I believe I’ve found the Corral Drive-In, but I cannot be 100% sure.
It sat west of town on the south side of US-180 at approximately 3005 W Walker Street, Breckenridge, TX. The entrance is now a parking lot that sits between the Regency Inn and Ernie’s Spanish Kitchen.
The drive-in appears in a 1954 aerial photo, but by 1960 it had been demolished. The area appears to have been landscaped with a small business that sat on the SE corner of where the drive-in once stood, but that has now been demolished.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining. If someone can confirm the Corral Drive-in closing before 1960, then this is probably it.
I could not get an exact address on Google Maps. So, the closest location I could get was US-180 and O'Neal Drive, Breckenridge, TX.
The drive-in sat about ¼ mile east of the intersection on the north side of US-180. The drive-in appears brand new in a 1954 aerial (as you might expect) and still intact in a 1983 aerial. By 1995, it had been demolished.
Today, you can still see the ramps and foundations for the screen. There is a structure that resembles a ticket booth, but it’s not in the right place so I cannot say for certain that it is the ticket booth.
A closer address is 2014 US-83 Business, Mission, TX.
This puts it right where the old entrance road used to be. The drive-in was still intact in 1995, although it does appear to be closed. By 2002, it had been replaced mostly by a residential neighborhood. While several businesses occupy the area around the entrance.
A closer address is 309 Fort Crook Rd S, Bellevue, NE.
A 1952 aerial shows what appears to be a racing track. A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in. By 1969, a trailer park occupies the area around the entrance to the drive-in with the concession stand/projection booth intact, so this fits the description provided in the header.
Today, the Gateway Park Apartments occupy the area around the entrance with Beyond Dispensing Pharmacy sitting on what was the drive-in. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
For a drive-in that was supposedly destroyed in 1957, it looks pretty intact and well-maintained in a 1981 aerial photo. This does not mean that the drive-in remained open after 1957, but the screen does appear intact along with the projection booth/concession stand.
A 480 car capacity seems pretty excessive given the size of the drive-in. More like 250 cars at most.
If the drive-in was located adjacent to the golf course, then it was completely demolished with no trace by 1985.
Sitting just to the west of the golf course is what appears to be a quarter-horse racing track or something similar. That area is large enough to hold 75 vehicles, so that is a possible location. It may also explain why no trace of the drive-in remains.
The Plaza 3 was clipped by a tornado on December 5th, 1975. It was an unusual tornado not only because it happened during the winter, but also because the sky behind it cleared. So, as the tornado was tearing up the neighborhood just to the north of the Plaza 3, the sun was shining on it.
I agree with Michael Kilgore that the address he mentions seems like the only candidate to hold a drive-in anywhere near the town.
The 1951 and 1963 topo maps indicate that at least part of that land had buildings on it. Perhaps the same buildings that are on the south side of the maintenance area today.
There are also three buildings indicated on the north side and a trail that cuts across the river (a ford) which can be seen in the 1968 photo. That reduces the area to hold a drive-in considerably.
Now, consider a 500 car capacity drive-in for a town and surrounding communities within a 20 mile radius that doesn’t add up to 5,000 residents today? That seems incredibly excessive.
Plus, the entire maintenance area doesn’t appear to be able to hold more than 200 cars at best, even if you remove the buildings.
Something is off. If this location did have a drive-in, it would have to be 200 car capacity or less given how little land seems available. And, I’m not sure what other location exists anywhere near the town that could hold more.
A closer address is 681 Rockingham Road, Bellows Falls, VT.
The entrance of the drive-in is where the Northstar Self-Storage is located. A smaller business sits where the screen was located. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Today, the property is owned by Cooperative Propane. The area itself is mostly empty with a few large and many small propane tanks on the lot.
The land itself appears to have been plowed or resurfaced sometime between 1967 and 1981, so the ramps are gone. The drive-in does retain its basic shape and there are remnants of the entrance and exit roads. Also, the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand is still present in the overhead view of Google Maps.
Overgrown with trees is right. The only remnant visible is what’s left of the entrance road and an old, rather sad mailbox that probably hasn’t been used in a long, long time.
If the topo maps are accurate, the drive-in was located about 2 miles SW of the town at 802 GA-26, Cochran, GA.
The area in which the drive-in was located is overgrown with trees and has been that way since at least 1981. From the 1981 aerial, I can see the vague shape of the drive-in and entrance/exit roads.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Route 512 at Bath Boro line puts it across the street from the storage center. The address from Google Maps is (as close as I can get it) 34l N Walnut Street, Bath, PA.
A 1955 aerial shows the general shape of a drive-in, but no ramps and it’s difficult to see any real features. It has what might be a projection booth, but I cannot see any screen.
Today, the land is private property with a house on the SW corner. The rest of the property is overgrown with trees.
If this was a drive-in, it appears to have been abandoned by 1955 or perhaps it was a portable drive-in which might explain the lack of features.
Muviebuf, you say it’s on the right side Route 512 a quarter-mile north of Bath Pike?
That would put it near Barrall Street.
I’ve looked at aerials from 1955, 1962, and 1972 and have not seen anything that looks remotely like a drive-in. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the drive-in didn’t exist. I’m just not seeing it.
A 1955 aerial photo does not reveal any evidence of a drive-in around the Bath area. It would be helpful to have the address or at least a general direction of where the drive-in was located.
Perhaps this was a portable drive-in, but if so the screen should be set up somewhere or at least evidence of tire marks in a field.
Considering how the ramps have faded, the size of the two trees near what is left of the concession stand/projector booth, And a 1981 aerial that shows many more trees on the property, this drive-in has been closed for some time.
The address is 6150 US Hwy 136 Suite 1, Hebron, NE.
This is the entrance to the airport which is where the drive-in was located. The drive-in itself is basically gone as it has been plowed up and landscaped. Some faint marks of the ramps may still be discerned, but just barely.
10065 U.S. 129, Live Oak, FL places it right on the property at least with Google Maps.
Today, an empty building sits on the east side of the property, but most of the drive-in is overgrown with trees. The screens are gone, but the projection booths may or may not be standing.
I believe I’ve found the Corral Drive-In, but I cannot be 100% sure.
It sat west of town on the south side of US-180 at approximately 3005 W Walker Street, Breckenridge, TX. The entrance is now a parking lot that sits between the Regency Inn and Ernie’s Spanish Kitchen.
The drive-in appears in a 1954 aerial photo, but by 1960 it had been demolished. The area appears to have been landscaped with a small business that sat on the SE corner of where the drive-in once stood, but that has now been demolished.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining. If someone can confirm the Corral Drive-in closing before 1960, then this is probably it.
https://tinyurl.com/2ystnsc4
Found It!
I could not get an exact address on Google Maps. So, the closest location I could get was US-180 and O'Neal Drive, Breckenridge, TX.
The drive-in sat about ¼ mile east of the intersection on the north side of US-180. The drive-in appears brand new in a 1954 aerial (as you might expect) and still intact in a 1983 aerial. By 1995, it had been demolished.
Today, you can still see the ramps and foundations for the screen. There is a structure that resembles a ticket booth, but it’s not in the right place so I cannot say for certain that it is the ticket booth.
https://tinyurl.com/56je34ss
Drive-in appears to have been totally demolished right after closing. A 2002 aerial photo shows the location as a car lot.
Today, it’s just an empty lot with no traces of the drive-in remaining.
A closer address is 2014 US-83 Business, Mission, TX.
This puts it right where the old entrance road used to be. The drive-in was still intact in 1995, although it does appear to be closed. By 2002, it had been replaced mostly by a residential neighborhood. While several businesses occupy the area around the entrance.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A closer address is 309 Fort Crook Rd S, Bellevue, NE.
A 1952 aerial shows what appears to be a racing track. A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in. By 1969, a trailer park occupies the area around the entrance to the drive-in with the concession stand/projection booth intact, so this fits the description provided in the header.
Today, the Gateway Park Apartments occupy the area around the entrance with Beyond Dispensing Pharmacy sitting on what was the drive-in. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/wmdnh23b
Although the screen is still intact in a 1970 photo, the concession stand/projection booth appears to be gone with only the foundation remaining.
For a drive-in that was supposedly destroyed in 1957, it looks pretty intact and well-maintained in a 1981 aerial photo. This does not mean that the drive-in remained open after 1957, but the screen does appear intact along with the projection booth/concession stand.
A 480 car capacity seems pretty excessive given the size of the drive-in. More like 250 cars at most.
Sometime around 2014, Theater Road was redirected so that it aligns with the old entrance of the drive-in off of US-422.
A closer address is U.S. 422 & Theater Road, Kittanning, Pennsylvania, U.S.
The drive-in appears intact in a 1982 aerial photo, but was demolished by 1993.
https://tinyurl.com/4mf8695n
If the drive-in was located adjacent to the golf course, then it was completely demolished with no trace by 1985.
Sitting just to the west of the golf course is what appears to be a quarter-horse racing track or something similar. That area is large enough to hold 75 vehicles, so that is a possible location. It may also explain why no trace of the drive-in remains.
The Plaza 3 was clipped by a tornado on December 5th, 1975. It was an unusual tornado not only because it happened during the winter, but also because the sky behind it cleared. So, as the tornado was tearing up the neighborhood just to the north of the Plaza 3, the sun was shining on it.
It appears from the overhead view on Google Maps that the screen has been removed.
I agree with Michael Kilgore that the address he mentions seems like the only candidate to hold a drive-in anywhere near the town.
The 1951 and 1963 topo maps indicate that at least part of that land had buildings on it. Perhaps the same buildings that are on the south side of the maintenance area today.
There are also three buildings indicated on the north side and a trail that cuts across the river (a ford) which can be seen in the 1968 photo. That reduces the area to hold a drive-in considerably.
Now, consider a 500 car capacity drive-in for a town and surrounding communities within a 20 mile radius that doesn’t add up to 5,000 residents today? That seems incredibly excessive.
Plus, the entire maintenance area doesn’t appear to be able to hold more than 200 cars at best, even if you remove the buildings.
Something is off. If this location did have a drive-in, it would have to be 200 car capacity or less given how little land seems available. And, I’m not sure what other location exists anywhere near the town that could hold more.
A closer address is 681 Rockingham Road, Bellows Falls, VT.
The entrance of the drive-in is where the Northstar Self-Storage is located. A smaller business sits where the screen was located. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
So, the address needs to be changed to 31022 US-84, Opp, AL.
Today, the property is owned by Cooperative Propane. The area itself is mostly empty with a few large and many small propane tanks on the lot.
The land itself appears to have been plowed or resurfaced sometime between 1967 and 1981, so the ramps are gone. The drive-in does retain its basic shape and there are remnants of the entrance and exit roads. Also, the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand is still present in the overhead view of Google Maps.
Overgrown with trees is right. The only remnant visible is what’s left of the entrance road and an old, rather sad mailbox that probably hasn’t been used in a long, long time.
A closer address is 11040 FL-97, McDavid, Florida.
The drive-in was located close to the intersection of FL-97 and Greenland Road sitting near the NE corner. It’s remnants can be seen in a 1981 aerial.
Today, the property is covered with trees with no remains of the drive-in visible.
https://tinyurl.com/zufkn4
If the topo maps are accurate, the drive-in was located about 2 miles SW of the town at 802 GA-26, Cochran, GA.
The area in which the drive-in was located is overgrown with trees and has been that way since at least 1981. From the 1981 aerial, I can see the vague shape of the drive-in and entrance/exit roads.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Route 512 at Bath Boro line puts it across the street from the storage center. The address from Google Maps is (as close as I can get it) 34l N Walnut Street, Bath, PA.
A 1955 aerial shows the general shape of a drive-in, but no ramps and it’s difficult to see any real features. It has what might be a projection booth, but I cannot see any screen.
Today, the land is private property with a house on the SW corner. The rest of the property is overgrown with trees.
If this was a drive-in, it appears to have been abandoned by 1955 or perhaps it was a portable drive-in which might explain the lack of features.
Muviebuf, you say it’s on the right side Route 512 a quarter-mile north of Bath Pike?
That would put it near Barrall Street.
I’ve looked at aerials from 1955, 1962, and 1972 and have not seen anything that looks remotely like a drive-in. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the drive-in didn’t exist. I’m just not seeing it.
A 1955 aerial photo does not reveal any evidence of a drive-in around the Bath area. It would be helpful to have the address or at least a general direction of where the drive-in was located.
Perhaps this was a portable drive-in, but if so the screen should be set up somewhere or at least evidence of tire marks in a field.
Considering how the ramps have faded, the size of the two trees near what is left of the concession stand/projector booth, And a 1981 aerial that shows many more trees on the property, this drive-in has been closed for some time.
The address is 6150 US Hwy 136 Suite 1, Hebron, NE.
This is the entrance to the airport which is where the drive-in was located. The drive-in itself is basically gone as it has been plowed up and landscaped. Some faint marks of the ramps may still be discerned, but just barely.
https://tinyurl.com/2u2d4wv8
10065 U.S. 129, Live Oak, FL places it right on the property at least with Google Maps.
Today, an empty building sits on the east side of the property, but most of the drive-in is overgrown with trees. The screens are gone, but the projection booths may or may not be standing.