Charlie Agnew, Lawson General Hospital 1943

This fantastic photo of Charlie Agnew from 1943 was taken at Lawson General Hospital. Private Agnew reported to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia in August, 1943, but by September 1943 he was injured during basic training. The accident involved an obstacle course.

Private Charlie Agnew at Lawson General Hospital, 1943. Photo from collection of Valerie Biggerstaff.

He was then sent to Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee for the benefit of their sports program for injured men. As you can see in the photo, he is preparing to “boot a football.” (Acme Photos, New York City, 1943)

The photograph provides a closer view of Lawson buildings than in other photos or postcards that I have seen. I also wanted to find out more about Charlie Joseph Agnew, but found little information so far..

Here is what I know about Agnew. He was from Philadelphia, born December 8, 1924. In the 1940 census he lived with his parents in Philadelphia and when he completed his draft registration card, he listed his mother, Mary Agnew. His father was James A. Agnew..

He married Margaret Jane Tait and they had three children.

Agnew was discharged July 23, 1945 at Camp Pickett in Virginia and he lived another 57 years until 2002.

As the photo description indicated, football and other sports were important in the healing process at Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee, Georgia. Dr. P J. Moore worked there as a surgeon after Charles Agnew was there. In an interview with me, Dr. Moore described how patients were taught to use their prosthesis in daily life and how to return to their families and lives. Moore showed patients how they could play golf despite their injuries. Football and baseball were other sports for staff and patients of Lawson.

Lawson General Hospital became known as the hospital for neurosurgery and prosthetics.

Even though I didn’t learn as much as I wanted about Charlie Agnew, I still love this photograph!

Chamblee Plaza shopping center opens 1960

Chamblee Plaza at Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Peachtree Boulevard first opened November 16, 1960. According to a special Chamblee Plaza section in the Atlanta Constitution that same day, a celebration was scheduled beginning with music from the Chamblee High School band. Mayor Woodie Malone was present for the grand opening.

The new shopping plaza included a Woolworth’s, Colonial Groceries, W. T. Grant, Jacob’s Drug Store, Kroger, Bellman Jewelers, Elliot’s Barber Shop, Corn Cabin, Economy Auto, and Excelsior Laundry.

This 1960 advertisement from the North DeKalb Record was provided by Leah Carden Jennings.

In early 2022, several alumni of Chamblee High School shared their memories of Chamblee Plaza. Bob Berbenich recalls standing in line outside Jacob’s Drugstore one Saturday morning in the mid-1960s to get a smallpox vaccine. Jacob’s Drugstore had been in Atlanta for 81 years in 1960.

Brian Smith was allowed to walk to Woolworth’s at the age of seven, where he enjoyed delicious French fries. David McCarthy remembers the banana splits and that sometimes the store had balloons to pop for a special price of 25 cents on a banana split. In 1963, the Atlanta Crackers held an autograph session at Woolworth’s, recalls John Drake.

Some Chamblee alumni had their first jobs at Chamblee Plaza, including Sue Ragan Griffith who worked at Jacob’s Drugstore, Janfra Ross Alexander who worked at Plaza Sportswear and Kate Quinn whose first job was at Hancock Fabrics. Others worked at Chamblee Plaza grocery stores.

There are memories of favorite music, such as James Fisher Lavender who shares, “I remember how excited I was to run down there after classes to buy the first Beatles album!” Some recall Turtle’s Records at Chamblee Plaza in later years.

Clark Brown remembers Leland Ball Music, where he got his first electric guitar. Carol Coy’s dad was one of the owners and the General Manager of Firestone/Texaco which opened at Chamblee Plaza in 1967.

As the 1970s arrived, businesses in the plaza changed. Tom Plamann remembers Winn Dixie, Big Star, Revco Drugs, and Hallmark Gifts. Chamblee Library was in Chamblee Plaza for a while. Masonic Lodge has been located at the north end of the plaza since around 1983, however the Chamblee Masons date back to 1903. At the other end is Bank of America, which began as C & S Bank.

There was also a Department of Motor Vehicle office where some of the students got their first driver’s license. Some students drove without a parent to take their driver’s license test-a situation that seems to have been accepted at the time. Kent Bright says, “I don’t recall being asked about a parent.”

Chamblee Plaza has gone through many evolutions since 1960 and some difficult days of empty space, but it is going strong today. Stores at the shopping center include Publix, T J Maxx, HomeGoods, Crunch Fitness, Ace Hardware, and restaurants including Chick Fil A and Dunkin Donuts.

December 8, 1941 fire destroys Chamblee High School

People who grew up in the northern section of DeKalb County and are old enough to remember Pearl Harbor Day remember that Chamblee High School burned down the following day.  News of the fire spread quickly among families in Chamblee, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Doraville. 

Students from throughout north DeKalb County attended Chamblee High School, as it was the only high school in the area. 

J. W. (Dub) Brown, who would later become Mayor of Chamblee, was a student at the school that year.  Other students include George Pierce, Jr. Vivian Pierce, Manget Davis, Marion Chesnut, Charles Minors, and Malcolm Drake.  Graduation for the class of 1942 was at Oglethorpe University.  (Past Memories, Present Progress, Future Dreams, A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee, 1983, by Vivian Price Saffold)

According to an Atlanta Constitution article, Chamblee School Building Destroyed in $75,000 Fire, December 9, 1941, the fire took place on December 8th and started in the school laboratory.   The two-story brick school was located on what was then known as Dunwoody Road. 

M. E. Smith was principal of Chamblee High School during that time.  On the day of the fire, he was overcome by smoke when he returned to the building to try and retrieve textbooks and other valuables.  He was honored by the students and graduates in 1955 to recognize thirty years as a teacher and principal at Chamblee High School.

Firemen from nearby Lawson General Hospital, a military hospital adjacent to Naval Air Station Atlanta and on land that is now DeKalb Peachtree Airport, came to help put out the fire.  There were also firemen from U. S. Veterans Hospital #48, located further south on Peachtree Road, and the Druid Hills fire station.

The band director, Dr. D. C. Edwards, managed to get a grand piano and thousands of dollars of band instruments removed before fire destroyed them.  The band had performances scheduled around Christmas 1941 in McDonough, Norcross, and for the patients of nearby Lawson General Hospital.

The shop building and home economics building were spared in the fire because they were separate from the main building.  The main building had twenty-one classrooms.  After the school burned down, classes were held in other places around the community, such as Chamblee Baptist Church.

There were five hundred students enrolled at Chamblee when the fire of 1941 occurred.  Over one thousand people are reported to have come out to see the fire.  Some remember riding in the car to see the sight of their school burning.   Fortunately, the fire started about 6:00 p.m. and no one was in the building at the time.

Lawson General Hospital News, June 1943

“Lawson News”, a newsletter of Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee, Georgia, was published twice monthly according to the June 1943 issue.

The newsletter includes summaries of various activities and events at the hospital. Within the Medical Department Training Service, promotions are taking place. There are also detachments. Ribbons are awarded within the MDTS, such as good conduct ribbons awarded to First Sergeants, C. K. Cheek, R. L. Smith, W.L. Sligh and C. L. Bradley. The red and white ribbons were pinned on the men’s chest by Col. J. B. Stapleton, Assistant Commandant.

Two men from MDTS were naturalized as American citizens before the Atlanta Federal Court presiding judge. The judge “reaffirmed the importance of citizenship.” He also expressed “the gratitude of this country to the many foreign subjects who so willingly enlisted in the ranks to fight for democracy.”

The Occupational Therapy students had a brand new building with a well lighted workshop and offices. Patients had access to the Victory Garden for their use.

A new course in Orthopedic Medicine had recently begun. Three men from Camp Pickett, Virginia were sent to Lawson and once their training was complete they would be assigned as Orthopedic Mechanics wherever they were needed. The men were Corporals Jerome Chaback, Robert G. Grevitsan and George W. Hermann.

The MDTS Fife and Drum Corps was the marching band of Lawson General Hospital. The band included 21 bugles, 8 fifes, 10 drums, 2 pairs of cymbals and one bugle bell. There were accomplished trumpet players among them. “Mix them up and you have a combination that would make Harry James stop and listen.”

Medical personnel and trainees at Lawson General Hospital formed their own MDTS Fife and Drum Corps marching band.

The newsletter reports that the Earl “Father” Hines show came to Lawson to perform their jive and boogie show in the Red Cross Auditorium.

Pfc. Chester Padovese and Col. Joe Katynsky met in the boxing ring for a match that was called a draw.

Several movies are announced in the newsletter, including “Ox Bow Incident” starring Henry Fonda and Mary B. Hughes; “Iceland” starring Sonje Henie, John Payne and Jack Oakie; “Mission to Moscow” starring Walter Huston and Ann Harding; “China” starring Loretta Young and Alan Ladd; “Somewhere I’ll Find You” starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner; plus “Bataan”, starring Robert Taylor.

Baseball and softball events are also included in the Lawson News, along with encouragement to “Support your team, free transportation to all games.”

Embry Hills neighborhood and shopping early days

The September 11, 1969 Homes section of the Atlanta Journal newspaper featured an article about the second phase of the Embry Hills subdivision. The neighborhood is described as one mile east of the Expressway (I-85) and just south of the new perimeter highway at Chamblee-Tucker Road. The I-285 Perimeter was not completed until 1969.  

The neighborhood got its name from the owner-developer, Jack Embry of Embry Realty Company. He was both realtor and home builder. Embry later served as President of the DeKalb Real Estate Board and President of the DeKalb Developer’s Association. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Embry National Bank. (Atlanta Constitution, March 31, 2003)

70 homes in the first phase were already sold and occupied by 1960. The first phase included a range of architectural design including contemporary and traditional. The second phase offered 56 lots. Embry announced there would be a total of 233 homes when the subdivision was complete.

Prices in phase two ranged from $25,000 to $37,500 and lots averaged 100 by 200 feet.

One model home is described as a ranch-style brick home with three bedrooms. Another home is a four-bedroom tri-level brick home.

The neighborhood adjoined the site of Atlanta Baptist College, today’s Mercer University of Atlanta. Since the land that became Mercer was originally owned by the Warren family, it seems like Embry Hills probably was as well.

The 14-acre site right next door to the neighborhood was purchased by the DeKalb County Board of Education from the Warren family for a new elementary school. That became Warren Elementary School..

The Embry Hills Club is mentioned in the 1960 article, where a swimming pool was built on 10 acres for resident member of Embry Hills. The first Girl Scout Brownie troop I was in used to meet at the Embry Hills Club in the mid-1960s.

The developer, Embry, also zoned 22 acres at the highway along Chamblee Tucker Road for a shopping center. The Embry Hills shopping center has evolved many times through the years.

I can’t remember much about the early years of Embry Hills, but there was a dance studio and a fitness center. A little research online told me that the fitness center was My Fair Lady “Beauty retreat and figure salon” in 1971 with two other locations at Cheshire Bridge and Sandy Springs.

Everything about this ad for My Fair Lady screams 1970s. It appeared in a 1971 Atlanta Journal.

Alan Wilson remembers working at the Embry Hills Winn Dixie in 1972 when the Doraville refinery fire occurred. He could see flames and smoke from that vantage point.

Other memories for me include Huddle House and S & S Cafeteria and a dance studio. I believe it was called Barbara Bramble Dance Studio, but that is one of those memories that is a bit vague even though I took classes there!

Lawson General Hospital Dental training, Co. G, MDTS

Glenn H. Curtis

I’m pleased to share the history of Glenn H. Curtis, who spent time training in the MDTS (Medical Department Technicians School) at Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee, Georgia during World War II. Curtis received dental training at Lawson between December 1942 to February 1943.

MDTS began at Lawson General in 1942 and continued into 1945. MDTS started out with 50 people being trained as laboratory technicians, 50 in dental training, 125 in medical training, 125 in surgical training, 50 in x-ray training. The full name of the training program was Medical Department Enlisted Technicians School. In 1943, the numbers had increased in each area, including 106 dental trainees. The website of AMEDD includes history of the Army Medical Department and includes data of the various Medical Department Technician Schools across the US during WWII.

In addition to treating patients at Lawson General Hospital, men (and women with the Red Cross) were being trained to provide medical and dental care to injured soldiers. Lawson reported their students trained through “lectures, demonstration, and by actually performing over and over again the various procedures. Performance of the procedures, under close supervision, is the most important part of their training.”

Glenn Curtis’ son Gary Curtis shared memories and history he has gathered about his father’s WWII service. Glenn was born Jan. 28,1920. His WWII registration card shows he was 21 years old, working as a driver for Hanna Market in Rochester, New York.

As far as his time at Lawson General Hospital in Georgia, he didn’t share much about his service. He did talk a little about Georgia Tech and could sing the school fight song. He said he enjoyed his time in school in Georgia and at Jefferson Barracks, MO, where he was sent next.

The dental training he received would eventually be used to identify victims in aircraft training crashes in the U.S. I can only imagine that this would be difficult and stressful work, with a lot of sadness and emotions.

Dental section, Day class, MDTS Lawson General Hospital February 1943

Loren Brown, a childhood friend of Glenn Curtis from Rochester, New York was also in the MDTS program at Lawson. Brown’s fiance Lois Howell and Curtis’ girlfriend and later wife, Mildred, and Curtis’ sister Joyce Curtis visited the two men in Chamblee. They stayed in a cottage at the nearby W. O. Pierce Dairy. Visitors to patients and staff of Lawson General Hospital and trainees of MDTS usually stayed in nearby homes. There were no hotels in Chamblee at the time.

Lois Howell facing camera and Mildred Curtis facing the cottage at Pierce Dairy Farm, where they stayed on a visit to Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee during WWII.

Loren Brown stands in front of the W. O Pierce Dairy Farm in Chamblee. Brown and his friend from Rochester Glenn Curtis were in the medical training program at Lawson General Hospital.

Glenn Curtis and Mildred became engaged during her visit and they went to a jeweler on Peachtree Street in Atlanta for a ring.

While at Jefferson Barracks, MO, Glenn Curtis was injured playing baseball. Baseball teams were popular at bases across the country. Curtis is documented as being at O’Reilly Hospital during the last part of 1943 and his son believes this may have been a result of the injury.

Glenn Curtis and his brother Robert registered on the same day in Rochester, New York in January 1942. Robert Curtis served with the Army in France. Glenn would like to have served overseas, but either due to his injury or the timing of his training, he remained in the U.S. Every person who served either in the states or overseas was crucial to the cause.

After the war, Curtis opened an Amoco gasoline station near his home in Rochester. He later worked for the post office, retiring after 17 years. He also operated an antique store with his wife.

Below is the timeline of Glenn Curtis’ service:

Army Air Forces Technical Training Command St. Petersburg, Florida, Nov. through Dec. 1942

Lawson General Hospital, Chamblee, GA, Co. G, MDTS, dental, Dec. 42 to Feb. 1943

Army Air Forces Station Hospital Chicago, IL, March to June 1943

25th Training Group Squad C, Jefferson Barracks, MO, July to Oct. 1943

O’Reilly Hospital, Springfield, MO, end of 1943

Return to 25th Training Group, Jefferson Barracks

18th Replacement Wing, Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 1944

Walker Army Air Force base in Victoria Kansas, where his wife may have joined him until he moved on.

Worked at Pressed Steel Car Company, McKees Rocks, PA, a rail car manufacturing company that produced tanks during WW2.

3706 Army Air Forces Squad H. Sheppard Field TX, July 1945 to Sept. 1945

1060 Army Air Forces Squad E Sept thru Jan or Feb 1946

Thank you to Gary Curtis, who reached out and shared this history and amazing photos of his Dad and his time at Lawson General Hospital.

Antioch School, first Chamblee school 1905

A one-room school was built in Chamblee in 1905. Prior to that, some families sent their children to school in Roswell. Ida Wallace of Chamblee rode the Roswell Railroad from Chamblee to Roswell each week to attend school. She stayed in Roswell until the end of each week, then returned to her family in Chamblee. (“A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)

The location of Antioch School is now 5295 New Peachtree Road. The school site was next to the First Baptist Church of Chamblee Cemetery and for many years was the location of Interactive College of Technology. Today 5295 New Peachtree Road is home to the International Pentecostal Church of God.

When the Camp Gordon World War I encampment was built in Chamblee, it took over a large portion of the town, including Antioch School. A new school was planned for Chamblee and the two-story brick school was completed and opened in 1919.

The new Chamblee School housed both the grammar school and high school. The Atlanta Constitution proclaimed the school to be one of the finest schools in the state, calling it “beautiful and modern in every respect and contains every feature of the up-to-date school house.” The final cost of the new school was $30,000.

The old Antioch School was moved to the new property and was used for the Home Economics program.

This may not seem like a great deal of historical information about Antioch School. I agree! I’ll continue to be on the lookout for more history and this blog post will be updated when and if I locate more history.

During the time that World War I Camp Gordon took over Chamblee, the school was part of the camp’s property. After the war, it was moved to the new site for the school, which is the same location as Chamblee High School today. The old Antioch School building was used as the Home Economics building. This 1940 photo also shows the cannery on the right and students forming the letters CHS in front of the school. (Photo from “A History of the Community and the City of Chamblee,”1983 by Vivian Price)

This 1938 yearbook page shows students standing in front of the Home Economics building, the former Antioch School.

Chamblee High School photo 1928

This week, I’m sharing a 1928 photo of Chamblee High School graduates. Kathryne Carpenter is in the center of the back row and the photo was shared with me by the Anderson family, descendants of the Carpenters. The Carpenter family lived in Dunwoody, but Chamblee was the only high school in north DeKalb County at the time. Students living in Dunwoody, Doraville, Brookhaven and Chamblee attended Chamblee High School.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I’ll return with a new history post next week.

If you have a relative in this photo send me a message!

Icehouses in Chamblee and Doraville

New posts every Monday.

This post was updated on December 18, 2023 with additional information about Goree Ice Company.

5441 Peachtree Road in Chamblee was once the local icehouse. Today, it is home to the Chamblee location of AR Workshop, the DIY business begun by Maureen Anders and Adria Ruff.

Chamblee’s historic icehouse is now home to AR Workshop. Next door is the Frosty Caboose ice cream store and behind the former icehouse is the railroad and MARTA.

I haven’t found much history in my research of Chamblee’s icehouse. I’m sure having an icehouse nearby was helpful to the many dairies in the area. Chamblee had 33 dairies in 1939, plus there were dairies in nearby Doraville, Dunwoody and Brookhaven.

The Pierce Certified Dairy, W. O. Pierce Dairy, and P. E. Pierce Dairy were located on both sides of North Peachtree Road, between North Shallowford Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Irvindale (previously P. E. Hyde Dairy) and Chatham Dairies were located across from the railroad tracks.  A dairy on Hardee Avenue served WWI Camp Gordon and was known as Camp Gordon Dairy. 

The Wright Dairy was located along Briarwood Road near Buford Highway and N. Druid Hills. Ice was delivered every day to the dairy, likely from the Chamblee icehouse.

This photo of the icehouse appears in “Chamblee, GA-A Centennial Portrait, 1908-2008” and indicates the icehouse is still standing in 2008. However, the photo itself is not dated.

The Goree Ice Company of Doraville opened on Buford Highway in 1946. In 1967, in addition to an ice store, Goree’s was a convenience store, gas station, and bait and fishing supply store known as Angler’s Corner. The ice plant sold block ice to restaurants and hotels for ice carvings. The plant was nonautomated and produced 17 tons of ice every two days.(“Images of America: Doraville” by Bob Kelley)

An article was written in the July 26, 1983 Atlanta Constitution about Goree’s titled“The coolest guys are on the block.”. In 1983, the business supplied ice to Allied Concrete to cool its mortar, but it also did a good business selling crushed and snow ice to afternoon picnickers. It was the only block ice business in metro Atlanta in 1983.

If you have memories of the Chamblee Icehouse or of Goree Ice Company, write to me at pasttensega@gmail.com so I can share these memories in a later blog post.