1952 - 1953 Eastside Business Ads

At the time these businesses were active, the Central Meadowbrook area between Meadowbrook Junior High and EHHS was mostly open land with some widely spaced homes on small acreage, similar to Colleyville in the 1970s,  MJH opened the year after this and EHHS would not open for another 6-years.  Handley was still a separate area and building was active along Meadowbrook Drive, mostly on its south side.

Ft. Worth's fine historian, Phil Vincent, grew up in this neighborhood and has lived in the area most of his life.  Phil kindly contributed the following recollections about many of these businesses:

Morrison's Pharmacy was next door to John Morris Florist on one side and Worth Food Mart on the other. Before Jack Collier's came along, Morrison's was sort of the premier drugstore in Meadowbrook.

Kuykendall Lumber was on Collard Street, just off Lancaster. The Kuykendalls built Panther Hall and Meadowbrook Bowl hoping to become part of a national bowling league. It didn't fly. Panther Hall became a dance hall and performance venue, first for country acts, then for rock artists. Eventually both PH and the bowling alley failed, and that area is now a soccer field for Texas Wesleyan University.

Jack Collier Drug was at Ayers and Lancaster. Great full-service drugstore. Good soda fountain, lunch counter, pharmacy, medicine shop, etc. I dream about the place.

Meadowbrook Drug was at Meadowbrook and Ayers. Never a great drugstore, but was there for years. Northcut's insurance agency was in the same strip, where Huey Northcut's barber shop had been. Not sure when he stopped cutting hair and started selling insurance, but the Northcut's daughter, Kay, was a good friend and classmate. Brilliant girl and woman. Died a couple of years ago after several long illnesses.

White Lake Dairy was an institution. It spread across White Lake and into what is now White Lake Hills. It was co-owned by Robert Mann Sr. and W.O. Kelly Sr, who were half-brothers. A silo from the dairy still stands west of Oakland.

Bernie Crowder's (Carol Crowder’s Dad) Texaco station was across Lancaster from the Gateway Theater and Kragen's Auto Supply. My dad traded there, and so did I when i got my first car. Bernie was a nice guy; good to do business with.

Crown Root Beer was three or four blocks east on the south side of Lancaster. I worked there as a carhop the summer of 1956, between my sophomore and junior years in high school. We served burgers, fries and root beer, which was delicious.