July

Upcoming Community
Meetings
Newsletter for the Brooke Smith, Oakdale Place, and Lezzieton Terrace Subdivisionsy 2
915 Northwood Street
Typically on the First Thursday of
the Month
July 9, 2015 7PM
Boletin de noticias para las Vecindades de Brooke Smith, Oakdale Place, & Lezzieton Terrace
(moved due to July 4th!)
With BARC
August 6, 2015 7PM
Mayoral Candidates and
Community Social
September 3, 2015
7PM
City Council District H
Candidates
July 2015 2010
A Note from the President—Hola a todos! El club cívico ha estado trabajando muy
duro este año para mejorar el barrio y ayudar a aquellos que viven aquí para hacer una
diferencia positiva en nuestra comunidad.Esperamos ver a todos en futuras reuniones y
estariamos encantados de proporcionar traducciones para cualquier residente que
puede ser de habla hispana.Si hay algo en todo lo que nuestra organización puede hacer por usted, nuestros residentes, en el futuro por favor no dude en escribirme a
angelica@montiebeach.org
Enjoying a neighborhood meeting
al fresco — At the June meeting’s
presentation by Bike Houston on
local advocacy, safety and the
Bicycle Master Plan that is
currently in development. For
more information on good biking
tips, maps or how to comment
on the Master Plan check out
bikehouston.org
———————
Neighbor Night
Noche de Vecinos
Saturday July 25th
Home of Markos Pappos
1109 Enid
Pool Party 4-7PM
———————
Interested in hosting the next
Neighbor Night? Email
Full bayous and ditches remind us that
so far Houston has received over 34
inches of rain, 10 of those from Memorial
Weekend alone. June marked the
beginning of the hurricane season so
check those checklists, be prepared and
follow the ever present Turn Around,
Don’t Drown if you see high water while
driving on the roads.
P.O. Box 30111
Houston, TX 77249-0111
www.montiebeach.org
(832)303-0741
Angelica Schaefer - President
Angelica@montiebeach.org
Markos Pappas - Vice President
Markos@montiebeach.org
Kristy Gallagher - Vice President
Kristy@montiebeach.org
Candace Stofer- Secretary
Candace@montiebeach.org
Amelia Gonzales - Treasurer
Follow us on
social media!
Brooke
Smith
Streetcars
compiled by Robert Koehl
Did you know Enid Street in
Brooke Smith once had a gasoline motor car railway which was
later converted to a streetcar
line? In 1906, The Houston Electric Company Streetcar line
came north up Houston Avenue,
tuned left on Montgomery Road
(later renamed North Main) and
terminated near Enid Street, the
entrance to the Brooke Smith
Addition Subdivision.
Cont’d page 3
Page 2
Newsletter for the Brooke Smith, Oakdale Place, and Lezzieton Terrace
New Signs for Our Median?
We are looking to replace the two
landmark signs on the Cavalcade
esplanades. Stay tuned for
fundraising events and remember,
but every little bit helps!
Check out our fundraising site at:
http://www.gofundme.com/
montiebeach
Or email us at:
angelica@montiebeach.org
July Events
July 4th Freedom Over Texas 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. Eleanor Tinsley
and Sam Houston Parks on Buffalo Bayou. Prolific singersongwriter and Houston son, Clint Black and double-platinumselling singer, songwriter Josh Turner . Tickets $8-$10.
Remember, Allen Parkway will be closed for this event.
July 11th, 10Am—Heights Garden Club: Shirey Home Garden
at 1447 Allston. Mark and John have created a cottage style
garden that flows around the entire house and is reminiscent of
a garden of when the house was new with a reclaimed brick
patio. Free and open to everyone. Check out the Heights
Garden Club website at www.heightsgardenclub.com
July 25th, 4-7PM—Neighbor Night Pool Party at Home of Markos Pappos 1109 Enid . Bring your towel and some sun
screen!
July 2015
Sun
5
Mon
6
Tue
7
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
Calendar Key
MBCC Meeting /
NNO
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Regular Trash
Pickup / Recogida
de Basura
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Recycling Pickup /
Riciclaje
August 1
Heavy Haul Trash /
Basura Pesado
26
August 2
27
August 3
28
August 4
29
August 5
30
Aug. 6
31
August 7
August 8
Large Trees &
Limbs / Ãrboles
Grande
*Tree Waste/Junk Waste for addresses South of N. Main are on 3rd Wednesday of the Month, North of N. Main are on 1st Friday.
2015
Page 3
Tampico Heights Nickname Receives Low Approval Ratings by Angelica Schaefer
The internet is constantly bringing us new information and surprises. The 'Tampico Heights' fiasco that
happened a year ago is a great example. Last year, in early May I remember calling my husband to ask him to
help me find the best route from our home to avoid a traffic accident. In that moment he discovered that a
neighborhood marker had been placed over our area, labeling us 'Tampico Heights'.
The next day, we found that Swamplot had already published a story in April about residents of Near
Northside and their steadfast opposition to this nickname. Although many maps indicated that Brooke Smith
was the area that the moniker was being given to.
How did this begin? Northside and Brooke Smith were both
mentioned with the moniker of 'Tampico Heights' in an April 2014
Houstonia Magazine article entitled, "Where to Live Now: The 25
Hottest Neighborhoods of 2014". Jim Badger has taken the credit in a
news interview for this nickname and is quoted at saying "Giving
it [our neighborhood] a name makes it stick in people's heads". There
are still many details about this story that are unclear and a thorough
google and HCAD search didn't help me find out more about Jim and
his possible inspiration. The only thing that we can be sure of is that
the news traveled fast, with ABC 13 reporting on this nickname while
enjoying a treat from the refresqueria at Edsee and North Main and
other news stories.
As quickly as this nickname gained traction, it seems to have disappeared. Google maps no longer highlights a
neighborhood marker for our area (at the time of this publication, a request has been placed to mark our
neighborhood
as
Brooke
Smith)
and
Jim
Badger's www.tampicoheights.com website is no longer a working
site. We were able to take away two things from this odd
experience that had many residents vehemently opposed to the
nickname: one being that our residents take a lot of pride in our
community and this goes for Brooke Smith and our Northside
neighbors; and the second being a somewhat enjoyable twitter
handle that is still tweeting to this day as @tampico_heights
At this time, the only burning question that I have about this
experience is how many of the 'Tampico Heights' bumper stickers
were made and where can I get one to go alongside my collection of
newsletters?
Brooke Smith, the subdivision’s developer, requested and received
franchises from the city and county to build track on Montgomery road and down Enid Street to Mathis
Street and in 1907 began operating a gasoline motor car railway on the route. On April 21, 1907, the
Houston Daily Post reported that the motor car and the shed it was stored in was destroyed by fire, possibly
caused by arson. In 1908, the Houston Electric Company extended its street car line down Montgomery and
terminated it in a large loop at Enid Street, the entrance to Brooke Smith Addition. Brooke Smith maintained
the franchise to operate the motor car on Enid Street, but it is unknown if he
continued to do so. In 1926, the Houston Electric Company extended its
Woodland Heights streetcar line down Enid Street to Mathis. This was the last
significant addition to Houston’s streetcar system. In 1937, the streetcar line was
converted to a bus line. The above information was compiled from the book
“Houston Electric – The Street Railways of Houston, Texas” written and
published by Steven M. Baron in 1996. This book is highly recommended for
those interested in learning more about the history of Houston’s streetcar past.
The June 22, 1907 edition of Electric Railway Review and the August 10, 1907
edition of Street Railway Journal indicated that the car pictured here was used on
the Brooke Smith gasoline railway.
Cont’d from page 1-Brooke Smith Street Cars
M. Andrew Seerden
Board Certified Personal Injury
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
The Seerden Law Firm, PLLC
603 W. 11th St., Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77008
713.526.6700 Office
713.526.6704 Fax
andrew.seerden@seerden-law.com
Continued Thanks! to Anthony and Kay
Harnden and Berkshire Hathaway for donating their time, printer, and ink to the MBCC
Newsletter.
Montie Beach Park, with a tennis court, walking paths, soccer fields and a splash pad there is something for everyone.
Montie Beach Community Center Activities / Actividades
Afterschool Enrichment—Aerobics—Weekday Walking Club—Zumba—Extreme Couponing—Jewelry Making—
Ceramics—Computer Classes and Computer Lab—Self Defense: Beginner and Advanced
Contact the Montie Beach Park & Community Center at (713)864-6820 — 915 Northwood St
Open Mon. - Thu. 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.. and Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Community Information / Información de la Comunidad
Emergency: 9-1-1 & Non-Emergency: 713-884-3131
Heights Storefront: 713-803-1151 1127 N. Shepherd, Houston, TX, 77008 (M-F, 8:00AM-4:00PM)
Join Us!
MBCC Membership Information 2015 / MBCC Calidad De Miembro Información
Newsletter advertising rates for 2015: Monthly $20, Semi-annually $100, Annually $190
NAME(S) / NOMBRE(S)_______________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS / DIRECCIONAMIENTO________________________________________________________________
PHONE / TELÉFONO_________________________________________________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________
O $20.00 Homeowner O $15.00 Renter
O $10.00 Senior (over 65)
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For advertising info please call Amelia at (713)864-3908
Please make checks payable to: Montie Beach Civic Club and mail to: P.O. Box 30111, Houston, TX 77249-0111