The drive-in appears intact and operational in a 1960 and 1963 aerial.
However, by 1971 the screen was gone and a new building appears on the northeast corner of the property. By 1980, a go-kart track had been constructed on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Although a new building has covered up part of the ramps on the eastern side, you can still barely make out part of the ramps to the south of the newspaper offices.
I’m curious of the origins to the name “Hilltop” as the ground around the property is rather flat.
This puts it right at Molly Road, which in the past was the entrance road to the drive-in.
The drive-in was still intact in 1981 (although I cannot say if it was open), but by 1986 it had been demolished. The only remnants of the drive-in remaining are the marquee and the ticket booth, although its roof is gone.
The buildings appear to be abandoned. An April 2022 Google Street View shows all the windows boarded up. That was not the case from 2007 to January 2021.
There doesn’t appear to be any ramps built and the projection booth must’ve been back in the woods because there is no structure in the middle of the property as typical of many drive-ins.
The address is 154 Kimball Bridge Rd, Alpharetta, GA.
The land was cleared in a 1955 aerial, by 1960 it was built and operational.
The screen was still standing as late as 1999, but it was gone by 2003. Today, the Fulton County Board of Education building is located where the screen once stood. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A closer address is 1020 E U.S. Hwy 150, Paoli, IN.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right in the middle of the property.
An August 2023 Google Street View shows the screen has finally collapsed. It is now a heap of rotted wooden planks and poles. Otherwise, only the outline and ramps remain.
The remnants of the drive-in might still sit under the trees. The majority of the drive-in sat on the north side of the property next to East Haythorne Road. Only the southern portion is covered by the man-made lake.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it on the house which is on the property.
By 1982, the drive-in had been demolished and today it seems to be private property. However, the projection booth/concession stand may still be standing.
A July 2023 Google Street View shows the screen to still be standing, albeit with vines covering a large part of it. The projector booth/concession stand is rubble, but the general outline, ramps, and part of the entrance & exit roads still exist.
Today, the property is owned by Equipment City Co. LLC. The marquee has been removed and there is no trace of the drive-in remaining apart from the entrance road.
There is no drive-in on Lake Poinsett Road in 1958 nor does any appear afterward. Again, I’m not sure the drive-in I found is the same, but I have not seen another drive-in when searching the 1958 aerial.
A possible address is 610 Johnson Street, Cocoa, Florida.
A 1958 aerial shows a small drive-in with the screen intact, along with the projection booth/concession stand and what appears to be large speakers.
I cannot say 100% that this is the same drive-in. Especially because there is no “Poinsett Drive” in Cocoa today. And there is no trailer park one block to the east in the 1958 aerial. But it is a drive-in.
That area has been changed radically since 1958. A pond sits where the drive-in was located. But Bernard Street did not exist at that time. The entrance road connected to what is now Johnson Street and ran along the same line as Bernard Street today.
A comparison of the 1951 and 1959 aerial photos show the drive-in expanded noticeably. The screen is considerably larger and the ramps were fanned outward to accommodate more vehicles.
It was still intact and seemingly operational in 1983, but by 1995 had been demolished.
Today, most of the property is overgrown and the projection booth/concession stand is engulfed by trees.
The Texas Drive-In did NOT operate until 1955.
A 1951 aerial shows the drive-in demolished with trees growing on part of the property. It clearly had been closed for some time well prior to 1951.
The drive-in appears intact and operational in a 1960 and 1963 aerial.
However, by 1971 the screen was gone and a new building appears on the northeast corner of the property. By 1980, a go-kart track had been constructed on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Although a new building has covered up part of the ramps on the eastern side, you can still barely make out part of the ramps to the south of the newspaper offices.
I’m curious of the origins to the name “Hilltop” as the ground around the property is rather flat.
A closer address is 6998 M-65, Hale, MI.
This puts its on the location of Thomson’s Storage. I can’t say 100% this was the location, but it does have the general shape and hints of ramps.
https://tinyurl.com/58chnba8
A better address is 6090 Blue Star Hwy, Saugatuck, MI.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
https://tinyurl.com/3rfu563j
1478 W Marlette Rd, Sandusky, MI.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
Today, a couple of houses sit on the south side of the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/ywdkn6e4
Whatever traces of ramps remained after the drive-in closed seem to be long gone. The only remnants left is part of the entrance road.
A closer address is 1813 M-37, Hastings, MI.
This puts it right at Molly Road, which in the past was the entrance road to the drive-in.
The drive-in was still intact in 1981 (although I cannot say if it was open), but by 1986 it had been demolished. The only remnants of the drive-in remaining are the marquee and the ticket booth, although its roof is gone.
https://tinyurl.com/2s3rjfuf
The buildings appear to be abandoned. An April 2022 Google Street View shows all the windows boarded up. That was not the case from 2007 to January 2021.
A closer address is 2565 W Michigan Ave, Jackson, MI.
Today, the property is home to Jackson Self Storage. There are still faint parch marks of the outline and ramps on the north side of the property.
https://tinyurl.com/zpzsjxtz
There doesn’t appear to be any ramps built and the projection booth must’ve been back in the woods because there is no structure in the middle of the property as typical of many drive-ins.
Found It!
The address is 154 Kimball Bridge Rd, Alpharetta, GA.
The land was cleared in a 1955 aerial, by 1960 it was built and operational.
The screen was still standing as late as 1999, but it was gone by 2003. Today, the Fulton County Board of Education building is located where the screen once stood. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/mw3zxvnp
A closer address is 1020 E U.S. Hwy 150, Paoli, IN.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right in the middle of the property.
An August 2023 Google Street View shows the screen has finally collapsed. It is now a heap of rotted wooden planks and poles. Otherwise, only the outline and ramps remain.
https://tinyurl.com/48hhwxse
The land is still clear with the ramps, outline, and entrance/exit roads remaining.
The only thing remaining is part of the marquee.
The remnants of the drive-in might still sit under the trees. The majority of the drive-in sat on the north side of the property next to East Haythorne Road. Only the southern portion is covered by the man-made lake.
A closer address is 1510 Market St, Charlestown, IN.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it on the residence that sits next to the property entrance.
The property itself is still empty with parch marks of the ramps and outline still showing. It’s also for sale as of the July 2023 Google Street view.
https://tinyurl.com/3evfaubw
Although the property was covered by a new layer of sod, you can still see the parch marks from the western portion of the ramps.
A closer address is 2439 US-40, Casey, IL.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it on the house which is on the property.
By 1982, the drive-in had been demolished and today it seems to be private property. However, the projection booth/concession stand may still be standing.
https://tinyurl.com/2r57ycuv
A July 2023 Google Street View shows the screen to still be standing, albeit with vines covering a large part of it. The projector booth/concession stand is rubble, but the general outline, ramps, and part of the entrance & exit roads still exist.
A closer address is 11652 IL-54, Clinton, IL.
Today, the property is owned by Equipment City Co. LLC. The marquee has been removed and there is no trace of the drive-in remaining apart from the entrance road.
https://tinyurl.com/ytp8s7hb
There is no drive-in on Lake Poinsett Road in 1958 nor does any appear afterward. Again, I’m not sure the drive-in I found is the same, but I have not seen another drive-in when searching the 1958 aerial.
A possible address is 610 Johnson Street, Cocoa, Florida.
A 1958 aerial shows a small drive-in with the screen intact, along with the projection booth/concession stand and what appears to be large speakers.
I cannot say 100% that this is the same drive-in. Especially because there is no “Poinsett Drive” in Cocoa today. And there is no trailer park one block to the east in the 1958 aerial. But it is a drive-in.
That area has been changed radically since 1958. A pond sits where the drive-in was located. But Bernard Street did not exist at that time. The entrance road connected to what is now Johnson Street and ran along the same line as Bernard Street today.
https://tinyurl.com/yceptny5
Even though a significant section of the property remains undeveloped, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A comparison of the 1951 and 1959 aerial photos show the drive-in expanded noticeably. The screen is considerably larger and the ramps were fanned outward to accommodate more vehicles.
It was still intact and seemingly operational in 1983, but by 1995 had been demolished.
Today, most of the property is overgrown and the projection booth/concession stand is engulfed by trees.