inDECATUR

Looking back at Colonial Store at N.Decatur & Clairmont

This store was in the NE corner of N. Decatur and Clairmont in the 40s and 50s. These photos taken in the early 50s show the expanded mall.

Today, this building is part of a strip mall containing Bicycle South, Rainbow Grocery, and other stores.

Thanks to xpkranger for finding this in the GSU archives. See more of xpkranger's historic image finds at his Flickr album.

Grocerteria provides the history of Colonial Stores.

In August 3, 1947 Colonial Stores, Inc. introduced their "CS" rooster logo, which appears in the image above, so we know it was taken in 1947 or later.

Looking back on the SE corner of Decatur Court Square

The old Decatur High yearbooks had two-page images from around town at the start of the advertising section. Dennis Whitefield found this one in the 1964 Indecatur:

Some popular establishments which can be identified are Tatum's Drugs, Smith's Shoes, and Clark's Music (where this blogger stopped almost every day on the way home to check the Top 40 chart).

The cars appear to be from the 50s, so I wonder if an older image was used. But, then again, people kept cars longer, on average, back then.

The buildings on Sycamore St. are about the same today, but just have different occupants and modified facades. They still have Sycamore St. addresses, even though Sycamore St. ends at Church St. now.

You could park for a while for a nickel back then. Today, you get 2 minutes, and a ticket is $15.

Today, one would be looking across the new, lowered top of the Decatur MARTA station.

Looking back on the Pythagoras Temple

Besides the Historic Courthouse, the Pythagoras Temple is (arguably) the most classic building in Decatur today. It was designed by designed by noted architect William Sayward, and is on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

Notice the homes to the right of it at the time. Only one home on Church St (now used as a business) remains in downtown Decatur now.

It remains, virtually unchanged (except for the awnings) today, approaching the 83rd anniversary of its dedication.

Good architecture is protected from destruction.

Yeah, we blew it on the DHS stadium, but generally it is.

A fascinating history of Masonic Lodge #41 (started in 1844) is in this 1969 report.

Part of the building is now home to family court, or something like that (will update this later, after doing more research).

Masonic Lodge #41 still meets there. [The official address is 108 E. Ponce De Leon Ave, Decatur, GA, 30030.]

Due in part to their own self-imposed secrecy, the Masons are looked upon suspiciously by some. But they permeate our society, and have been a generally positive influence.

See this video for their explanation of what freemasonry is.

E. Howard St., now and then

Atlanta Time Machine has photos of a building across from East Howard in 1953 and 2005.

The street was continually cluttered with old cars, until the car repair shop burned a couple of years ago. The shop never reopened. The parking spaces are now used by DePeaux customers, mostly. Feast (located just to the left) provides a valet parking service during peak dining hours.

Now, this property, and the old Spencer's Tire, is owned by the leasor of the DePeaux property, I believe. Old Spencer cashed in his chips.

Historical trivia question: Why is Nelson Ferry Rd in Decatur?

There's a short east-wide road in Decatur called Nelson Ferry Rd.  But Nelson Ferry was one of several crossings on the Chattahoochee [as mentioned in this Wikipedia entry]. It's noted in this marker on GA Hwy 139 (Mableton Parkway) which runs south of the Fulton County Airport (see map in continuation):

What's the deal? This came up in relation to the post about Kaufman's "Peachtree Creek" with a queston by Nick in a comment. (Dave Kaufman, contacted by e-mail, said he didn't know either, but would ask around.)

Well, here's a clue, found at the Wikipedia entry for Decatur, GA:

Nelson's Ferry Road, named after the local family which ran the ferry at the Chattahoochee end of the road, has been named Ponce de Leon after a family prominent, before Castro, in Habana, Cuba.— Mitchell, Stephens, "A Tentative Reconstruction of the Decatur Town Map of 1823", Atlanta Historical Bulletin, No.30, p.8, 1965.

See maps in the continuation, if interested in this now inconsequential bit of historical trivia.

Looking back on Clairemont near Ponce in mid-1950s

Dennis Whitefield just keeps the images coming. (He's enthralled with special effects of late.) This is of the east side of Clairemont  (spelled with an e in Decatur, but without one further north) just off the square, around the mid 1950s.

This one refreshes this old blogger's memory (which has faded over a half century). The grocery store was a Colonial (once common around Atlanta), not an A&P as incorrectly remembered. That store employed Decatur High kids to take customers' bags to their car, if they so wished.

Read about Colonial Stores, and why this chain of over 500 stores in 11 states disappered, at Groceteria. See photos (some of stores around Atlanta) here.  (more on grocery stores, now and then, in the continuation, if you're interested)

Also note the mix of older and newer cars. There are less 50s cars than 40s cars. People make then kept cars longer.

Vaguely remembering the Decatur square in the 40s

Dennis Whitefield has discovered some new image editing effects, and the results look like a fading memory.

Who knew there was once a Piggly Wiggly on Ponce? This blogger remembers the A&P around the corner on Clairemont.

See more such images of Decatur (current and past) here.

Decatur once got its water from Peachtree Creek watershed

According to David Kaufman (GT ME '85), author of Peachtree Creek: A Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed (in an interview on ATL Fox 5 this AM -- see video), Decatur once got its water from two dams in the  Peachtree Creek watershed.

As a 13-year-old boy living in Decatur, Ga., he was exploring the South Fork of Peachtree Creek when he discovered the ruins of Decatur’s 1906 waterworks, where the waters of South and Burnt forks were impounded to provide the city’s drinking water. [GT Alumni Magazine] In the Fox 5 interview, he said Decatur continued to take water from this source until sometime in the 40s, before it switched its source to the Chattahoochee.

This warrants further investigation, when time allows.

Kaufman will speak at the Decatur Library on 11/7 at 7:15P.

Kaufman wrote about the book in the Fall 2002 "River Chat" -- a publication of the "Chattahoochee Riverkeeper" - a conservancy organization. (see continuation).

A lot of current residents have probably never thought about why some streets end with the word "Mill." The closest mill to Decatur (in the PC watershed) might have been Houston Mill near Emory. In the book, there are also stories of once-famous unsolved murders and of Atlanta's pioneers — usually mill owners — whose names provide our sense of place. Among them are Howell, Moore and Collier.

Looking back at Glennwood school/academy

Decatur's Glennwood Academy is gettting a near-global mention this week, as it's featured in an AP article about a movement to encourage kids to walk/bike to school again. [See recent inDecatur post].

So, it seems as good a time as any to look back on the oldest active school in Decatur. It was built the same year Wrigley Field was built (give or take a year or two, maybe).

It's located a a few blocks from the Decatur Square, at 440 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., where Sycamore Place dead ends into Ponce. [Google Map]

The history in the continuation will be gradually built over the weekend, as time allows.

The third photo is how this old blogger remembers it from when he attended. When he visited it again as an adult, the building seemed to have shrunk.

Looking back at College & Candler

Dennis Whitfield has posted an image this blogger has been seeking for years, and is pleased to add to the inDecatur "Now and Then" series: an image of the strip of stores across the tracks from the Old Depot before Trackside was cranked up 25 years ago in 1982:

Here's how it looked in 200? (2006 or earlier), as viewed from the northeast, for comparison:

The "Pizza by Candlelight" on the corner (only partially shown in the image) was the ONLY place to eat pizza in Decatur in the early 60s.  It had a small patio outside with a short wall enclosing it. It was classy at one time, but this blogger has read it was allowed to deteriorate later, before it was converted to "Our Way Cafe" (which has now moved down College into a little strip mall just inside Avondale. The building is currently occupied by Victory Vintage Home, which sells home furnishings from the 70s (appropriately enough for this post about a photo taken in the 70s). The mural on the back wall was featured here at inDecatur earlier.

According to the WPNA site, Joseph Hughey purchased a lot on East College Avenue at South Candler Street in 1913 for the first business district south of the tracks. He reportedly operated a drug store. So, at least some of these buildings may be over 90 years old.

This blogger's brother worked in Watson Drugs while in school in the 60s. Several local pharmacies were driven out of business when the big chains moved in.

The Trackside Tavern is the most stable current occupant, having been there for 25 years, since  1982. It was one of the first pubs to open after the serving of mixed drinks was allowed in Decatur (which was BONE DRY when this photo was taken.) It started in one section, and expanded into the two on each side of it.

Businesses have come and gone with some frequency in the other sections. The "Fifth Earl" sandwich shop to the west of Trackside is new this year, having replaced a pizza place. The catering service east of it closed down or moved out this year, and that space is currently for lease. The "Wiggles" kids clothing store (west of Victory Vintage Home) is relatively new.

Visitors to downtown Decatur (several blocks to the NW down Trinity across the tracks) don't always find this little strip of stores, but locals are well aware of it. Trackside is one of the few remaining "watering holes" (mostly away from downtown) where one will see mostly the familiar faces of locals (at least in the earlier hours). Downtown places like Twains and the Brick Store cater to a broader Metro Atlanta crowd. Now that the Old Depot has been converted to "The Depeaux" restaurant, visitors who find it can see this strip of stores right across the tracks, which should help businesses there be more successful.

It would be most helpful to add a current image from the same vantage point for those who don't currently live near Decatur, but this blogger's camera has died. A current image will be added when he buys a new one (unless some kind reader e-mails one to goldtimer@mail.com).

In the continuation: Plan view, streetcars, optional remembrances