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E of Georgetown
39 Miles NE of Austin
Photos and Notes courtesy Walt Downing, San Antonio, TX |
"A 1973
photo of the Sandoval Store. You can see the Zion Luthern Church in
the background." |
"Here I
am with my grandmother, Julia Albina David Ovesny, on the front porch
of the Sandoval Store in 1952. I am just over 1 year old.
In the background you can see the old blacksmith shop with the Gulf
Oil sign in front." |
"My grandparents
relied on a rain water that was collected in a cistern for their daily
needs. For many years they had to manually pump the water from the
cistern and carry it in buckets to the kitchen. In the 1960's, they
installed an electric pump and indoor plumbing, but no hot water heater.
Water was heated on the stove.
Here I am in this 1953 photo with my grandfather, Frank Joseph Ovesny,
pumping water from the cistern. You can see the remains of the old
blacksmith shop in the background." |
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"This 1959
photo is of the side entrance to the Sandoval Store and also shows
the ice house where my grandfather used to keep large blocks of ice
to cool the beer and sodas in ice chests until the 1960's when he
installed refrigerated coolers. My grandfather was particularly proud
of his reputation as serving the coldest beer in the area. I remember
that the sodas often formed fine slivers of ice that made them taste
especially refreshing on a hot day.
The kids in the photo are my younger brother (David Ray Downing) and
cousin (Pamela Ovesny Lamson-Scribner)." |
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"Sandoval
Store was still in operation by the family that purchased it from
my grandparent's estate in the mid-1980's. As far as I know it is
still in operation. The current owner added a pool room that is visible
on the right side of the original structure.
The people in the foreground of the picture are my daughter (Amanda
Downing Tyler) and my mother (AnnaLee Ovesny Downing). My mother was
the oldest child of Frank and Julia Ovesny. They also had two sons,
Frankie Joseph Ovesny (1925-1994) and Johnny Daniel Ovesny (1929 -
1929, died in infancy)."
- Walt Downing, September 3, 2005 |
Anyone
wishing to share history or photos of Sandoval, Texas, please contact
us. |
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