Maplewood History: Minstrel Shows – Part Two

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Courtesy of Lois Hoffman Rychlewski

To better understand this post, you should have read Part One first.  If you haven’t, you can here.

From the program titled, Maplewood Minstrels, Twelfth Annual Minstrel and Dance, February 3-4-5, 1944, this is page 6.

The funeral home that once belonged to Jay B. Smith, the magician, is still in business – a few changes of ownership later.  You can read my posts about it here.

The HoleKamp Lumber Co. building later became the home of the St. Louis Closet Co.  Today, it is the home of the Side Project Brewery.  A 1955 aerial view of the site can be found in my post here.

Courtesy of Matt Williams

An undated image of the Holekamp Lumber Co. with the Masonic Temple in the back ground.

You can read my posts about the Harper Pharmacy here.

Notice that June Rannells was scheduled to sing Put Your Arms Around Me Baby.  I have written much about the Rannells, one of our oldest pioneer families.  You can find some of my posts about them here.

Genuine Motor Parts was still at that location in 1975 and later.  I did some posts about Golde’s Department Store which you can find here.

Courtesy of Wanda Kennedy Kuntz

Notice the cool, probably neon, sign advertising the products of the Green Lea dairy in this image of the first Maplewood Bank building, which once stood at the NE corner of Oakview Terrace and Manchester.  Today this site holds a parking lot.  I know, I know.  Why?  Well, it’s a long story which you can find here.

Sunnen Products is the big one on this page.  As I write this in 2024, I imagine that they are still the largest and much admired company and employ the most people in our town.  Someone will correct me if I’m wrong.  I have never posted much about them.  It’s not an oversight.  I just haven’t done the grunt work yet.

I have done quite a few posts about Bartold’s Grove and Inn that once occupied the site that Sunnen does now.  You can find them here.

The Stertzing Florist Company has an interesting history that you can find here.

Stertzing Building detail Doug Houser 2006

I got the Ladd Brothers covered.  You can read about them here.

Ditto on the Hoffman, Paint, Glass and Paper Company.  Take a look.

Courtesy of Lois Hoffman Rychlewski

Have you said “uncle” yet?  This is quite a lot to chew on.  I’ll bet that no reader will follow all of those links.

It is just a few days after the presidential election.  Many of my readers may be able to guess that my side took a beating.  I sincerely hope that we don’t have a rocky four years ahead of us.  Time will tell.

Doug Houser      November 9, 2024

 

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. From John Sutton by email: Doug, your challenge has been met! I opened every link and found them truly interesting. In the 1940s and 50s, Mom took us shopping at Golde’s. We pronounced it as that Gold-ees. Maybe it should simply be pronounced Gold’s? I also remember when it burned. Regarding Minstrel Shows, I attended a couple of traveling shows that were under a big tent. Got in free, because I “helped” set up the tent. It’s sad, but I thought the black face comedy was funny. No way, today! I also got free admission to Toby Shows, by helping to set up the tents. This would also have been around 1954. Thanks for sharing, Doug!

    • You are very welcome, John. Goldee’s is the way we all pronounce it. I found your experience with the tent shows very interesting. Probably because I had none. I had to google the Toby Shows because I was unfamiliar with them. They sound awfully cool. Thanks so much for sharing your memories with us.

  2. Great post, Doug!

    Is the Martini family name on this related to the street with the same name? Was that a prominent family? Naomi the chairman and Frank singing a song!

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