A 1985 Map of Hoover

I've written a number of pieces on this blog about various Alabama maps; one of these days I may put together a post that's a list of those posts. At any rate, here we are again.

Son Amos and I were recently going through some of the endless stuff around our house and came across this map of Hoover. We both agreed these kinds of graphic maps are pretty neat.

This map was issued in 1985 by Landmark Graphics Ltd. and Town Art Incorporated. The Riverchase Galleria did not open until February 1986, so that large regional mall is not on the map. We rented a house on Chapel Hill Road in Hoover in 1983, but before the end of 1985 we purchased our first home in Pelham. I remember in particular two of these businesses we patronized.

When we moved to Hoover in 1983 and then Pelham in 1985, restaurant choices were far more limited than today. El Palacio was our go-to Mexican place in those days. The chain's first operation was in Texas and the second was the Huntsville location where our family ate often. The chain had almost 60 restaurants by the early 1970s. The Hoover location closed a number of years ago. The one in Huntsville, believed to be the first Mexican restaurant in in that city, opened around 1966 and closed in 2017. Werner Von Braun was apparently a frequent customer.

We often ate at the Hunan Garden Chinese Restaurant and have continued to do so over the years. The menu is large with excellent food each time we visit. Another favorite in Hoover was the Mandarin House, which was a Chinese restaurant we patronized even a few times after we moved; that business closed several years ago. 

I don't remember if we ever ate at Showbiz Pizza, but we sure did patronize the Vestavia Chuck E. Cheese's back in the day. Showbiz eventually merged with Chuck E. Cheese; follow the link for a look at that complicated history. Many other national brands can be seen on the map: Firestone, Texaco, Citgo, 76, State Farm, and Gulf. I don't recognize many of the local businesses, such as Jahmins Food & Games, Ed's Hair Gallery, or Greenside Nursery. Perhaps Ed's is now Ed and Company Hair and Nail Salon? 

Davenport's Pizza Palace does have two locations now in Mountain Brook and Vestavia. Founded by Rex Hollis, the pizza places were named after a childhood friend, Jim Davenport. A Siluria native, Davenport played professional baseball with the San Francisco Giants. He is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and was recently inducted into the inaugural class of the Shelby County Hall of Fame. 

If you have memories about any of the businesses on this map, feel free to leave them in the comments!

I was unable to locate information about either of the businesses credited for the map's creation. 

I have a similar though smaller 1989 map of Pelham created for the city's 25th anniversary of incorporation. Maybe I'll get around to a blog post on that one someday. 

A Visit to Aldridge Gardens in Hoover

Recently Dianne & I visited Aldridge Gardens in Hoover, one of those places we've been meaning to visit for a long time. We spent a very pleasant hour wandering the trail around the park's lake and seeing the sights. 

The facility's web site offers some information about the Gardens' history and amenities: 

"Since Aldridge Gardens opened in 2002, the 30-acre former property of well-known horticulturist Eddie Aldridge and his wife Kay has become a popular attraction in the greater Birmingham area. The young garden showcases hydrangeas, including the Snowflake Hydrangea, which was patented by Mr. Aldridge and is now the official flower of the City of Hoover.

Other features include an event venue and gallery in the couple's former home, an outdoor pavilion, a six-acre lake and a half-mile walking trail. The Gardens also host plant sales, art exhibits and shows, classes and seminars, bird walks, fishing days, concerts and more."

Admission to the Gardens is free. The trail is an easy walk and there are plenty of benches along the way. Also to be seen are several whimsical sculptures by Frank Fleming, which for some odd reason I did not photograph. Maybe next time. 

Dianne mentioned that ironically the backdrop to all this natural beauty was the sound of traffic on the nearby Interstate highway.

Photos and a few comments below. 

The Gardens have lots of natural beauty that will only increase in coming weeks.

Here's an interesting sculpture you come across on the back side of the lake. Orr Park in Montevallo has more than 30 of these chain saw sculptures created by Tim Tingle since 1993. He only carves in dead or dying trees, and I suppose something similar was done to this cypress. I don't know if it's by Tim Tingle, though. 

The park has a significant display honoring veterans.

Several mallard ducks entertained us while we were there. We'll have to bring food next time.

Who Tossed My Baseball Cards?

I recently had lunch at Taste of Thailand [very good food] in Hoover, and noticed the empty shop seen below in the same commercial strip. I have no idea how long the store operated, but there was a comment posted on Yelp in December 2007. I realized this ghost sign offered a chance to drag out some old Birmingham Barons baseball cards I salvaged when my son was about to toss them. I can also wax nostalgic about baseball cards in general. 

The cards have been around for a long time. According to Wikipedia, trade cards featuring baseball players began to appear in the late 1860's in the U.S. Modern card history began in the late 1940's. Markets for the cards have ebbed and flowed over the years depending on economic factors, world wars, and such baseball-related events as the 1994 players strike. Cards have been marketed mainly to adults, children or collectors or more than one of these groups at various times. Baseball cards appeared in other countries as early as the late 1890's when they became available in Japan. Cuba followed in 1909 and Canada in 1912. 

The Birmingham Barons have a long history beginning in 1885 that you can read about here and here. At times the team has left the city as owners change; the current team arrived in 1981 under the aegis of the Detroit Tigers. The team moved from classic Rickwood Field to the larger Hoover Met beginning with the 1988 season. In 2013 the Barons moved back downtown to Regions Field next to Railroad Park. 

Thus the 1989 Barons' cards below are from the team's second year at the Met. The final card is from the 1991 season, also at the Met. The Barons won the West Division of the Southern League in both of those seasons. The back of each of these cards gives personal information about the players as well as their professional baseball achievements. I wonder how many of them are still associated with baseball in some way?

Baseball cards have survived a long time. Apparently the market for vintage paper cards is robust. Now you can even buy digital cards, but they wouldn't be the same. I can't imagine how you would attach them with clothes pins to your bicycle spokes and ride around making that cool noise like my friends and I used to do back in the day. 

Now for the big question--who tossed MY baseball cards?? Well, probably mom, as the cliche goes, but it doesn't really matter now. I didn't have any Honus Wagner or Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth cards anyway.....might have had Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, though!!