Register Volume 12

I was so thrilled to view your web site. It brought back so many wonderful memories. I grew up in Marksville where any special occasion was a reason to drive to Alex to celebrate. We did all of our shopping in Alex and always ate at the Bentley Restaurant when we did. I remember the smell of Kress's nuts roasting when you opened the door of the store. It felt so cold in there to young people not accustomed to a/c.

I remember the "Dancing Waters" at Christmastime on the City Hall square. I remember the x-ray machines at Sears that checked your shoe size. They would probably be outlawed today. I remember Dinnat's Bakery where we purchased a treat to bring home. We swam on weekends at the City Park Pool which was a real treat as there was no pool in Marksville. I remember the many Masonic Home children swimming there also. After a swim we stopped for ice cream at Bordens - what a treat!!!

I also remember summers at Magnolia Park, Shady Nook, and Castor Plunge. A really special trip was to Hot Wells where the pool was open to the public. Our parents could eat in the restaurant and watch us swim in the pool. The Christmas windows at Wellan's were magical with twirling dolls and gossamer clouds. Was it actually colder on those winter nights of our youth or did it just seem so? The pictures brought back many memories. I hope you will continue to add to your web page. I thank the Alexandria Daily Town Talk for publishing the article about you and your pictures.
Luana Bordelon Cunningham
Pineville, LA USA - Monday, June 30, 2003 at 15:21:19 (GMT)

I am 76 years old and know most of those facts. Thanks for the memories. You have a wonderful site. I would like to read about the Army Camps located within 50 miles of Alexandria in the 1940s:

Camp Caliborne, located near Forest Hill, 135,000 army personnel.
Camp Livingston, located just north, 115,000
Camp Polk, near Leesville over 100,000
Camp Beaugard, 65,000
Esler Field, 17,000
Alexandria Air Base, I think, 35,000
Pollock Air Port, about 7,500

Alexandria was the center of the largest training area during WW2. All those figures may not be correct to the numbers but they are close. Also the world's largest army training mock war was held in this area. Many of our residents first saw Louisiana then and came back here to live after WW2.
Fred T. Gunter
Pineville, LA USA - Monday, June 30, 2003 at 03:36:14 (GMT)

We moved to Alexandria from Leesville when I was 4...lived there from 1969-1980. We lived on Bluebird in Highpoint Subdivision. There was a cattle field in the backyard. Now Hunter's Grove Subdivision is there. A lot of the pics and memories are before my time, but I do remember a few things about downtown, such as the balcony at the Paramount, the Don Theatre, Funland at the zoo and drinking water from the lion's head. I remember shopping with my mom at Wellan's downtown also.

We moved away when I was 14, but Alex was still where we came to shop. When I graduated from college in 88, I moved back and married and we lived in Airview Terrace for 12 years. We recently moved back out to the country, feeling that we would rather raise our children "out" of town, than in it. It would be nice if our world was still as peaceful and serene as some of the downtown photos show, wouldn't it??
Kim
Sieper, La USA - Thursday, June 26, 2003 at 17:46:19 (GMT)

Many thanks for the photos. I grew up 15 miles south of "Alex". My mother worked at Weiss & Goldring, so I have memories of walking downtown to the "old" Kress building, seeing the Christmas displays in Wellan's windows, and Grant's had the best lunch counter, because you had a place to store your packages under the counter. The best place to get curly fries was at Fuzzy's located on Bolton Avenue. You had to park in the back lot and a waitress would bring it out to you in your car.

My father drove a school bus for Rapides Parish for many years. He used to buy tires for the bus at Firestone on Bolton Avenue. He would let me walk over to Sears across the street to shop. I could go on and on with my memories of "Alex" (only the locals pronounce this way) -- all the memories are good ones. My husband and I are planning to move back to Lecompte area in 2 years. Looking forward to getting back to were it all started. Thank you for the retrospective.
LCraig
Katy, TX USA - Thursday, June 26, 2003 at 14:41:44 (GMT)

Sir, Alexandria has been my home since the late 80's when my father established his medical private practice there. Although in relative terms I am a "newcomer" to Alexandria, your photographic narrative truly strikes a chord in me, as most of my 21 years were spent growing up in the Garden District.

Now a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy, I find myself able to return to Alexandria less and less, and the rigors of a military lifestyle offer little time to enjoy what fond memories I have of home. Thank you for reviving those memories.
Jonathan S. Parker
Annapolis, MD USA - Thursday, June 26, 2003 at 03:34:16 (GMT)

Thank you for the wonderful trip down memory lane. I was raised on Stanford St. and went to Bush Ave. and Bolton, graduating in 1950. A fellow student, Gerry Perry Mangney, who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming found this and sent it to me. I would have loved to have seen Capps and Lazarones in the group of pictures. You didn't go home without going to these two places. At Lazarones you had curley-ques and pink lemonade. Sometimes you went to Cotton's Bakery and got a loaf of HOT bread, and someone brought the butter and we had that with the pink lemonade.

I found a place here in Lake Charles that makes cherry nectars. WONDERFUL. I think the teenagers of the 40's and 50's lived in the best time. I even saw where my cousin, Al Westbrook, Jr., from Garland, Texas has signed in. Thanks for bringing back such happy memories. Things I tell my grandchildren about. Now I can show them.
Harriette LaCour Dyson
Lake Charles, , La. USA - Sunday, June 22, 2003 at 23:07:15 (GMT)

All my Alexandria memories are childhood, as we moved to Baton Rouge in 1972 after 7th grade at Brame Jr High. We lived at 2446 Hill Street then moved to 3111 Coldstream in Wegewood. I attended Rugg & Aiken elementary schools, and my older brothers graduated from Bolton (Allen '66 & Bryan '70).

My father worked at W R Aldrich Construction Company. A few memories: boat races at Buhlow Lake; exploring old Fort Buhlow; Kiwanis Christmas trees at the Community Center; Bowlero; root beers at Reed & Bell (the Talambases were neighbors); riding the boats, rockets & helicopters at the park; walking to swimming lessons at the pool; RC "airport" with an F-84; airshows at EAFB; Dixie Youth baseball (WR Aldrich & Blackman's Laundry); the Aces at Bringhurst (Padres' farm team at the time); burgers at Burger Shef and the "new" McDonald's on MacArthur; Sally's Grocery Store; smelling the bread baking at Holsum; Dairy Queen; Leverne Perry, Ajax & the "little wranglers" on TV; the Scouting store in Wellan's; Jackson Street Church of Christ; Turpin Pontiac; Bunny Bread store.

And drinking from the lion's mouth at the zoo; swimming at the Fleur-de-Lis motel pool; traffic circles; Herbie K's ("world's worst service"); Shipley's Donuts; the "zoo" at the gas station (Skelly?); brick streets; big green suckers from the concession stand at Don's Theatre; the Hokus Pokus sign; Bolton football games; "Championship Wrestling" on Channel 5 from the "new" Coliseum; LSU football on KALB radio; KSYL & K-Dixie; Christmas shopping at Sears; Paige's Veterinary; Maxie the Bear; family & friends. I could go on, but I'll save some for later. Thanks for cleaning out some of the cobwebs.
Jon Simmons
Baton Rouge, LA USA - Tuesday, June 17, 2003 at 02:00:19 (GMT)

• Back to the Register Index to view more entries