No, not the end of the world, just the end of the Rice trolley. I found this while reading through Threshers from the 1929-30 school year in an effort to shed some light on the glass plate images I found last week. Now we know not only the year but also the exact date when the trolley stopped running: November 29, 1929. I find it fascinating that the Houston Electric Company apparently never thought to mention this to anyone at Rice before they did it. For some reason, this makes me think of Comcast.
This is roughly what the bus that showed up that morning would have looked like:
Bonus: I never noticed this lovely light fixture before.
What is Eagle Avenue?
Eagle St runs southeast off of South Main. West of Main it is named Colquitt, which borders the south side of the South Main Baptist Church campus. Apparently the trolley still ran that far, but the bus was required to get from there to the Rice campus.
A young Rice student named Spencer was sometime conductor of the trolley. He was Alicia Weekley’s (sorry I don’t remember her current last name) Dad. If I recall correctly, Alicia graduated Rice in 79.
What building is the bus pictured in front of? It looks familiar, but I fear its’ gone.
Sam Houston Hall, where the 1928 Democratic National Convention was held. Replaced in 1936 by the Coliseum and Music Hall.
http://houstorian.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/sam-houston-hall-1928-democratic-national-convention/
I must be thinking of something else. I’m not THAT old.