I always knew it as United Telephone Company I'm going by the name on a 1963 phone book that Dot Mclenon (the previous owner of Christmas Cottage @ 245 Broad Ave South) gave me. I spent HOURS sitting at their concrete benches at the corner of 5th & 8th. At 1st they had a table & out of town telephone books, they probably knew you might enjoy these too much & both disappeared over time. The out of town phone books disappearing really caught my eye & I figured it must be like a Stepford Wives (kids) thing. And it was like a plot so you'd never know about the world outside of 4 Corners.
Note to regular followers I've added Seagate Homeboy as an author to Real Naples. He's 5 years older than I & owned a dark blue Plymouth Barracuda. Growing up here I'd either be hitchhiking or walking & it never failed he'd always be driving the other way 24/7. We weren't close friends (back then I was a punk & he was a geezer, 5 years when your a teenager is similar to dog years) but he was easily out as much as me & he had wheels. I can't keep up with his attention to detail & am floored by his memory of 60's Naples. So here we sit 50 years on telling these twisted little tails of this twisted little town, there truly couldn't have been a better place on the planet to be a teenager!
I follow this site on almost a daily basis. I found it looking up Margaret and Arnold Haines a few weeks ago. There were 9 children in my family and Naples was the only place we ever vacationed as a family. Holidy Inn's did not exist.After church at Saint Ann's we would fill the counter at the Beach Store. I have been coming to Naples since 1952. I was not fortunate to be able to stay year round. I was not exactly a snow bird but did spend the first four months of the year in Naples from age two until high school prevented me from going longer than a week or so in the spring with returns in the summer. In the summer of 1969 I met Chrissy Morse(sp?),referred to as Miss Boat Haven,and her friend Donna as they drove around the pier in Chrissy's blue Camero or Firebird.It was the best place to meet people. That same year we took care of a shrimp boat that beached at Gordon Pass. It was a great New Years Eve bonfire. Ihavn't seen Chrissy in about 8 years. We always seemed to meet in the grocery store when I would come to town. Naples was the first place I brought my daughters to after they were born. We still make it at least four times a year. We will be there tomorrow for another visit. I will be weighing myself at Publix. I agree with your comment that there truly couldn't have been a better place on the planet to be a teenager.It's my favorite place on earth. All of your photographs bring back some of my fondest memories. I enjoyed the stores closing at 5 and the television going off at around 7pm. It gave you time to enjoy Naples and the people with you.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the excellent work.
Jim B. St.Louis
Jim B.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this site is for everyone, and ALL are welcome, you are one of the people that this website is all about. You were fortunate enough to experience Naples before the developers really took over. It's obvious by the warmth reflected in your comments that you "get it".
Please chime in anytime.
Seagate Homeboy
p.s. Good call, it was a ’69 Firebird
5:06 PDT