My Web Site About Marlow Heights 60s and 70s

[kwillia]

I remember the little library across the street from the Red Barn. It was down in a basement and the books always had a certain smell to them... I have fond memories of going to the Red Barn for lunch and then to the library.

 

[mainman]

I'm not trying to be naive. The purpose of my website is to recreate memories of what Marlow Heights WAS back then. It may be a "shiabox" as you term it now, but it wasn't always that way. I know you can't can't go back in time, but some people would like to remember what it was back then during the 60s and 70s. Remember, this is a retro web site, so we're not focusing on how things are now. Believe it or not, PG County had one of the top school systems in the nation back then. There was a lot of promise...hope. Let's not darken its appeal of how things are now, but how things were back then. Perhaps things didn't turn out for the area as we would have wanted (as evidenced by the significant migration of people from there to Southern Maryland), but that's development, demographics, and the natural decline of established neighborhoods.

I'm not knocking your site bro, I think it's wonderful... However, it is hard for some of us not talk about the present when we think of the area. My roots are PG, my father grew up in Hillside, mom grew up in Suitland as did I. They remember what you do.. They talk of not locking the doors at night. Not being afraid to go out after dark. My grandparents lived in Kennedy Woods in District Heights... You should see that place now.. :barbedwire: surrounds it

Me... I do NOT remember these times....

 

[MJ]

Yes please, Mrs. Jones, I would gladly appreciate your photos for inclusion on my website. Also, if you have a chance to step inside and ask a few questions, I would appreciate some history of the Steak in a Sack. I live in Central Florida, so I don't have the luxury of doing this myself. That is, unless I relocate back up in the DC in a few years.

You want me to get out of the car? (just kidding!) PM me the questions and if I have a chance to go in I will.

 

[cissp]

You want me to get out of the car? (just kidding!) PM me the questions and if I have a chance to go in I will.

Yes, if it's not too much trouble. I would like to know when Steak in a Sack first opened, first owners, who's running it now, and maybe even their menu now.

 

[Kain99]

I still don't understand. What do you mean about the "white" and "babies" on the forum? Do you mean here on SOMD, or my website? Just trying to understand.

Oh... I meant here on the forums. Sorry, great site.

 

[cissp]

I'm not knocking your site bro, I think it's wonderful... However, it is hard for some of us not talk about the present when we think of the area. My roots are PG, my father grew up in Hillside, mom grew up in Suitland as did I. They remember what you do.. They talk of not locking the doors at night. Not being afraid to go out after dark. My grandparents lived in Kennedy Woods in District Heights... You should see that place now.. :barbedwire: surrounds it

Me... I do NOT remember these times....

No offense taken, I just wanted everyone to know the reason for the web site, and that is to remember Marlow Heights back in the 60s and 70s. I do realize much has changed in the area since then, and a lot not for the better unfortunately. For all that's bad about Marlow Heights now, perhaps going to a web site such as mine can give people an idea of how nice a place it used to be. That gives "old timers" a place to reminisce, and newcomers a sense of how it used to be. It is what it is, just a place to think back how Marlow Heights once was a decent and fun place to live.

 

[cissp]

Oh... I meant here on the forums. Sorry, great site.

Thanks for clarifying that, Kain. I just want to make sure my web site is an enjoyable place to visit. Anything I can do to improve the site, just let me know.

 

[justin anemone]

Justin,
I definitely remember Iverson Towers. And yes, I guess they are not replacing the missing "I" in the Marlow Heights Shopping Center sign for a reason. As for the "Barnbuster", I don't remember that, just the "Big Barney" burger. We used to call the Red Barn, the "Dead Barn". And if you saw "Willard" at the Marlow Theater, that was definitely a long time ago (early 70s). As for the Hot Fudge Cake with hot chocolate sauce and whipped cream, I think that was offered at the Hot Shoppes Cafeteria. At the Jr Hot Shoppes I worked at, we just had soft ice cream and I think a "fixins" bar for it in the dining room.

Working at the Jr Hot Shoppes back in the early 70s, we'd had a lot of Hippes there and bums. When I would work Sunday mornings, I would have to sweep the pot "roaches", syringes, and condoms off the bathroom floor from Saturday night before. Also, once I had to clean the women's room just right after we opened on a Sunday morning. I thought no one had come in yet. I was wrong! There was a huge woman sitting on the throne, with the Sunday Washington Post laid out.

You could be right, but I'm almost sure that I had the hot fudge cake there!
Hmmm....


Anyhow, I've been craving it since then, too!
LOL

Now, the question remains: was it Hot Shoppes that also offered the "Ice Cream Cake Roll" with hot fudge and whipped cream?


BK

 

[Tomcat]

I remember going to the Red Barn to country dance!!! It was the happening place you know! Friends got shot at in the parking lot one night. Brings back memories of when me and my hubby were courting!

I believe you're refering to the "Village Barn" I think it burned down or something. They relocated down here for awhile in Calloway.

 

[pappascw]

Good ole Marlow Heights.. I remember my parents taking me up there shopping in Monkey Wards, Hechts, then hit Iverson Mall. I actually used to go to a Barber Shop there called Elys to get my hear cut as a kid. Then for a movie at the theater, think thats where I saw Star Wars originally. Lets not forget to drop the film off at the Photo Hut.. haha I could go on forever.. Now that I think about it we went there alot! Guess my parents liked to shop.. Don't think I would be poking around there now.

 

[danceintherain]

The Red Barn that held the dances was a bar located in Morningside about a mile from Andrews AFB. Your website brings back the good old days where you could walk to mall with no worries.

That was the Village Barn.

 

[cissp]

Good ole Marlow Heights.. I remember my parents taking me up there shopping in Monkey Wards, Hechts, then hit Iverson Mall. I actually used to go to a Barber Shop there called Elys to get my hear cut as a kid. Then for a movie at the theater, think thats where I saw Star Wars originally. Lets not forget to drop the film off at the Photo Hut.. haha I could go on forever.. Now that I think about it we went there alot! Guess my parents liked to shop.. Don't think I would be poking around there now.

You must be old school, if you refer to Montgomery Wards as "Monkey Wards"--haven't heard that in years. And of course Hechts, with its ediface outside looking like a giant slide. Wards is long gone, but as far as I know, Hechts is still there. When you saw movies at the Marlow(e) Theater, that was when it was a single screen. As for the Photo Hut, that must have come later. My memories of getting film developed were limited to Peoples Drug Store, Dart Drug, or Drug Fair.

As for poking around there now, yes, sadly, the area has changed quite a bit, and you'd need to exercise some caution. In fact, I remember making a visit about three or four years ago to the former "Dennis Grove" apartments off of St. Barnabus Road. We lived there back in the mid 60s and it was actually a fairly decent place then. When I went back for my visit, I was met with quite a few hostile looks. On the bright side, though, I've heard from folks visiting my site that are parents of kids that were my classmates, and believe it or not, STILL live in the area, such as Olson Street. These were people that moved into the area in the late 50's.

Talk about a small world, though. My neighbor across the street from me here in central Florida had relatives visiting them over Thanksgiving. When I talked to them, I found out that one of them had an aunt that lived on Beaumont Street, Susie Shuman, who was a friend of my younger sister. Beaumont was right behind Akron Street where I lived. Another time, while still living in Virginia and working on Fort Belvoir, I spoke with a government customer, who told me she grew up on Akron Street. She was only a few years younger than me, and I remember her family's house on Akron Street, because it had the storm door with the initial of their last name, very popular at the time.

Thanks for the memories!

 

[Warren76]

Chuck,

You created a great website. When I first clicked on the
link, miy mind flashed back to when I was a child during the 60's
and a teen during the 70's. I used to ride with my parents from
where I lived in DC to shop and to eat at Iverson Mall. I was really
surprised to head that newspaper headline (on your website) which shows that Iverson Mall was Washington's first shopping mall! Wow!

Chuck, keep up the great work in updating and managing your website.

Best Regartds,

-Warren-
Webmaster of http://warren76.com
and http://free-jdee.com .

 

[somdcrab]

 

[cissp]

Chuck,

You created a great website. When I first clicked on the
link, miy mind flashed back to when I was a child during the 60's
and a teen during the 70's. I used to ride with my parents from
where I lived in DC to shop and to eat at Iverson Mall. I was really
surprised to head that newspaper headline (on your website) which shows that Iverson Mall was Washington's first shopping mall! Wow!

Chuck, keep up the great work in updating and managing your website.

Best Regartds,

-Warren-
Webmaster of http://warren76.com
and http://free-jdee.com .

Warren,

Thank you for the feedback. Your respone typifiies the exact reason I put my Marlow Heights 60s and 60s web site together in the first place. I want visitors to feel some connection from that Marlow Heights past, whether it was a reference to Grits, Iverson Mall, Red Barn, Sandymount Elementary, Marlow Heights Shopping Center, Olson Street, etc.

Thank you and enjoy the memories!

 

[cissp]

Yes, some of us take this Marlow Heights 60s and 70s trivia kind of serious, my friend. The "hood" isn't wasn't it was way back when, but the memories, we'll always have them.

 

[greyhound]

Wow! Great website. It made me start thinking...I remember Gino's restaurants (not sure if there was one in marlow heights) but they were all over. Owned by 3 of the Baltimore Colts. Only place in the area that sold Kentucky Fried Chicken. They also owned Rustler steak houses. Marriott bought out Gino's and turned them all into Roy Rogers rest. Oh my, I just remembered another one...Pappy Parkers restaurant. I even had a Pappy Parkers Doll. Not one of my friends remembers those.

 

[cissp]

Wow! Great website. It made me start thinking...I remember Gino's restaurants (not sure if there was one in marlow heights) but they were all over. Owned by 3 of the Baltimore Colts. Only place in the area that sold Kentucky Fried Chicken. They also owned Rustler steak houses. Marriott bought out Gino's and turned them all into Roy Rogers rest. Oh my, I just remembered another one...Pappy Parkers restaurant. I even had a Pappy Parkers Doll. Not one of my friends remembers those.

Thank you for the positive remarks, and your recollection is impressive. Actually, there was a Gino's not far from Marlow Heights, in Suitland, close to Kinney's Shoes. As for Pappy Parker's, I didn't know there was a restaurant itself with that name. I just remember the Jr. Hot Shoppes (which I worked at) sold Pappy Parker fried chicken. If you look at the "Sights" page of my site, there is a picture of a Jr. Hot Shoppes, with the Pappy Parker figure at the top of the sign. I had one of those Pappy Parker dolls too from Jr. Hot Shoppes.

 

[MargeInCharge]

Ginos and Kinney's shoes...wow, what memories! Mine are of Waldorf back in the day, though. I remember the Ginos in front of the Mammoth Mart and Dart Drug in Shopper's World, and the Kinney's shoes near the skating rink on Rt. 5. And who can forget "cruising" along the strip there in front of the Waldorf Twins movie theater?

We lived in Brandywine and I remember it was a big deal to go to Iverson Mall. We usually went for a Christmas shopping trip, or if my dad needed something from Mont. Wards. It wasn't very often, but woo hoo, we felt like we were going to the "big city" lol!

My husband did live in the Oxon Hill area in the late 60's and early 70's though, and his family lived in Dennis Grove Apts too!

Your site was a lot of fun to visit! I particularly enjoyed the "grit" section, what a blast from the past. I went to Gwynn Park and I do remember them there.

 

[cissp]

Ginos and Kinney's shoes...wow, what memories! Mine are of Waldorf back in the day, though. I remember the Ginos in front of the Mammoth Mart and Dart Drug in Shopper's World, and the Kinney's shoes near the skating rink on Rt. 5. And who can forget "cruising" along the strip there in front of the Waldorf Twins movie theater?

We lived in Brandywine and I remember it was a big deal to go to Iverson Mall. We usually went for a Christmas shopping trip, or if my dad needed something from Mont. Wards. It wasn't very often, but woo hoo, we felt like we were going to the "big city" lol!

My husband did live in the Oxon Hill area in the late 60's and early 70's though, and his family lived in Dennis Grove Apts too!

Your site was a lot of fun to visit! I particularly enjoyed the "grit" section, what a blast from the past. I went to Gwynn Park and I do remember them there.

Marge,

I didn't know much about Waldork when I was growing up in Marlow Heights, other than it being the place of the Wigwam, and other clubs where Country music stars played. As for Brandywine, I do remember that was where our dentist was. It was kind of isolated, but then, back at that time, even Clinton and Accokeek was considered very rural for the area.

I'd like to hear more about your husband living in the Dennis Grove apartments. My family and I lived there at the back of the apartments, and it was about the time that, "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "Batman", and, "Green Hornet", debuted. I do remember a take-out place across from Dennis Grove at that time, called, "Dave's Carry-Out". Later, we had the infamous, "Mademe Tillies" (and later, Madame Rose), both "palm reading" establishments that were reportedly actually houses of ill repute. I even remember us changing the jingle to Citizen's Bank of Maryland to something like, "Daytime, nighttime, Saturdays, too, we drop down our drawers. Madame Rose St. Barnabus, a bunch of old wh*res".

Glad you liked the "Grit" section of my site too. There were definitely a part of the Marlow Heights, and PG County and beyond, landscape from the mid 60s until...when? They were instantly identifiable in their "Macs", Chucks, Banlon shirts, multiple colored socks, slicked back hair, and Peters jackets. In my mind I think they eventually died out, but I'm wondering if there have been any new sightings?