas, some would have you fill the tank. But most of them would only get 1-2 gallons. The station had the old style of pumps that you had to pump them up with a lever, then the gas would run out by gravity. I had to wash the windshield, lights, check the oil and radiator. There were 3 pumps; one was for regular gas, one was for ethel, and the third one was white gas that was used for Coleman lamps and lanterns.
White gas is what we used at home, on the farm, until the middle of 1950. We had no electricity or phone until then.
Now...........there most likely is not a car on main street on Saturday nights. Tis was back in the good old days.
Oh my gosh~~
I can not tell you how pleased I am to see things such as this in our forum..
THANK YOU Don..Genealogynut's Husband.. LOL :D
I loved reading this and seeing the pictures. :)
I thank you very much for the kind words :)don
I wiah others woul post their memories of HOWARD IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD.
When I was growing up, we would come to town only on Saturday, usually in the evening. We milked cows and Mama had chickens, so we sold cream and eggs, and that was what bought our groceries and gasoline. While the cream was being tested - that had to be done at the cream station - and the eggs had to be candled to make sure they were fresh. This was done by the person at the cream station holding the eggs over a light bulb and that would show if there were any spots in them, meaning they were NOT fresh, and while we were waiting for the money to be paid for our produce, we would usually sit in the car and just watch people walk up and down the sidewalks..and if someone walked by that we knew, then Mama and Daddy and we 3 kids would get out and the grownups would visit. Then when we went back to the cream station and got the money, Mama would take Helen and I and Daddy would take Jack and Mama would do the grocery shopping. She would give us each a nickel and we would go to McKee's variety store and take FOREVER to decide what candy to buy with our money. Mr. McKee told me (after I was married ) that he believed I took the longest time of any kid that came in the store to spend my nickel. But------you could get 5 packages of kit-kats for a penny, and 1 licorice cigar for a penny, or a licorice pipe, a package of gum for a penny, and lots of other kinds of candy 4 or 5 for a penny. The licorice cigars and pipes had red sparkles on the end and on the top of the pipe bowl. Now that was something, you got to put it in your mouth and pretend you were Daddy and hold it between two fingers..puff a while then blow pretend smoke out into the air. Of course the pipe you just held in your teeth and puffed away on it. There were also candy cigarettes -- boy -- that really made you feel big -- had a whole pack to yourself. After Mr. and Mrs. McKee got our selections all gathered up -- we each had a small sack of candy. I was soooo proud and I tried to make it last for two or three days anyway, and Helen gobbled hers up- or so I thought, and she would tell Mama, she didn't have any candy left - so I would have to share, then one time I caught her, she had hid hers under the things in the dresser drawer and was eating it secretly - plus helping me eat mine. The little rat!! Jack and I never shared with her after that. LOL But I remember Mama's grocery list aways started off with Tobacco - coffee, flour, sugar, salt and pepper. 25# sacks of flour and 10# sacks of sugar, crackers and cheese and bologna were bought if there was enough money left over after the HAVE TO things were bought, and that was one of the favorite things we looked forward to --- on the way home, Mama would give us all a 4 square of crackers, a slice of longhorn cheese and a slice of round bologna. Ohhhhhhhhhh that was so wonderful..and we got to eat it while driving down the road. It was heaven for this little country girl. Daddy always bought 50 cents worth of gas, and some kerosene for the lamps.
Daddy's Mother lived with us for 13 years, Grandpa Workman died when Jack was a year old - so we had Grandma.
Well, I didn't mean to write a novel --- I could go on and on here, but probably better quit.
Please tell more. I love it. :)
Great to hear those memories Jo.
Jo, I have a brother like your sister. In our preteen days we would go to the 5 and dime in the next town, each of us had some pocket money. He would wait until I had made my selection of funny books, then decide those were the ones that he would have selected and since I had already bought them, he didn't need to. He always had more money than I did and still does.
Wilma, I'll bet you have more friends than your brother does.
Thank you for the thought, but I doubt it. He has spent his entire adult life as a radio and tv repairman and knows a lot of people. The only ones he takes care of now are the old people that call him more for his company than that they need repairs. He knows everyone and talks to everyone. He can talk his way out of anything. Takes after our mother's brothers.
these stories are so great and bring back so many fond memories. Jo, I remember the 25# sacks of flour. Had a lot of clothes made out of those sacks. There were three of us girls, raised by our grandmother, and whose ever turn it was to get the new blouse etc. got to pick out the sack. Saturday nights were the busy nights for any small town and I wish people had the time to visit now like they did then. Remember sitting on the front porch in the evenings? People walked by and came to sit and visit for a minute? Benches lining main street for visiting after the saturday nite shopping was done? Coming to Howard was like coming to the "city".
What a wonderful page!
I've been researching some geneology and ran across this site. What fun!
A Few of My Memories of Howard
We lived in Howard until I was 4 years old. (1948 - 1952). We moved to Mulvane but my Grandparents, Willis and Mae Roberts, lived in Busby and then moved to Howard. They lived there all their lives, so our connection to Howard stayed very strong throughout our childhood.
Willis served as a Sheriff and Mae was a school teacher in Severy (driving from their home in Howard), until retirement.
What a wonderful town Howard was when we lived there! My sister, Kathy, and I have wonderful early memories of our lives there!
My parents met and married in Howard: Dave and Hazel Knight. Dad was just out of the service and Mom was working at the Courthouse when they met. They bought the "Coffee Shop" next to the theatre. Back in those days, there was a window through which you could order a hamburger (or some of Mom's famous Chile), right into the lobby of the theatre! My Aunt Babe Rhodes, (Dad's sister) owned the theatre. She and her husband, Fred knew everyone in town. Sometimes, onery boys were chased up the aisle and right out of that theatre, feeling the wrath of Babe's change bag banging them on the head as they went. She was quite a character! We loved her so much. " Kiner" owned the grocery story as I recall, and in the evening he was the projectionist. He sat by the big projector with the film snaking all through the gears and slots, showing the films from the little room way up high in the theatre. (You had to go through the balcony to get there.) He would take the large, black letters down from the wall and spell out the words, then stand on a high ladder and put them up on the marquee. I remember going up there with him and choosing the letters. In those glamourous movie days, celebrities (actors in the movies) would come and make personal appearances at the theatre. They would sign autographs and visit with folks. It's a shame they tore down the theatre. It used to be an Opera House and going back stage was quite the treat. If you went down the cob-webbed old stairs, there were little dressing rooms for the performers! What a lot of history in that building.
Next door to the south was my Aunt Dorothy's (Dorothy Young) Beauty Shop. She would give us girls permanents. (Oh what misery THAT was to a little girl!) Dorothy married my Mom's younger brother, Wilbur Roberts.
Our house was just north of George Cox's home. We loved George, too. He was always kind to us. He would pick us up and hold us. (He smelled like wonderful pipe tobacco!)
I remember Mom doing laundry in the ringer washing machine at our house. (She always thought that that old washer got the clothes a lot cleaner than the new agitator styles!)
She played the piano beautifully and played for many dances in Elk County. She and Dad loved to dance and even performed at the Elk County Fair when they were dating.
Oh! And the Fair! Wasn't it wonderful?! Mom and Dad would decorate our tricycles and wagons and we would be in the parade! After we moved to Mulvane, Mom taught dance to the young people there. When I was 12, we came to the Howard Fair for the Amateur Contest. I did a tap dance to "Darktown's Strutter's Ball" and was lucky enough to win First Prize! $25.00! That was a lot of money back then.
Mom and Dad also bought the M&M Café. That was a great restaurant and seemed immense to a little girl. Belle made the best pies in the county! She was the sweetest of ladies! She would take the remaining pie crust pieces, sprinkle sugar on them and bake them for Kathy and I! I vividly remember the ranchers and cowboys coming into the café. I was completely awestruck by them and their big, wonderful Stetson hats.
Back then, my uncle Dallas Roberts owned the Shoe Shop. He later was a Rural Mail Carrier and he and Audrey opened a wonderful Antique Shop on Main Street.
My uncle Bill Roberts married Charlotte Sloan (Anne's daughter).
The Gas Station in the picture was on the corner, just west of the Shop where Dad would do some carpentry work. I remember walking by there many times, to get downtown.
In about 1970, Mom and Dad bought the Howard Hotel. They refurbished it, top to bottom! It was just beautiful! We spent many wonderful evenings sitting on the huge porch, watching the lightening bugs and visiting.
We lost Dad in 1975. We just lost Mom August 31, 2007. Maybe folks out there have memories to share about them! I would love to hear from any and all!
marla@momentsnotice.com is my email. Please write!
Marla Knight Gifford, Denver, CO
Here is a picture of us at the M&M Cafe. Dad is standing behind us.
Here is a picture of Dave & Hazel Knight in front of Babe's Theatre.
Marla, your aunt Dorothy gave me the first perm I ever had (professionally). It was called machineless and my how tight that curlers were! I remember it cost $5.00. I always looked forward to seeing her in Howard and after she moved to Mulvane as well. She was in Herald & Treva Beaty's wedding party and when they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary here in Midland, TX a few years ago, she came for it. We had a wonderful visit that afternoon. We always looked for her at the Howard Alumni Banquet every year. We missed her this year, but if you talk to her, give her my love. My mother was one of her school teachers at Bunker Hill School.
I remember your grandparent's as well. When I remember your granddad he was plowing gardens, etc. with his team. Your grandmother was a favorite teacher of many who went to Severy Grade School. I knew her, but not through school. Mostly, because I attended high school in Severy and later worked at the First National Bank in Howard. I remember Dallas and Aundry well. He would fix our shoes, saddles, etc. and later remember he carried the mail, although I don't remember that he carried our Rural Route. I remember their children growing up. After we moved away from Howard, I loved to go into their antique shop and look around. Our kids always wanted to visit that store when we returned for a visit.
Myrna
Marla, the picture of you and Kathy in the cafe is exactly the way I remember you girls. Good picture of your Father as well.
Frank Winn
Myrna,
Thank you so much for the "story" and great memories. Dorothy is in El Dorado, Vintage Place, now. She is doing well and just as fun as she ever was.
I send her cards and call her as often as I can. She would love to hear from you, I know. 1650 E. 12th
El Dorado, KS 67042
Audrey is in Villa Manor in Mulvane (Assisted Living) and is just having a great time with all the activities.
Wasn't that antique store GREAT!? And nothing.....I mean nothing....will every smell quite as wonderful as that shoe shop!
For awhile, Dallas raised hogs.......great BIG hogs! (We have the cutest pictures of Kathy sitting on the back of one!) And I remember sitting on the front fender of the truck with a stick an herding those hogs! What excitement that was!
Grandad's team of horses! Oh my! Doc & Dan! I vividly remember watching him work with them.
They were soooo strong and big....they frightened me some. But Grandad would just haul them around with all "authority"....no problem!
Thanks again!
Marla Knight Gifford