Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

Lifetime Member The Honor of a Lifetime

What is so special about being named a Lifetime Member in the Grapevine Historical Society? It is permanent, public recognition for being committed to Grapevine’s history and heritage – something you love! The award was instituted in 2000 with 36 individuals being named to date. To be honored in this way places the recipient in the company of very remarkable individuals who are a part of Grapevine’s history. This year the Grapevine Historical Society is naming three Lifetime Members and all are long-time, native Grapevine citizens. No newcomers or Johnny-Come-Lately’s here….this year the Society is going all the way back in time….to the first wagon train!

Gayle Hall, Grapevine’s Director of Festivals and Events, has absolutely the most beautiful light green eyes, and if you know her and have seen those eyes flash, you may have wondered where that gene came from! Well, likely it came from Prussia! Those eyes are very similar to the eyes of her great-great-grandmother, Augustine Wohlfile Schiemann, who came to America from Prussia in 1868 and settled on the Grape Vine Prairie in 1881. Augustine and her husband, August, had a daughter (Gayle’s great- grandmother) whom

they named Augustina and called “Tena." Tena married James Washington Hall, they had a son -- Charlie Hall of Grapevine Cantaloupe Festival fame – and the rest is history! A fifth-generation Grapevine citizen, Gayle picked up her grandfather’s festival banner and has taken Grapevine from being the “Cantaloupe Center of the USA” in 1941 to a “World Festival and Event City” in 2012, so named by the International Festivals & Events Association.

Gayle has approached her career with an open, giving spirit which includes bringing others into the ring of success through mentorships and education, being open to changes and innovation, entering new ideas into competition for awards and winning, supporting and establishing new organizations to get things done – such as the Grapevine Dirty Dozen, the Grapevine Wine Pouring Society, and the Craft Brew Guild. She involves Grapevine’s civic organizations in Grapevine’s festival program for their financial benefit. Most important to her success, Gayle never asks anyone to do anything that she has not done or would not do herself to get a festival job done in order to place Grapevine in the very best light. She is a lot like August and Augustine Wohlfile Schiemann who were ambitious, hardworking, loved to dance, were happy, friendly, good cooks and had a sense of humor. Gayle is an excellent history resource who remembers everything, especially events associated with Lake Grapevine. (Continued on page five.)

Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org.

Harvest Hall Opens The Grapevine TexRai l Stat ion welcomed its Harvest Hall at a “soft” opening this February. With 40-foot ceilings, the Harvest Hall lobby is reminiscent of the grand train stations of the last century. Seven restaurants and two bars offer a large seating area and an entertainment venue. John Boyd

grapevine historical society

On The Vine Dedicated to preserving grapevine history

Gayle Hall

Gayle Hall

Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

Elks Lodge #2483 Formerly The Grapevine Steakhouse

The next two months we are exploring three of Grapevine’s oldest restaurants and seeing where they are today. All three still exist but some have moved on to other business ventures. I’m sure there are several of you that may recall dining and maybe dancing in these entertainment hot spots back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The “Notorious” Grapevine Steakhouse was opened by Jim Corley in 1978. Located at Silverside and Bushong Road in North Grapevine, the restaurant predated all the current modern steakhouses and was described as a “relaxed and comfortable place.” In addition to their T-Bones, NY Strips and Baby Back Ribs, the steakhouse also served chicken and seafood, and all meals included a baked potato and a trip to the enormous salad bar. The “kid-friendly” restaurant offered free lunch for children on Sundays and in May 1992 held a benefit to raise funds for a 5-year-old child requiring emergency heart surgery. While kid-friendly, the Grapevine Steak House was also famous for its live music, cocktails and dance floor, staying open until 12:30 am on weekends. Along with Willhoite’s and the Catfish Hut, the Grapevine Steakhouse was listed in the entertainment section of The Grapevine Sun in the 1970s and 80s. All three were social hotspots - offering live music and some providing a dance floor. Grammy-award winning singer Norah Jones, a Grapevine native, recalls “dancing to the live country music there with my Mom when I was small.” In 1984 the Dallas Morning News reviewed the steakhouse and declared it “worth the 30-minute drive from Dallas” - “with real-live urban cowboys.” Joe R. Perryman acquired the business in the 1980s and by 1992 it was closed.

That same year, the Grapevine Elks Lodge #2483 was temporarily located in an old store with a dirt floor on North Main Street. They purchased the old steakhouse at an auction and members set about remodeling it with a lodge hall, meeting rooms and offices. The outside of the building has changed little and despite the interior remodeling - some traditions remain alive and well today. The Elks Lodge still offers steaks, chicken, fish entrees, baked potatoes and a salad bar on Friday nights with live music, cocktails, dancing and “restaurant-style seating.” A fundraising Crawfish Boil benefiting special needs children is open to the public and scheduled on March 13, 2021 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. The Elks Lodge traces their roots back to 1868 in New York City, where they were originally known as the “Jolly Corks.” Today there are over 2000 lodges in the US. Their mission is to promote the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity. The Lodge opened its membership to women in 1995, and today the President, aka Exalted Ruler, is Karen McCrary. Elks believe in investing in the Grapevine Community to help veterans, children with special needs and to provide scholarships. John Boyd

Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org.

Grapevine Steakhouse Menu

Elks Lodge #24834 - New Year’s Day 2021

Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

Willhoite’s 100 Years and Two Families

A Grapevine institution on Main Street just celebrated not one, but two big anniversaries this January. Willhoite's Restaurant marked its 40th anniversary, making it one of the city's oldest eateries. Meanwhile, the building itself just celebrated 100 years of bearing the Willhoite name - originally as an automobile garage and later as a restaurant.

But step back 100 years. In 1921 it was easy for a fellow to imagine how an auto garage could be a successful business venture. Even in small towns, it was clear that horses were no longer going to be the main means of transportation. While in 1909 Grapevine residents owned a total of just five cars, that number grew quickly. Grapevine’s first auto garages opened in 1913, and during the “teens” several early service stations competed for automobile owners’ business.

A 1914 building owned by Jack Robinson on South Main, was remodeled in September of 1919

to serve as a garage (and a silent movie theatre) at a cost of $2500. The founders of this new garage were William T. Shaw and Dick Wiley. Shaw’s Garage worked hard to build clientele, but the competition was strong. In August 1920 Shaw expanded to the Winfrey Building on the east side of Main. In 1921 Bill sold Shaw’s Garage to Andrew Wiley Willhoite, a cashier with the Grapevine Home Bank, and his business partner Bart Starr.

The Willhoite Garage stayed in business for the next 55 years. Bill Shaw returned as a mechanic in 1924. Willhoite’s son Ted joined the business in 1936 as the garage kept going through lean years and strong ones. It raffled an Atwater-Kent radio in 1929 and held business-boosting drawings in its drive-through during the 1930s Trades Days. It was there for the opening of the Northwest Highway to Dallas and the expansion of the 121 and 114 freeways when the DFW airport was built. Cars added automatic transmissions and air conditioning; tubeless tires and seat belts. A.W. modernized too: adding a hydraulic lift and remodeling the outside in 1939 to look more streamlined.

A.W. Willhoite died in 1958; but Ted kept the business going, fixing cars and pumping Marathon, Premier or Texaco gasoline until the end of December 1975. Then the Willhoite Garage stood idle for 5 years, waiting for a new life.

It found one in 1980 when reports surfaced that the building would be repurposed as a retail business. By late fall, Phil Parker and three business partners honed their concept - retail stores with a fancy restaurant, themed to remind visitors about the building’s previous history. Phil Parker personally approached Ted Willhoite for permission to name the place after the old family garage. (Continued on page four.)

Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org. San Gimignano, Italy

Willhoite’s Garage on Main Street, June 1940

Ted Willhoite and Phil Parker

Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

A Historical Cold February

February delivered one of the coldest weeks in the record books. The prolonged subfreezing temperatures, snow and ice led to electric and wateroutages, travel difficulty and shortages of common items like gas, milk, eggs and water. What we have learned from living through this and a year of COVID is that historical events may be much better to read and write about than they are to live through. John Boyd

Willhoites, from page three Willhoite’s Galleria and Restaurant opened on January 17, 1981, serving upscale steaks and seafood. The old lube rack was converted into a salad bar complete with a 1927 Model A Ford resting on top. Patrons who climbed the large staircase to the 2nd level found themselves in the Galleria - a selection of small specialty shops: including jewelry, cosmetics, handcrafted gifts, hot tubs, and even the Bill Bell Travel agency. Over the years, this grand and original approach morphed into something more down-home and casual. The Galleria shops were shuttered, while space for live entertainment was added. The menu was scaled back from fresh seafood arriving daily, to simpler burgers, buffalo wings, buffets and beer, along with catering service. Over the decades Willhoite’s worked at being part of the local community, from creating special events for teenagers on Sunday evenings in the early 1980s to supporting GRACE, AMBUCS and others with donations of food and time. The Parker family still owns and operates the restaurant, and in the process has established a second long-running and much-loved dynasty of sorts. When you look at Willhoite’s, you’re seeing two families responsible for 100 years of Grapevine history and still going strong. It’s enough to make you want to drop in, raise a glass, and toast to 100 years (and 40 years) of local business. Larry Groebe

March 2, 1836

Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org.

We’ll sing of Texas heroes brave,Who fought and bled her rights to

save,From Mexico’s tyrant who’d

deprave Our liberties and love.

Oh may we to them honors make, And sing the praises throughout the

State,Who fought so well for our fate,

As though sent from above.Crockett, Bowie, and Fannon all,

Travis, Milam there did fall;Died to ‘venge a nation’s call

And give us liberty.Sons of Texas answer ye, 

Guide our ship upon her sea,Patriotism yet must beTo shape our destiny.

Houston, who on Jacinto's field, Made the tyrant slowly yield, 

We thy influence now would wield —Sub jugum - nevermore

Let us emulate his name. Praise and laud his merited fame, Never his pure name defame —

Never — nevermore.

G.T. Bludworth Professor and owner of the Grapevine

College from 1900 to 1906. From The Grapevine Sun, 1903.

Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

Lifetime Awards, from page one Her awards are numerous -- including the most recent 2021 D. E. Box Citizen of the Year Award from the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce – and her first award, Miss Lake Grapevine of 1968.  She is loved by her fellow City of Grapevine employees, throughout the festivals industry, and by her family and many friends.   Mae Pearl Foster Powers is Grapevine royalty, if there is such a thing. She is the daughter of Glen and Tressie Foster. The Foster family was among the original Peters Colonists who came to Texas prior to July 1845 and settled on the Grape Vine Prairie. This singular fact tells you that Grapevine is a unique place…a place where the very founding families remain. Mae Pearl has a delightful twinkle in her eyes and has been called “a lightning rod” by Mayor William D. Tate. In high school she was a cheerleader, sang in the choir, was class secretary in her Junior year, and was one of two FFA Sweethearts in her Senior year. That twinkle captivated her high school sweetheart, Bill Powers, whom she married in 1954. Mae Pearl’s career in Grapevine is legendary, too. It includes her working at B&D Mills for 11 years and for the City of Grapevine for 38 years. Floy Ezell, Grapevine’s first City Manager, hired Mae Pearl in 1967 to be his secretary and to produce the payroll for all City employees, at that time about 20. She served under four city managers and five mayors before retiring from the Personnel Department in 2006. “She was the first person to greet applicants and employees as they entered the personnel department. She helped each one with patience and professionalism; she was the ideal employee to welcome others to the City of Grapevine,” said Carolyn Van Duzee, Director of Personnel (now retired). Mae Pearl was one of the first members of the Grapevine Historical Society and has been a member of the Grapevine Heritage AMBUCS and the Women’s Division of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce. She is a genuine friend with a kind heart and gentle word for everyone. Mae Pearl loves Grapevine, its history and heritage. Billy Alvin (Bill) Powers is today’s “go to man” for any Grapevine history questions, and we are thankful to have him and Mae Pearl in the wings to call on when questions come up – which they often do! Bill is also a multi-generation Grapevine citizen, who loves to promote his town. He is the son of John (Buck) and Grace Powers and the twin brother of Bob and Sue Powers Franks. It is little wonder that Bill was Mae Pearl’s high school sweetheart.

He is simply one of the cool-guys and always has been. When they dated he drove a 1950 chartreuse Ford convertible. After high school, he went to work but soon found himself drafted into the United States Army during the Korean Conflict years, serving in California and at Fort Hood, Texas. While stationed at Fort Hood, he was able to get home, see Mae Pearl and drive his convertible! In 1954, Bill and Mae Pearl married and Bill went to work for L.W. Parker in the furniture and appliance business and also joined the Grapevine Volunteer Fire Department which would become his career. Bill became Grapevine’s full time Fire Marshall and paid firefighter in 1973. He became assistant Fire Chief in 1982 and Chief in 1984, serving as Chief until he retired in 1999. He led the department through years of dynamic growth and established the paramedic ambulance service. He is proud that his son, Mark, and son-in-law, Gary Scott (married to daughter, Debby), are also firefighters.  Bill is an avid sports lover and has said, “If you can’t bounce it, hit it, throw it, or kick it, I don’t watch it.” He is devoted to Grapevine High School, missing very few football games since 1949. His grandson, Austin Scott, however, was a Southlake Dragon!  But that was ok – he played football!  Bill has also been instrumental in Little League baseball, Pee Wee football, men’s basketball, softball and golf.  Bill has received numerous professional and community awards.  Leon Baze said, “There are three people who deserve to be recognized as ‘Mr. Grapevine.’  They are the late Ted Willhoite, Mayor William D. Tate, and Chief Bill Powers. All three embody what the spirit of Grapevine is, in its totality.” Bill joins the other two by being named a Lifetime Member. Sallie Andrews

Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org.

Bill and Mae Pearl Powers

Volume 24 Issue 3 March 2021

Answers and Corrections Last month’s newsletter listed the 2021 GHS

Officers and left Tommy Simmons off the list. Tommy is our Program Chairman.

There were two questions last month. Larry asked if anyone knew where the circa-1957 mystery house was located. It is located on a small private road just north of Dove Road and Dove Loop near Lake Grapevine. Sallie asked who placed Grapevine’s first order for Rollins nylon hose back in 1939 - It was Inez Davis (Jewett), the sister-in-law of store owner Kirby Buckner and sister of Lovey Davis (Buckner). Inez was also named a Grapevine Historical Society Lifetime Member in 2005.

In Memory Dominick “Nick” Cirincione

Nick was a GHS member and a historian who focused on archival quality historical photography. He documented the Great American 1995 Cattle Drive Re-Enactment, the 1986 Sesquicentennial Wagon Train, and the 2007 Lewis and Clark 200th Anniversary Festivities. He coauthored the "Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train" with J'Nell Pate Barnes. Nick passed away February 4, 2021.

COVID Turns a Year OldKen Burns spent his career documenting

US history and is perhaps our country’s most famous and respected documentary film-maker. When asked how the current pandemic compares to past historic events, he said, “I used to think that there were three great crises in American life - the Civil War, the Depression and the Second World War. I would add this [COVID Pandemic], and maybe this - is the very, very worst.”

March marks the one-year anniversary since the coronavirus moved from being a story we read about in the headlines, to becoming a significant part of our daily lives. On Monday, March 16, 2020 at 11:59 pm, Dallas ordered all restaurants, bars and movie theaters closed. At that time Dallas had only reported a total of 19 cases. Today Dallas County has over 275,000 reported cases. Our April 2020 editorial was titled, “The Plunge into the Great Unknown.” Recently, on February 11, 2021 the NY Times headline read, “The Pandemic is in Retreat.” With the vaccine roll-out now reaching many of us - there is hope. Hope that we can all emerge from this historic pandemic and once again enjoy touching, loving and living life. John Boyd

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Grapevine Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Grapevine, TX 76099 www.grapevine history.org.

COVID Vaccine Sites - click or call for information

Grapevine Main Street January 16, 1964