My wonderful friend Maunsel sent me these photo's of his early days in SoWal. He has been coming here since he was 8 months old...he is now in his 50's.
His wonderful wife who is from Virginia told me the first time she came to SoWal they had driven all night....she met the folks....got escorted to her room and went to bed....woke the next morning and looked out the window (the house was on the gulf) and thought he had taken her to the Bahamas!
She had never seen such a beautiful beach.
Here is Maunsel's commentary to me on these pictures:
People often ask why we decided to leave New Orleans and move here. Well, this is how it all started.
In 1951 when I was 8 months old, my family made its first visit to Seagrove Beach, "Where Nature Did Its Best". We stayed that year in the old cold water shack behind the store ,now the Village Market, where the screened dining area is, and where people now enjoy grouper sandwiches. The accommodations were hot, buggy, and cramped, but my parents fell in love with the area . They went so far as to make a deal on a lot with C.H. McGee Sr., Cube's dad. [Included are 3 old postcard views, one of the store, and two of paintings by artist Ailene Shannon depicting McGee's home and the bluff sidewalk which includes "Bambi", the pet fawn.]
The following Summer of 1952, they rented a beachfront house which was only 3 years old and which belonged to young businessman from Birmingham named Elton B. Stephens and his wife, Alys. Mr. Stephens went on to build one of the largest privately owned companies in the nation of which "Alys Beach" is a very small part today. Sadly the house was torn down after Hurricane Ivan so as to provide an access for restoring the bluff in front of the several other Stevens family properties adjacent to the original place. The pictures attached were taken during the 1952 family vacation which forever cemented the affinity my whole extended family has for the Seagrove area. Today the family presence comprises approximately 28 permanent residents , sixteen properties, and a dozen children in local schools who represent the fifth generation of our clan to enjoy the area.
We have a wonderful letter that my mother wrote to a friend after returning from the trip. In it she describes the house and all the colorful characters, friends and family, who attended the large "house party". She tells of the outings to Destin harbor for fishing and of jaunts to the Eastern Lake outfall, of fishing , crabbing, drinking , and storytelling. It was one of those famous signature visits that every family probably has that permanently imprints them on this area, if ther're lucky.
So enjoy these photos of a simpler time and place where air conditioning and phones were non-existent, electricity was spotty, and running water was unreliable. But the delights of sun. sand, and water were everywhere , and to revel in the natural beauty of this unspoiled paradise was a pleasure of which indelible memories are inevitably made.
Maunsel
I have decided to post the pictures on the next thread....ya'll know I am not very good at this....hang on it will take a few minutes.....
His wonderful wife who is from Virginia told me the first time she came to SoWal they had driven all night....she met the folks....got escorted to her room and went to bed....woke the next morning and looked out the window (the house was on the gulf) and thought he had taken her to the Bahamas!
She had never seen such a beautiful beach.Here is Maunsel's commentary to me on these pictures:
People often ask why we decided to leave New Orleans and move here. Well, this is how it all started.
In 1951 when I was 8 months old, my family made its first visit to Seagrove Beach, "Where Nature Did Its Best". We stayed that year in the old cold water shack behind the store ,now the Village Market, where the screened dining area is, and where people now enjoy grouper sandwiches. The accommodations were hot, buggy, and cramped, but my parents fell in love with the area . They went so far as to make a deal on a lot with C.H. McGee Sr., Cube's dad. [Included are 3 old postcard views, one of the store, and two of paintings by artist Ailene Shannon depicting McGee's home and the bluff sidewalk which includes "Bambi", the pet fawn.]
The following Summer of 1952, they rented a beachfront house which was only 3 years old and which belonged to young businessman from Birmingham named Elton B. Stephens and his wife, Alys. Mr. Stephens went on to build one of the largest privately owned companies in the nation of which "Alys Beach" is a very small part today. Sadly the house was torn down after Hurricane Ivan so as to provide an access for restoring the bluff in front of the several other Stevens family properties adjacent to the original place. The pictures attached were taken during the 1952 family vacation which forever cemented the affinity my whole extended family has for the Seagrove area. Today the family presence comprises approximately 28 permanent residents , sixteen properties, and a dozen children in local schools who represent the fifth generation of our clan to enjoy the area.
We have a wonderful letter that my mother wrote to a friend after returning from the trip. In it she describes the house and all the colorful characters, friends and family, who attended the large "house party". She tells of the outings to Destin harbor for fishing and of jaunts to the Eastern Lake outfall, of fishing , crabbing, drinking , and storytelling. It was one of those famous signature visits that every family probably has that permanently imprints them on this area, if ther're lucky.
So enjoy these photos of a simpler time and place where air conditioning and phones were non-existent, electricity was spotty, and running water was unreliable. But the delights of sun. sand, and water were everywhere , and to revel in the natural beauty of this unspoiled paradise was a pleasure of which indelible memories are inevitably made.
Maunsel
I have decided to post the pictures on the next thread....ya'll know I am not very good at this....hang on it will take a few minutes.....
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any suggestions?
:funn:
