ARE YOU GOING TO STAND BY AND WATCH IT HAPPEN? WARNING! THIS EDITORIAL IS ONE OF SONNYS RANTS! The 1928 Brenham gas station shown below later became what generations of locals came to know as Club Southern ... The old building has stood on the corner of Day and Mansfield Streets all these years, standing up to the ravages of time and neglect and misuse ... We know that, although it was a gas station, it was a beer tavern for awhile ... it served barbeque out back ... and for a time it was a dance studio ... But, we are not sure if it was a sort of general store and beer parlor (ice house type of situation) while it was also the gas station. Many such setups were common in Washington County back in the 1900s through the 1970s before the Big Boys moved in with their gasoline chain stations, fast food joints, and the modern grocery stores and dollar stores which only served to force the smaller Mom n Pop businesses --- OUT ... Here we have one of the lone sentinels of Small Town still surviving amid the second era carpetbagger mentality which descended upon the community starting around the 1960s and relentlessly pressuring Small Town to give up its heritage and historical aspects. Let us buy you out and tear you down! shouted the out-of-towners, chains, and speculators. Why? Because of greed and ignorance. Look around in downtown Brenham. Youll see the results of greed and ignorance by folk who came to town, bought up several of the old buildings and raped their contents, made Disney Land gaudy renovations, and in many cases just did a bastardized job and those buildings remain empty to this day. And, some of those old structures were razed. Sadly, even by locals without good common sense. But, we need the space! cried Small Town leaders, business folk, and the speculators. Yeah? ... Seems to me they had PLENTY of it in their heads already ... Yes, Banana Heads ... look around in Small Town and you will see evidence of the destruction wrought upon the community by greedy and ignorant folk. Now ... we come to the old Club Southern ... It is being gutted of its contents, according to some informed citizens, which go back to the original opening of 1928 ... Some say the contents are of the 1930s/40s ... Others say it has things from the 1960s as well ... Whatever it has, it has the heritage of Washington County in a time capsule that has been sitting on that historic corner for a long time. They are calling what they are about to do a Clean Out Sale ... We at The Brenham Banana-Press call it the RAPE OF SMALL TOWN! ... How many more times must Brenham and Washington County endure the greed and ignorance of people who havent a clue as to what they are up to regarding the destruction of the local heritage and historical aspects of the community? Stupidity is what I call it, pure and simple. Stupid people doing stupid things, in my humble opinion. Personally, if it were all up to me in matters such as this ... I would haul them off to jail for treason to the community, if there were such a charge. Even if there is not --- THAT is EXACTLY what they are doing. You can not keep taking away the heritage of the community without that community one day (SOON) paying the ultimate cost --- the LOSS of its face in history. Everyone of you Banana Heads can stand by and allow this to happen --- OR --- you can demand that the actual and pertinent items relative to the heritage of the community be preserved and protected. Demand that the owners of businesses be ordered to donate such items to The Brenham Heritage Museum ... Think not? Other communities have passed ordinances which disallow ANY business, individual, or group from destroying designated historical structures, landmarks and items deemed relative to the heritage of the community. (No, that is NOT communistic, it is --- COMMON SENSE!) Frankly, many times I have wanted to puke when I see what locals have allowed to happen in Small Town ... I want to vomit when I hear about the ignorance that passes for progress ... I find myself simply overwhelmed by nausea when any historic part of Small Town is messed with. Just up the road from Club Southern on South Day was the old Sinclair Service Station from the 1920s. It stood on the corner as a quaint reminder of how things used to be in Small Town. At one time it was also used as an antique shop and maybe one or two other businesses. Yet, you knew that it had been an old gas station. That was its heritage. That was its history for Small Town. Then ... one day it was gone. In its place is something the community REALLY needed --- a water dispensing booth. Wow! Thank you ignorant folk. You have once again proven my theory that it really doesnt take brains to tear down something of historic value. All it takes is greed. So, what is next for Club Southern AFTER the silly garage sale they have planned this week? ... Will they be tearing down the building to make way for a dollar store? ... A convenience store? ... A fast food joint? ... What? ... What could be more important thaN having a 1928 historic building standing there? ... If I had owned the building and lived back in Small Town, I would have turned the historic structure into a type of tourist spot complete with soda fountain, souvenir shop, and limited eatery, along with a sort of local museum themed around gas stations and beer, which has been the legacy of the building all these years. Tourists love those kinds of spots. It is situated right on the drag where visitors and locals alike must drive from downtown out to Highway 290/Highway 36 ... It would have been a natural tourist trade business. It amazes me just how uncreative and short-sighted so many folk are in Small Town, unable to truly see the real treasures and potential all around them. But --- NO --- they would rather bring the Big City ways into Small Town, as if the tourists are looking for the crapola they just left behind to get OUT of the Big City and experience Small Town. There ... Ive had my say in this editorial ... You can agree or not. I really dont care. I know that I am right. Thats why I started this forum in July, 2013 to be able to have my own place to say whatever I want and not worry about whether anyone would jump on my soap box or not. I want to provide history about Washington County and Texas --- BUT --- I also want to speak up when I feel that people are doing wrong and raping the history and heritage of Small Town. THIS is one of those times. I stand by what I have said ... Ignorance and greed are destroying the community of Washington County as a whole. Lack of interest in preserving and protecting her heritage will finally be her downfall. You cant live a lie and expect Blue Bell to carry you through. You have to have EVERYTHING pertinent to the community surviving and being a part of the BIG PICTURE ... Smiles, glad-handing, parties, back-slapping, and saying Oh, look at us having our fund-raisers and telling one another how great we are! will not stop the juggernaut that is crushing the lifeblood out of Small Town ... And --- boys and girls --- IF you can not see this, then perhaps you need to immediately schedule an appointment with your local eye doctor for an emergency checkup! ... So endeth our Soap Box Sermon #516 ... We shall now turn in our Heritage Hymnals to page 173 as we sing Who Let The Dogs Out? .... Wish we had a better photo of the original gas station that became Club Southern but this is what we were sent. If anyone out there in Banana Land has ANY shots of the old building, from any era, we would appreciate you sending them to us or posting here on the forum. Thank you ... This concludes todays rant ... brought to you by Muellers Fine Chicken Dinners Food Truck Express ....
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:39:27 +0000
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