Bill's Old Place!!

The above picture is of Irene "Fat Mammie" Shaw with her daughter, Kandi Kaye. It was made in the summer of 1960. Now, for the location, and I would imagine that most know where this gas pump was located. Yes, that is Highway 62 in the background and the gas pump has been operational from about 1957 until 1960. Mr. Turley had a grocery and filling station in the front part of Bill Tooley's old place. Turley's "Mini-Mart" type of operation was from about 1957-1960. In the meantime, Lake Saling had leased a part of the store and was running a restaurant. Lake's part started in about 1956 and he stayed for about a year. Fay and Anna Dean Fulkerson took over in 1957 and kept the restaurant opened for almost two years. About this time, I think that most of the Guy Fulkerson family (Fay's parents) moved to Hammond Indiana. So, in 1959, Bill Tooley's old place was vacant again.

Along came Adrial and Irene Shaw. Whether they wanted one more chance to operate a restaurant or they were just looking for an opportunity, I don't know. It could have been that they just could not stand to see any empty building in an inactive state. Anyway, in the later years of the nineteen-fifties, the Shaw's moved to the old concrete block building and they were soon serving hamburgers.

Today, this old building, that was built back in the late forties is serving the small town of Rockport well. For nearly forty years, this old concrete block building has been serving as a post office. Can you imagine-almost forty years?

When it comes to times and dates, I have been known to be off base by a few years and I certainly do not mind any form of corrections. Remember, I am the one that did not and still can not remember gas pumps in front of the place, nor of Mr. Turley running a "Mini Mart" type of operation. I am going out on a limb and will give a listing of the operators from this old building since it was built in the late forties. You know, just for fun and games! I am sure that I will leave out several operators and I will get some dates wrong. If so, any of you that discover these mistakes, are encouraged to make me aware of any mistakes that are found. Come on now, you know that my memory is not that good.

In the late forties, nineteen forty-nine or so, Bill and Irene Tooley built and started a restaurant in a new concrete block building. Soon it would be painted a light green. It was large enough for a small restaurant with enough room in the back for a bedroom and a living room, thus a small family could live on the site. Bill and Irene continued with the restaurant until about 1955.

David and Gloria Heltsley took over after Bill and Irene. David gave the place a make-over and renamed the place-"The Green Lantern". They were in operation for about a year and then Lake Saling wanted to try his hand as a restaurant owner. Lake lived on the premise for a short period of time until he allowed Bill Turley to have enough room in the building to operate a "Mini-Mart" type of operation. Mr. Turley ran a gas station/grocery store in a part of the building from about 1957 until 1960. Lake started a business career, at this small store, and carried over his knowledge and experience to a larger "Boat Building Place" in Morgantown. Faye and Anna Dean Fulkerson replaced Lake in the restaurant part of the building and stayed until 1959. Mr. Turley decided to close his part of the operation in about the same time frame.

In late 1960, Adral and Irene Shaw became the new restaurant operators. They moved into the back of the building and opened a restaurant in the front part. Another Shaw's Cafe became operational. They stayed for about six years this time and probably closed sometime in late 1966 or early 1967. Kandi Kaye thinks they closed and moved to the old Holiness Church Building in downtown Rockport about the same time the old Rockport High School building burned and that was on Friday, September the first in 1967.

Soon after Ardal and Irene closed the place, new operators took over. This time, Delbert and Cora Mae Brown tried their luck. The new restaurant family moved into the white house behind the restaurant and opened the new eatery in 1967. They would continue for about two years and then went their way.

Thomas and Dorothy Harris were not new to the restaurant business when they opened the restaurant in about 1968. Several years earlier, they had a restaurant in downtown Rockport. The Harris' continued for about two years and eventually closed in 1970. By this time James Haynes had purchased the building, remodeled and leased the property to the United States Post Office. Today, a neat and clean post office is still in the business on the same location. Way to go old building. Hope you have many more years of existence.

See you......

jrd

;~)

.