I found this in the scrapbook of Adele Waggaman, the young woman in the light colored bathing costume at second from left. These fun-loving rascals were members of the Rice Institute YWCA on an outing to Sylvan Beach in LaPorte, late spring of 1914 and they were well and truly covered up:
This is by way of telling you that I’m taking a few days off for the holiday. I’ll be back Monday. Or Tuesday. Hard to say, really.
Bonus:
I detect a scandalous lack of footwear. Rice girls were rebels even in 1914.
I live in the Sylvan Beach subdivision of La Porte. We have a nice little museum near the beach. Come take a look sometime.
I will! Sylvan Beach was quite a big deal but I didn’t know there was a museum.
Its not very big, but you will enjoy it. The Old Pavilion was part of the dance circuit before WWII. Jimmy Dorsey, and all the greats would make a circuit: Rice Hotel Ballroom, Balinese Room on Galveston Ise, and Sylvan Beach Pavilion. If you drive from there to Barbour’s Cut you will see a few names you know on the markers, and even a scaled down model of the White House (from the back)
This month’s issue of Houstonia has a great picture of Sylvan Beach Park. Every one of the hundreds of men wore a full suit, tie, and top hat. To the beach! This issue of the Houstonia is filled with old pictures from the past 100 years in Houston The picture on the cover shows the Sam Houston monument and the current Hotel Zaza looking exactly the same as today except that a brand new 1928 Bentley and a much less modest swim suit model is in front.
I’ll have to look for that
You will give us a report on that ’28 Bentley, won’t you?