Pictures are our windows to the past. Some are unknown mysteries looking for answers. There are people in our lives who might have the answers. Sometimes it seems like we have lost the answers for good. Now a days with technology we can do some detective work and come up with what appears to be a reasonable answer.
In the collection of my Aunt Lahoma's pictures I came across 6 that got me to wondering about them, I can identify one person, my Uncle Ira Massengale husband of my Great Aunt Daisy. One has a date on the back of 1953. There are several of a sign that gave me a few more questions, so I decided to play detective to see what I could learn, I've read quite a bit about people who discover stories while searching for photos answers. I thought I would give it a try.
Here's a look at what I started with:
This picture shows a number of people working on the foundation for the new Berean Baptist Church in Oct. of 1953. I've enlarged it and I don't recognize anyone and the small sign isn't clear.
There are about 5 pictures that involve this next picture of the sign
in various stages of being put up
The man on the right of the sign is my Uncle Ira, I don't know
the identity of the other two.
The sign holds the clue that gave me the idea to see what I could learn.
It indicates that the old church is located at Oleander and Hatchway.
So I opened up Google Maps and searched for Oleander and Hatchway Southern California.
And look what popped up.
I took a street view and at this intersection there is
a vacant lot
This started the mind to wondering. I know that at
one point the Aunts and Uncles lived in Compton.
As I was going through the pictures and other items I have to scan
I come across things and it just so happened that around the same time I
came across the group of pictures about the sign I also came across this,
a birth announcement for Tom Underwood. When I first looked at it, I thought
that's sweet I will definitely have to scan it, then put it back in the file folder it was in.
Well, as I looked at the above map that little announcement jumped
into my mind and started yelling, I can help. Sure enough -- BINGO!!!
Now I have an address for them in Aug. of 1953.
So back to Google Maps I went and found that
they lived 2.3 miles from the intersection where the
old church was suppose to be at.
Now it's time to look at the "new" church location
and its location to Aprilia Ave. All I have is the
name of the church on the construction sign,
Berean Baptist Church. So I went to google maps
and entered that in for southern Calif. and 2 locations
showed up
I decided to take a closer look at the one
that is closer to Compton. I went to street
view, this church is on the corner of Main St. and
126th St. Greater Berean Baptist Church.
Now to go see the distance between here and
Aprilia Ave.
It's about 2.3 miles from the Aprilia Ave. house
I did 2 more google map searches
I looked at the distance between
the 2 Churches.
The 2 Churches are 3.2 miles apart.
And then one final look at google maps
just to see where the Aprilia Ave house
was in relation to the 2 Churches
Aprilia Ave is at the bottom.
There's just one more thing. I am pretty certain these are the correct
locations, in 68 years things change, but looking at locations on the
map the location is correct. The one thing I am not sure of is the
actual house. In Aunt Lahoma's White Album I shared with ya'al
one picture was labeled the house on Aprillia Compton Calif.
But when I do a street level view in google maps
this is the house.
All of the houses in street view look like
that one, none look like the one with
Aunt Lahoma is seen in. like I said I
know things change over time, but these
2 houses don't "feel" the same.
also in the white album are a few labeled
Corlett house but no real good look at the house,
except one picture looks like maybe a backyard with a wall of
the house and it's stucco and street view in google maps
the houses are stucco. On the same page labeled Corlett house is
what could be a front but and it is wood with 3 windows
going across and small flower bed underneath.
The other thing that could have happened to the
house on Aprilia between now and when Aunt Lahoma
lived in it, it might have been remodeled, in the street view
the front door is on the side and in Aunt Lahomas picture
it's in front with only one window at the front and a window at the side.
Someone in a remodel could have moved the front door to where the
side window is, however in Aunt Lahomas picture there is also a
gas meter under that window.
That brings this chapter of my being a photo detective to a close.
Would be nice to find a picture of the old church
but nothing comes up in a google search.
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