I designed this website as a means for long term residents of Copperfield to reflect on the early days of their settling here. I am, myself, an original resident of Copperfield; Middlegate Village to be exact. My family moved into Copperfield in August of 1981, when the neighborhood was still under development. I was only two years old, but by 1983, my memory and orientation were very well developed, and I remember Copperfield's humble beginnings as a modern community.
In 1977, the Friendswood Development Co. obtained 2000 acres of land from the estate of Gus Wortham. The land ran primarily on the west side of Highway 6, between FM 529 and Huffmeister Road. It was intended to be a modern, upscale living community that could meet the needs of living in the 1980's. More than 25 years have passed since the first homes were built, and Copperfield has grown into a massive residential area, recognized citywide as one of the safest sides of town.
However, urban development has grown around the original shops and businesses along Highway 6 that once fueled the needs of Copperfield residents. Highway 6 itself has grown from a four lane farm highway into a six lane "sunset strip" of north Houston. No lots of land are left undeveloped, so it becomes harder to notice the old stores tucked behind modern stucco-panel storefronts.
And for those of you who have not lived in the Copperfield area long, this site can serve as a brief history lesson on an area of town that is certain, as decades pass, to become a historical community. I felt I should capture the images of the area, since images from the 1980's are virtually unavailable.
If you have any photos of Highway 6 businesses from the 80's or earlier, please E-mail me at mega_therion_7900@yahoo.com. I would love to post any pictures that give a good view of the area in it's early days. Enjoy the memories.
09/11/2007: COPPERFIELD MC DONALDS TORN DOWN AFTER 20 YEAR RUN
I guess this one didn't come as a surprise to me, because I have noticed all the McDonald's restaurants in the area being completely reconstructed, so I figured this one would be soon to follow. Located along Highway 6 near Sugar Ridge, I remember the grand opening of this particular McDonald's back in 1987. I had my Michael Jackson zipper-jacket on, and had my picture taken with Ronald McDonald. It has always been the local McDonald's ever since. In 1996 and 1997 when I worked for Bear Creek Car Wash, the restaurant was my mainstay of food during my lunch breaks in the summertime, because for some reason, that McDonald's always seemed to taste better than the one down by Loch Katrine. I drove by last night and saw the last remaining pile of debris at the front of the property, with two large excavators parked on what used to be the dining room. Forseeing this sad end to the place, I took some pictures inside the place in it's final month of operation, and I will be posting them soon on this website similar to the way I did the fallen clock tower, in a series of links.
09/05/2007:HIGHWAY 6 GETTING A LONG OVERDUE RE-PAVING JOB
I honestly can't remember the last time that Highway 6 (between 290 and Clay Road) was resurfaced, but my guess would be sometime in the 1980's during the original expansion, because as far as I can remember, certain bumps and tire-gouges have been permanently embedded in the cement at certain areas for years. As time passed, I hardly noticed how bad the surface of Highway 6 had become, pockmarked by all sorts of chips, dips, and potholes. In July, I began wondering what they (road crews) were doing to the outside edges of Highway 6. It seemed that they were ripping it up like cat's claws on flesh, but then they left the broken roadsides alone for a while as they began repaving in Bear Creek.
Copperfield did not see it's area begin re-paving until late August, but what a relief it was to have some nice new asphalt under my tires. I didn't realize how much road-noise was produced by the old surface of the highway. Once I drove on the new surface, it was a night and day difference. I was also able to see the road markings much more clearly, and no longer had to drive over the reflective "road titties" while changing lanes. I hope they do a good job finishing, because while the new road is pleasant to ride on, it's not so fun trying to turn off onto a smaller street, because they still have yet to smooth out the edges of the highway at intersections.
03/14/2007:SEA ARAMA AQUARIUM RUINS BULLDOZED AFTER 16 YEARS
I recently drove down to Galveston to enjoy a Sunday off, and stopped by the Sea Arama Aquarium ruins down on Seawall Blvd. near 89th street. I was sad to discover that the remains had finally been torn down so the property could be sold. I guess it was coming, but I can't believe they waited 16 years; just long enough for me to have seen it and photographed it. If you view the pics on my THEME PARKS page link, you can see them for yourself, if any of you remember having gone there. It opened in 1965, and closed in 1990,and was finally bulldozed in 2007. Another piece of history has been swallowed up by time.
11/20/06: LONG OVERDUE WEBSITE UPDATE
Well gang, I am very sorry for the lapse in site maintenance. I got very busy with other projects, and had a huge, long, drawn out problem with accouting. Apparently there was a term at the end of several renewal payments, and once the term is up, the premium services (which allow you unlimited links, pics, and pages) is cancelled, and you lose all the "bonus" material on your free site that you payed extra for. Only problem is, I thought it would be a permanent thing, auto renewing until I said otherwise. I gave up, sadly, on the site, which I spent hours and hours and gallons of gas, and rolls of film on.
Strangely, I found the site operating normally when I decided to sign on today, and I don't know how it came to be. So enjoy it while it's working, I dont know if it will last or not. Thanks for all the support and interest in my little junkpile of local history. I have lots of other pics I will try to upload on here soon, so check in every few months.
5/03/05: FORMER BURGER KING IN BEAR CREEK DEMOLISHED
The old Burger King at Highway 6 @ Loch Katrine (featured in my photo gallery II) was torn down in late April 2006 after sitting closed for several years. My family went to this Burger King often during the 80's, as the Copperfield Burger King had not yet been built. This demolition was a near certainty, given the age of the building. Later I was also shocked to find the nearby McDonald's was also being razed in favor of a newer building.
10/31/05: COVENTRY SQUARE CLOCK TOWER TOPPLES AFTER 21 YEARS STANDING
Copperfield's landmark Victorian style clock tower, which has stood in front of the Coventry Square apartments on Pebble Lake for 21 years or more, finally toppled during a windy storm that came in Halloween afternoon. The steeple, clock faces, and bullhorns were seriously damaged, and rescue workers had to cut off it's power and haul it off the roadway. Upon examining the four-story tower, the cause appeared to be weakened wood and rusty metal mounts. I have included several photos of the fallen tower before it was hauled off for good. 5/03/06: THE CLOCK TOWER WILL NOT BE REPLACED AFTER ALL.
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/towertop2.jpg
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/towertop3.jpg
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/towerbotm.jpg
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/towergutz.jpg
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/towerside.jpg
Click on any of the above links to get a full sized picture of the clock tower mess.
