History of Berkeley Park Part III
In the late 1930's, a Soapbox Derby was regularly held on Northside Drive. The participants were required to build their own cars. The cars were not motorized and would run from Bishop Street to the bottom of the hill, which was about where Antone Street is today. There were no traffic lights and very little car traffic. Northside Drive was a narrow road then.
The local businesses were very different in the 1930's and 1940's than they are today. All of the businesses were small and owned by people living in the area. Some were Berkeley Park residents, like Jim Thompson who owned Thompson's Garage on Bellemeade Avenue, and Mr. Crane who owned Crane's Garage on Howell Mill and lived on Verner Street.
A past resident of DeFoor Road recounted his experiences frequenting businesses that were in our community in the 1920's and beyond; "Crane's old wooden service station is where we received our papers for delivery. Wimpy's Hotdog Stand was in the side of the same building. For 20 cents you could get a hot dog or hamburger, and a moon pie and drink. The stools at Wimpy's were set at an angle because the floor slanted north by northwest, but we didn't mind. The food was good.
Cranes Service Station: 1927
Bishop's Drug Store was a cool gathering place with its cool ceiling fans and soda fountain. I worked in the store and also performed the store's delivery service, which I did by bicycle." The most excitement was Mason meeting night, when members crowded into the Drug Store before the meeting. Meetings were especially exciting on nights when new members were inducted. Another source of excitement was watching Hugh Couey driving Springer's Grocery delivery truck in a reckless manner by "making it fish tail on a wet street."
At the intersection of Howell Mill and Collier Road there was a Springlake Pharmacy and a Sill's Grocery store in the 1940's. The owner of Sills Grocery Store, Mr Clyde Sills, died in May, 1999, at the age of 98. Sometime in the 1950's the Springer Grocery was built at this corner. One of our Berkeley Park residents, Ed McGill, managed the Springer Grocery store. Another resident, James DuBose, owned a barber shop close to this intersection. This intersection was also the end of the street car line. At the time, Berkeley Park and surrounding areas were considered very rural.
After WWI, in the 1930's and 1940's a number additional homes were built in Berkeley Park. Many of the owners of these and the existing homes worked for Seaboard Railroad. Some other residents worked for Atlantic Steel, some were small business owners, and some were employed by other businesses located nearby. Almost all the women worked during these years. They worked in businesses downtown, local eateries, and businesses nearby.
Seaboard Railroad was first located on Old Chattahoochee Avenue, then called "Howell Yards". There was an old bridge spanning the railroad tracks which has since been removed. Remaining are two large pipes which are still bridged over the railroad tracks. The pipes are seldom seen by passing traffic on the new bridge. The restaurant at the railroad was referred to as "The Grab". The men working at Seaboard relied on the Grab for their frequent snacks, lunches and dinners, that were literally "grabbed" as quick as the train schedules would allow. There were also rooms to be rented for over night runs, and a company store sold food, clothes, shoes and many other items which the employees could not have afforded without the ability to charge towards their paycheck. Many of our residents have been fed, clothed and educated because of the railroad and their employment with Seaboard.
There was a time when locals were allowed to fish in the lakes of the Atlanta Water Works. A bandstand by the lakes was frequented for picnics and musical programs.
The street cars were vastly used by all of our residents during their time in the 1920's through April 19, 1949, when the last car operated, car number 897! Georgia Power owned the street cars and they were operated by the Carmen Union. When the car reached the end of the line at Collier Road, the "motorman" would reverse the seats and the steering column.
A resident recalls, "This was the area from which all the Atlanta livestock were taken from the railroad on the back side of the buildings on Brady Avenue and the front of White Provision Company. The streetcar had to switch tracks at this location and sometimes wait while the cows, horses and pigs were herded across the street." Atlanta Stock Yards and White Provision Company were located at Brady Avenue and Howell Mill Road.
Even in the late 1940's, and early 1950's the streets looked very different than today. Howell Mill Road was mostly lined with homes and I-75 did not exist. When I-75 was built, many homes and at least two streets we can identify, Kilgore and Holly Streets, were eliminated by the interstate. Prior to residing in Berkeley Park, some of our current residents lived on these streets, including Irene Boggs and Ruby Parker who lived on Holly Street.
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