As a lover of history and all things nostalgic, I wanted to make a post to represent my own history. While I live about an hour away from the locations mentioned below, Google maps allows just about anyone to ‘go back in time’ using their program. I recently went on one of my own and figured I’d share some with all of you. All pictures are copyright Google.
My Mom & I lived in this house (the one in the middle) almost 30 years ago. Clearly it’s not what it used to look like, but it’s a big memory from my past. My two biggest memories from there are the fact that my bedroom had the attic stairs in it. I can’t recall how many nights I laid there as a young child staring at that ceiling and wondering how many attic monsters existed there lol My other biggest memory there is of my first puppy, Cuddles. I still have a shirt that belongs to him that reads, “Goochie Poochie”.
I attended Marion Elementary from 1st – 2nd grade and 4th -5th. I attended Tower Grove Baptist Church in Kindergarten when we lived in the city. During 3rd grade I attended Iveland Elementary School as the district had changed the school zone. Fortunately the next year they changed the zones back to what they were originally and I was able to go back to Marion. The front of the school looks different now, but the side of it still looks the same…
I spent years telling (I was a bossy lil thing) all my friends and school mates to meet me at the big tree (on the far right) so we could play games during recess. For some reason I loved that tree and I still do…while bossy we sure had a lot of fun playing around it.
This picture may seem like nothing at first, but there are so many countless memories of it for me. In between those trees lies a creek. A creek that my friends and I must have explored a 100 times. In fact, one time it got a little dangerous as we were swept away into a current and couldn’t stop ourselves until about a 1/2 mile down. What was scary while it was happening ended up being one of my most memorable life experiences. That creek, to this day, holds a lot of memories for me. I’ve been told that the water in it is radioactive as it’s supposedly connected to Coldwater Creek.
The house on the left belonged to a family I knew for years…there were 3 girls and their Mom, Vicky. Vicky was the crossing guard at Marion. My mom needed a sitter for me for before & after school. That led to a friendship of many, many years. I still talk to one of them on Facebook now and then. The house on the right belonged to a guy named Jesse. I think at one point each of us girls ended up having a crush on him. He moved away a few years later, but I did end up seeing him a few years later when I was living on…
Chaucer. We had been living here for about 2 years when Jesse came to visit his friend Alan who lived in a building just to the lower right of this building. It was good to see him, but he had grown into a teenager… I almost didn’t recognize him. I have no idea what happened to him after that. Alan is on my Facebook and he hasn’t heard anything either. Wherever you are Jesse Eubanks, I hope you’re well! My mom ended up getting married when we lived in this apartment.
While living on Chaucer I had a pink Huffy bicycle that I rode around everywhere. I used to go up to the Hallmark store just right of the grocery store (biggest store on the left) and buy my Mom gifts for Mother’s Day or her birthday. I would spend hours looking at everything. The lady that worked there started helping pick things out for my mom when I would go in there. I don’t think I’ve ever told my Mom that…
Another highlight was riding my bike up to O’Malley’s Market. I would ride up there and get a soda and a candy bar. It was the simple things in life that I treasured most…
However, after 5th grade my mom, stepdad and I relocated to the Pattonville School District and I started attending Pattonville Heights Middle School in 6th grade. I remember being so nervous, but the move ended up being very good for me. I attended PHMS all 3 years until it was time for high school.
(Note: I couldn’t get a picture of the place we lived during this time as it’s a private road and Google doesn’t take images of private roads)
There was a convenience store (the name escapes me) located on the far left that I must have purchased 100’s of teenage and metal magazines from. It became my new O’Malley’s after the move and I would walk a mile to get there from where we lived, up a HUGE hill nonetheless. It was always worth it though.
After Pattonville Heights I attended Pattonville Senior High. It was like a college campus to me (it was HUGE) and the school spirit was amazing. Freshmen year was particularly special to me because I attended all morning classes there and in the afternoon I was sent, via cab, to a St. Louis City Magnet School called, “Honors Art” where I studied Photography as well as Drawing & Design with some of the best instructors in the local industry. You had to show a talent in art in some fashion to be able to attend as everything was funded by contributors, scholarships and the like. Fortunately I was accepted as I can’t begin to describe how much I loved going there. Between the two schools I was living it up and having the time of my life. Honors Art was shut down (and has since been torn down) and for the remaining three years I attended PHS full time. They weren’t kidding when they say that your high school years are some of the best of your life…
Another view of PHS…
One of the perks of attending PHS was during the nice weather we would all get off school and head to Creve Coeur Lake; it was just a few miles down the road.
I must have spent countless hours with my friends either cruising around the park or parking in areas much like this one and enjoying the freedom of being a teenager with wheels. If I didn’t have to work…
My first job was at Schnucks in Olive/Ladue. I worked in the bakery about 3-4 days a week after school for 2 years from 4pm-8pm. My job was to go in and shut it all down by packaging all the leftover donuts, slicing/packaging all the bread, helping customers, etc. I would work every Saturday morning and have to be there at 6am. Opening up the bakery was a lot more fun and the smell of donuts, cookies, bagels, bread and muffins always was a special treat. I remember my managers name was Biff Harris. He was pretty cool, yet sometimes a raging jerk (lol) and the guys who worked in the produce department used to mess with him an awful lot. Once they even picked up his car, turned it completely around so he couldn’t get out very easily. Todd (produce) and I would throw cream filled donuts and grapes at each other (only when customers weren’t around). Neal & Tom who worked in the grocery department, would throw things over the aisles as you walked down. I think the biggest thing we got in trouble for was car surfing on our cars after closing time. We were all young, you’ll have to forgive us… 🙂 Regardless, that place was full of great memories.
I was able to get a job there very easily as I was involved in Junior Achievement for 3 years during high school. Schnucks was one of the companies that sponsored it so I told one of my advisors that I needed a job and was hired on the spot.
Fortunately I had another job offer to work for a franchised 7-11 (at Schuetz & Page) when I turned 17 and headed over there. The pay & hours were better by far…
The coolest thing? We had a drive-thru. Yep, a drive thru 7-11 before it was cool 🙂 The only thing we weren’t allowed to sell through the window was beer & lottery tickets. Everything else was fair game. We had a full on deli (every fresh sandwich you could think of) so that was usually what brought people through if not for a Big Gulp. I worked there for 2 years and even made Shift Manager before I turned 18. Our boss was pretty cool and laid back…as long as your job was getting done he didn’t mind what you did.
My best friend Jennie (R.I.P. beautiful) and I used to go in there, when we were “out painting the town”, for nachos & cheese. We loved their nachos! lol If we didn’t go for nachos we would go to her work (T.G.I.Fridays) for their potato skins. Okay, I would go in there for potato skins, she would go in to eat their brie cheese (blech)
So many memories!
I’ll drop this off here as after this job my life took a completely different turn as Jennie & I moved away and that’s another story in itself. Maybe someday I’ll pick up where I left off… there’s only so much throwback a girl can handle at one time 😉
