Lankford family memories from Christmas past

Daddy and my brother Michael

 

Sister Vanessa and Michael

Daddy and Vanessa

Sister Bonita

Bonita, my Granny Daisy, and Michael

Uncle Clark and Aunt Alice Lankford

Sister Jennifer

Cousin Kathy

Vanessa

Me (I hated having my picture taken so
often hid my face. I regret that now!)

Murphy family memories from Christmas past

My husband Charlie (early 1960s in Monongah, West Virginia)

Tykie and Charlie (early 1960s in Monongah, West Virginia)

My sister-in-law Colleen and Charlie 

(early 1960s in Monongah, West Virginia)

My brother-in-law Pat and mother-in-law Mary Athya Murphy 

(late 1960s in Manassas, Virginia)

Manassas Christmas parade (ca. 1973)

Charlie is the second from the left

Stonewall Jackson High School Marching Band

Manassas Christmas parade  (ca. 1973)

Santa Claus

Manassas Christmas parade  (ca. 1973)

Petite and Charlie's grandma Bertha Smith Athya

(late 1960s in Manassas, Virginia)

Charlie (ca. 1960 in Monongah, West Virginia)

Mary Athya Murphy and Tykie

(ca. 1960 in Monongah, West Virginia)

Cole Brothers Circus

It’s time to share a few more photos from my husband’s uncle Ralph Murphy’s slide collection. The slides were given to Charlie by his aunt Jean Murphy in 2012 and consist of 21 boxes of slides (thousands) taken by Uncle Ralph, spanning the years 1947 to 1984. Many are scenic shots from their travels across the United States, some are family members, and others friends and co-workers. I converted the majority of the slides to digital several years ago and have been enjoying them ever since.

I imagine most people reading this have been to a circus at least once in their lifetime. I remember going to the Old Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta as a child to see the Yaarab Shrine Circus. The venue was a large building so no tents like the photos in this collection, but still had the same type of acts—clowns, horses, elephants, and tigers.

These photos are the Cole Brothers Circus that came through West Virginia, probably Clarksburg or some city near there. I estimate they were taken in the late 1940s, early 1950s.

In the next photo, you can see signs for some of the sideshows: an armless marvel, Lady Patricia (sword swallower), Major Mite (little man), Joe Lee (clown), and Judy Allen (lion tamer). 

If you’d like to see more photos from Uncle Ralph’s collection, click on the links below.

Hidden West Virginia racetrack photos
A boy and his bicycle
The beauty of nature
Ruth Miller
Share your photos and make a difference
Water sports at Tygart Lake
Nutter Fort, West Virginia Soap Box Derby
Warner’s Skyline Drive-In Theater
Palace Furniture Company and Pepsi-Cola—a colorful combination
Vintage Christmas photos
52 Ancestors – no. 40: Anna B. Church – (week 24) (Anna (Church) and Everett Evans photos only)

Hidden West Virginia racetrack photos

My husband and I have been watching Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s new show on Peacock, Lost Speedways. It’s a pretty good show that Earnhardt hosts himself, telling stories of abandoned speedways. They’ve done their research and obviously have personal knowledge of and access to the people who raced on these tracks so it’s pretty interesting. As I watched the first four episodes, I was reminded of photos that are part of my husband’s uncle Ralph Murphy’s slide collection given to my husband by his Aunt Jean Murphy in 2012. The collection consists of 21 boxes of slides (thousands) taken by Uncle Ralph, spanning the years 1947 to 1984. Many are scenic shots from their travels across the United States, some are family members, and others friends and co-workers. I converted the majority of the slides to digital several years ago and have been enjoying them ever since.

The photos you see below appear to be from two different racetracks—one a dirt track and the other a circle eight. I don’t know where these tracks were located but assume somewhere in West Virginia. As far what city in West Virginia is concerned, several possibilities come to mind. Uncle Ralph lived in Nutter Fort in the 1950s. From a little internet research, there appears to have been tracks in Nutter Fort, Grafton, Shinnston, and Clarksburg, including one at the Clarksburg Airport. These are all cities I know Uncle Ralph would have frequented in work and play so any of them are possible. If you look closely, you’ll even see small parked airplanes in the circle eight track photos.

The dirt track

The circle eight

What stories and history could be told about these racetracks? Do they still exist or are they abandoned now? Who were the people who raced there or cheered the racers on? I don’t know and probably never will, but maybe someone will stumble on this post and recognize these tracks. It would be fun to learn more about them.

If you’d like to see more photos from Uncle Ralph’s collection, click on the links below.

A boy and his bicycle
The beauty of nature
Ruth Miller
Share your photos and make a difference
Water sports at Tygart Lake
Nutter Fort, West Virginia Soap Box Derby
Warner’s Skyline Drive-In Theater
Palace Furniture Company and Pepsi-Cola—a colorful combination
Vintage Christmas photos
52 Ancestors – no. 40: Anna B. Church – (week 24) (Anna (Church) and Everett Evans photos only)