The adventures and various works of a photographer, road tripper, former patron of the local arts, aspiring app developer, and late night coffee drinker and conversationalist.
Among the local memorabilia I've collected have been a few matchbook covers. Essentially an extinct means of advertising as of in the twenty-first century, vintage matchbooks can serve as an easy and inexpensive way to get a peek into the establishments and hangouts of the previous century. In most cases, these places are now long gone, but once in a while you come across the rare business that's still operating today in some form. One of these establishments is the old Valhalla of Dallas motel. Once I'd gotten my hands on the matchbook cover and confirmed the motel's continued existence in 2024, I took a trip down to South Dallas for a look.
From what I've found researching historical newspaper archives and city directories, the Valhalla was constructed in 1952 off what was then (and technically still is today) U.S. Highway 77. Located some six miles' driving distance from Downtown Dallas, the motel boasted a total of twenty* air-conditioned units and a swimming pool, and a total of 1.9 acres of land. Electric heat and in-room telephones and televisions were among the advertised conveniences. The long gone A. Harris shopping center, converted by the Dallas Independent School District into Nolan Estes Educational Plaza in 1978 and today the site of Maya Angelou High School, was situated behind the motel, adding yet another draw for travelers who opted to make the Valhalla their home for the night. The overall picture painted is a rosy one of great accommodations and area conveniences. But as demographics changed and money and investment began to leave the neighborhood, it appears that the complex, in keeping with the rest of the area, fell upon less prosperous times. An early 1960s postcard depicts a nice, clean motel with the swimming pool being enjoyed by apparently relaxed and happy patrons. It seems that even by then, the Valhalla was becoming a bit more of a seedier establishment. "It was a great motel for those of us who went to South Oak Cliff High School to have drinking parties on weekends. It was cheap and no one asked questions," remembered one commenter on a 2011 Flickr posting. "It was called The Valhalla back then & was probably a "no tell" motel even back in the 60's," recalled another.
The last post in my "Ghosts of DFW Music History" series was on April 30th, a full 3 1/2 months ago. I managed to get the post up just before starting my sabbatical from work and embarking on my long road trip up to Alaska. Since my return, following a couple of weeks taken to recharge and recover, I resumed work on my other long-term projects with the aim of returning to the "Ghosts" series in a couple of weeks. Those couple of weeks have, without my ever intending them to, extended to over three months. I have been at work gathering historical materials and following up on a couple of leads, but overall I have been focusing heavily on getting all my other in-progress tasks out of the pipeline - clearing the table, so to speak. Vintage photo galleries, research on a few historical DFW sites, working on my long-delayed road trip travelogues, and, notably, finally getting some business cards created, have been my main priorities since returning from Alaska. But now it's time to get back to work on the "Ghosts" series. If all goes according to plan, I hope to edit and post about half a dozen more entries over the next few months, and to wrap up the entire series by the end of 2024. I'm also strongly considering making an eventual print edition of the completed project, which would not only allow me to expand upon a few things that were left out of the online posts, but also to update the overall text with additional information I've gathered since the original versions went up on the site. I have a potential cover image and design already put together as a proof of concept, and I have some ideas on whom I would like to tap for a potential foreword. This won't happen until sometime in 2025 if I do indeed proceed with the idea. In the meantime, be on the lookout for new series installments in the coming days. I'm waiting to hear back from a few sources and have found new wells to tap for memorabilia, so fingers crossed.
Updated October 9, 2024 with additional historical information
Whenever I shop antique stores, estate sales, or online, I'm always on the lookout for unique and original snapshots and slides. If it's a photo of somewhere I've been, or of a scene or situation I find interesting enough, then it's fair game as long as the price is right. And when it comes to places I've been, few vintage images are more interesting than those of my own hometown and surrounding areas. Here are sixty-nine rare images of DFW spanning every decade of the 20th century, all taken from my personal collection.
Houston Street Viaduct, 1945
The Houston Street Viaduct (originally known as the Dallas-Oak Cliff Viaduct) was constructed in 1911 to connect Downtown Dallas with the then recently annexed community and former independent city of Oak Cliff. It was built to replace earlier connections that were destroyed by the Great Trinity River Flood of 1908. The originally planned streetcar line that was intended to traverse the bridge was finally constructed more than one hundred years later, entering service in April 2015.
Heading into Downtown Dallas via the Houston Street Viaduct, 1945 (view from car)
Continue reading "DFW in vintage photos"
Collecting vintage and antique photos is a pastime of mine. Most of my collection is acquired from antique shops and antique malls, estate sales, and from online purchases. On occasion, I post collections of these photos on this blog. This is a home page for these collected posts, and it will be updated as new collections are added.
Among the local memorabilia I've collected have been a few matchbook covers. Essentially an extinct means of advertising as of in the twenty-first century, vintage matchbooks can serve as an easy and inexpensive way to get a peek into the establishments and hangouts of the previous century. In most cases, these places are now long gone, but once in a while you come across the rare business that's still operating today in some form. One of these establishments is the old Valhalla of Dallas motel. Once I'd gotten my hands on the matchbook cover and confirmed the motel's continued existence in 2024, I took a trip down to South Dallas for a look.
