@Chuck: I am in New York, so I can see are the current and historical aerial imagery, and then match up the surrounding features such as roads, buildings, rivers, and lakes.
Historic aerial photos are a great way to document the precise location of any drive-in, along with topo maps. Especially for those drive-ins which were closed early in the 1950s or 1960s, that not many people even remember existed. It also does away with a lot of debate over exactly where the drive-in actually stood, in cases where people disagree.
I am working on a project to placemark and document every known drive-in location in the United States, using Google Earth. Open drive-ins are represented by green placemarrks, red for closed, cyan for drive-ins which were known to exist, but their location is undocumented, and yellow for documented locations which are unnamed.
I have some people helping me out by doing placemarking for states in the midwest and northwest. I have already completed New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Nebraska, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and am about 60% of the way through Texas.
Geez, there are a lot of drive-ins in Texas, didn’t those people have anything better to do than go to the drive-ins?
When the project is completed, you will be able to use Google Earth to see the precise location of every known drive-in in the country, along with supporting documentation which is embedded in each individual placemark.
Anyone who would like to volunteer to placemark a state or two may contact me at The regions that have not been placemarked yet are New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. I hope to have all 50 states completed by the end of March, just in time for drive-in season!
This drive-in was located on Hwy 317 (which is also S. Main St.) just south of McGregor. As you are driving south, the drive-in was on the left side of Hwy 317, about ¼ mile past County Road 445.
Here is an aerial photo from 1964, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
The location of the drive-in is on north side of US 84 (which is also I-20)about one mile west of Merkel. Heading on I-20 Frontage Road, it is on the right just past County Road 379.
Here is an aerial photo from 1954, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
Historic aerial photos from Earth Explorer and USGS indicate there were two drive-ins along Mertzon Hwy (which is now called Sherwood Way) south of San Angelo, that were less than a mile away from each other on opposite sides of the road.
A single screen drive-in shown below in a 1954 aerial photo is on the west side of the road, a little to the south of Arden Rd:
@Chuck: I am in New York, so I can see are the current and historical aerial imagery, and then match up the surrounding features such as roads, buildings, rivers, and lakes.
Historic aerial photos are a great way to document the precise location of any drive-in, along with topo maps. Especially for those drive-ins which were closed early in the 1950s or 1960s, that not many people even remember existed. It also does away with a lot of debate over exactly where the drive-in actually stood, in cases where people disagree.
I am working on a project to placemark and document every known drive-in location in the United States, using Google Earth. Open drive-ins are represented by green placemarrks, red for closed, cyan for drive-ins which were known to exist, but their location is undocumented, and yellow for documented locations which are unnamed.
I have some people helping me out by doing placemarking for states in the midwest and northwest. I have already completed New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Nebraska, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and am about 60% of the way through Texas.
Geez, there are a lot of drive-ins in Texas, didn’t those people have anything better to do than go to the drive-ins?
When the project is completed, you will be able to use Google Earth to see the precise location of every known drive-in in the country, along with supporting documentation which is embedded in each individual placemark.
Anyone who would like to volunteer to placemark a state or two may contact me at The regions that have not been placemarked yet are New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. I hope to have all 50 states completed by the end of March, just in time for drive-in season!
Rick
www.newyorkdriveins.com
It should read “N. COUNTY Road W.” Not “Country.”
Country = bad mapping.
Someone needs to update the prescription on there glasses…lol :)
1901 E Gallagher Dr, Sherman, TX 75090
The above address maps to near the entrance of the drive-in, which is visible on Google Earth using 2008 or earlier imagery.
Here is a 1974 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94UpGP
2202 E Gallagher Dr, Sherman, TX 75090
The drive-in maps perfectly to the above address.
Here is a 1955 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94Xszm
E 8th St & I- 20 Bus Loop W, Odessa, TX 79761
The above address will map to the location of the drive-in.
Below is a 1963 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94Tynm
Ranch to Market 2020 & N County Rd W, Odessa, TX 79764
The above address will map to the proper location of the drive-in.
Below is a 1963 aerial photo for this drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94Qgtr
I found a drive-in located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Hwy 75 and Graham Road, and is south of town.
I was unable to locate any drive-ins near Huntsville on Hwy 190.
Here is a 1960 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94P4H4
Looking at the aerial photo below, this drive-in was located directly across the road from the Twin Drive-in.
http://flic.kr/p/94KHcV
4116 Canyon Dr, Amarillo, TX 79109
This address will map to the location of the drive-in.
4215 Canyon Dr, Amarillo, TX 79110
This address will map to the location of the drive-in. The drive-in is visible using Google Earth up until 2002.
7720 E Amarillo Blvd, Amarillo, TX 79121
This address will map to the location of the drive-in. The drive-in is visible using Google Earth.
5728 SW 11th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79106
This address will map to the location of the drive-in. The drive-in is visible using Google Earth up to 2002.
Address should be: 5966 Interstate Dr E, Amarillo, TX 79118
Here is a link to a MapQuest image for this drive-in, ramps are still visible:
http://mapq.st/dDYNoU
This drive-in was located on the west side of Hwy 71 about 1 mile south of I-10.
Here is a 1957 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94JLUF
8014 Broadway St, Galveston, TX 77554
That address will map to the drive-in.
Here is a 1974 aerial photo of the drive-in courtesy of Google Earth:
http://flic.kr/p/94JbeB
Could this have been the same as the Dixie Drive-In, to the west of Olden on FM 3383? Olden seems like too small of a town to have had two drive-ins.
/theaters/28744/
The Crescent Drive-in was located at 4275 S Treadaway Blvd, Abilene, TX 79602.
This address will map to the exact location of the drive-in. S. Treadwell Blvd was formerly Hwy 83, before the bypass was built.
Here is an aerial photo from 1954, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94GyU4
Texas 581 Spur & Tilden Rd, Pearsall, TX 78061 will map to this drive-in.
The drive-in is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of 581 and Tilden Rd.
120 Tilden Road will not map to any specific address on Google Earth.
This drive-in is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of E. Broadway St. and State Loop 549.
It appears to be fully intact with screen, ticket office, and concession stand building as seen on Google Earth with 2008 imagery.
Of course, looks can be deceiving from 30,000 feet.
This drive-in was located on Hwy 317 (which is also S. Main St.) just south of McGregor. As you are driving south, the drive-in was on the left side of Hwy 317, about ¼ mile past County Road 445.
Here is an aerial photo from 1964, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
http://flic.kr/p/94E3dk
The location of the drive-in is on north side of US 84 (which is also I-20)about one mile west of Merkel. Heading on I-20 Frontage Road, it is on the right just past County Road 379.
Here is an aerial photo from 1954, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/94E5tP
The status of this “drive-in” should be closed. The screens came down sometime in 2009.
U.S. 175 Frontage Rd & Silverado Dr, Dallas, TX 75253
This address will map to the site of the drive. 11950 Second Avenue does not take you anywhere close to the drive-in.
Historic aerial photos from Earth Explorer and USGS indicate there were two drive-ins along Mertzon Hwy (which is now called Sherwood Way) south of San Angelo, that were less than a mile away from each other on opposite sides of the road.
A single screen drive-in shown below in a 1954 aerial photo is on the west side of the road, a little to the south of Arden Rd:
http://flic.kr/p/94rG1c
The second drive-in further south was not visible at the time of the above aerial photo, but is visible as a twin in the 1972 aerial shown below:
http://flic.kr/p/94rG2e
The single screen drive-in near Arden Road I believe was the Jet, and the newer one just to the south of Southwest Blvd was known as the Angelo Twin.
I am in the process of confirming the above information with people who are local to San Angelo.
Both Google Earth and MapQuest put the address at 1374 Wasson Rd, and not the 2700 block.
Earth Explorer has crystal clear aerial photos for 1965, showing the drive-in at the 1300 block, and nothing but empty land on the 2700 block.