The screen was still standing in 1994, but by 2002 it had been demolished as well.
One interesting bit is a rectangular concrete foundation on the SE side of the drive-in connected to the entrance road. Nothing existed in that spot up to the 1985 aerial, but in the 1994 aerial a section of trees was removed and by 2002 the foundation appears. It’s as if something was planned to be built there (foundation for a cellphone tower or small shop perhaps), but never going beyond that stage.
Rather surprising that the property hasn’t been developed. At least in my experience, drive-ins located within growing cities in California quickly become businesses or housing editions.
A 1959 aerial shows the drive-in still intact. But by 1969 it had been razed and what is now a boys home built on the property. Only the entrance road remained at that point.
By 1976, the shopping center had been built and no trace of the drive-in remains.
A closer address is 4701 Avenue O, Fort Madison, IA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
Today, you can barely make out the ramps on the south side of the property. The only other remnant is the edge of the entrance road as it connects to Avenue O.
A closer address is 18049 Ames Trail, Faribault, MN.
The entrance road never connected with Faribault Boulevard. A 1961 topo maps shows the drive-in connecting to Ames Trail which is confirmed by a 1984 aerial. And while the address is slightly east of the entrance road, it is pretty close.
Today, only faint parch marks remain of a few ramps and the beginning of the entrance road. Otherwise, the property is now a field used for growing crops.
This is the entrance by the screen as seen in the 1955, 1956, and 1960 aerials. By 1968, the drive-in had been demolished where it was overgrown with trees by 1981.
By 1988, a housing edition was put in and today there is no trace of the drive-in.
The “Brooklyn Highway” in the description seems to be the Brooklyn Road which runs from Evergreen to the southeast until it reaches the town of Brooklyn Alabama which is approximately 15 miles away.
A 1956 aerial shows nothing that I can see resembling a drive-in anywhere along that road. If it had been in operation for a couple of years, there should be entrance/exit roads and parking areas even if the ramps were not developed.
But then again, my eyesight is not what it once was and the contrast on the aerial isn’t that great. Still, I think an area that was parked on for a good part of two years should have some indication that it was a drive-in even if all the structures are gone.
A 1956 aerial shows what appears to be an incomplete drive-in at the intersection of HWY 31 and Conecuh County 59 about two/three miles west of Evergreen.
The aerial shows a screen and what may be a small projection booth. It’s possible that this photo was taken before the drive-in was completed. It’s about the right size.
Today, it is the home of an American Legion Post with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Since the property itself was not touched by the construction of I-84, I wonder if the closing of the drive-in was related.
Seems to me that being next to the highway and its exit ramps would be a boon to the business. Of course, it would also make it quite attractive to other businesses who would pay a pretty penny for it.
Today, a truck stop, McDonald’s, and salvage yard sit on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The creek and river are relatively close by, but the drive-in is still a good half-mile to mile away from each.
There are businesses on the site. Including a One Stop convenience store and several businesses just across the road. If the area was flood-prone, those buildings would not be there. That tells me the ground in its natural state becomes a big mess when wet.
Sounds like from the story you posted earlier, the ground itself needed to be paved or properly reinforced and that was not worth the cost. A high water table combined with soft ground would turn the land into a mucky mess without necessarily flooding it.
I live about 30 miles south and on my property are areas that are “swampy”. There are no nearby creeks or standing water, but the ground is mucky because the soil and rocks below keep the moisture near the surface.
Seems the same thing is true about the drive-in. If it was built during a drought which it seems it was (1953 was a pretty hot and dry year), then it might not be noticed until the rain returned.
A 1958 aerial shows the drive-in to be intact. It doesn’t seem that the area is flood prone, but it may be that the ground was unsuitable for parking vehicles when wet (not that uncommon in this part of the state).
By 1980, the screen and projection booth/concession stand were gone.
Today, the drive-in is completely overgrown with trees. The only remaining indication is a few feet of the entrance road still visible next to Route 66.
The screen is present in a 2013 aerial, but was gone by 2015. It appears that some large electrical lines were run nearby which seem to coincide with the screen disappearing from the property. So, it was probably taken down to clear the area for the lines.
The only things remaining are the marquee, the outline of the drive-in, and the ramps. It appears that the concession stand/projector booth and ticket booth have been reduced to rubble.
From the 1974 aerial, it appears that the drive-in was a considerable investment. A shame it only lasted five years.
It appears from the 1953 aerial that the drive-in had the unusual arrangement of a small projector booth in the front row.
Of the three entrance/exit roads, the one connecting the drive-in to US Rte. 2 on the south side seems to be the main entrance. A ticket booth and overflow drive is present in that location.
A small structure next to the north exit road may have been where concessions were sold. The east entrance had a gate.
By 1981, the entire drive-in had been demolished and the property razed. Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
An April 2022 Google Street View shows the grass has grown considerably on the property. It is difficult to tell, but it does appear that the projection booth/concession stand is still intact.
Property is still empty with the outline and ramps remaining. Looks like someone added an entrance road off Rockwell Drive. The original entrance road is gone, although the area is empty save for vegetation.
1444 W Marlette Rd, Sandusky, MI is slightly more accurate since the drive-in sat on the north side of the road.
By 1982, it had been totally demolished. Today, you can see the barest hint of an outline (parch marks) on the north side of the houses that sit on the property.
A 1955 aerial shows no trace of the drive-in at that intersection.
Given the trees in the area, my guess is that the drive-in sat on the northeast corner. In 1955, a large building sat on the property which looked to be fairly new at the time.
The NE corner also has plenty of space to hold “5 acres for cars”, so that’s my guess.
The drive-in was intact in 1981, but by 1997 it had been demolished.
Today, it is the home of Passion Spas and perhaps another business. You can clearly see the outline and ramps. The old entrance/exit road has been cut off by new construction of the highway.
I still see nothing in the 1953 aerial that suggests a drive-in of any recognizable shape or features existed at that intersection.
Either it was built over or it was completely razed. The latter doesn’t make much sense to raze property and leave it undeveloped. But I’ve seen stranger things.
A 1958 aerial shows the drive-in intact and operational, but by 1969 the screen had been removed. By 1983, the concession stand/projection booth was gone as well with only the foundation remaining.
Today, if I squint hard I can just see the remnants of the ramps with trees that surround where the concession stand/projection booth once stood. A few RVs and trailers are on the property, but no indication that someone is living there.
The truly distinctive feature of the drive-in is the large oval track that surrounds it. The 1958 aerial shows the track quite nicely, but it’s also not quite complete. there is a section on the north corner that is not connected. So, this doesn’t appear to be a go-kart track.
Why the oval track was put into place is beyond me. Plus, it was fully connected in the 1969 aerial long after the drive-in shut down. Today, East Spruce Street replaces the north and west sides of the track with the remaining areas just barely visible.
The screen was still standing in 1994, but by 2002 it had been demolished as well.
One interesting bit is a rectangular concrete foundation on the SE side of the drive-in connected to the entrance road. Nothing existed in that spot up to the 1985 aerial, but in the 1994 aerial a section of trees was removed and by 2002 the foundation appears. It’s as if something was planned to be built there (foundation for a cellphone tower or small shop perhaps), but never going beyond that stage.
Rather surprising that the property hasn’t been developed. At least in my experience, drive-ins located within growing cities in California quickly become businesses or housing editions.
https://tinyurl.com/8k58j6bv
A 1959 aerial shows the drive-in still intact. But by 1969 it had been razed and what is now a boys home built on the property. Only the entrance road remained at that point.
By 1976, the shopping center had been built and no trace of the drive-in remains.
A closer address is 4701 Avenue O, Fort Madison, IA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
Today, you can barely make out the ramps on the south side of the property. The only other remnant is the edge of the entrance road as it connects to Avenue O.
https://tinyurl.com/2p9dcd9a
A closer address is 18049 Ames Trail, Faribault, MN.
The entrance road never connected with Faribault Boulevard. A 1961 topo maps shows the drive-in connecting to Ames Trail which is confirmed by a 1984 aerial. And while the address is slightly east of the entrance road, it is pretty close.
Today, only faint parch marks remain of a few ramps and the beginning of the entrance road. Otherwise, the property is now a field used for growing crops.
https://tinyurl.com/bdd4aj4b
A closer address is 4606 Hudson Dr, Acworth, GA.
This is the entrance by the screen as seen in the 1955, 1956, and 1960 aerials. By 1968, the drive-in had been demolished where it was overgrown with trees by 1981.
By 1988, a housing edition was put in and today there is no trace of the drive-in.
https://tinyurl.com/2p92w5u3
The “Brooklyn Highway” in the description seems to be the Brooklyn Road which runs from Evergreen to the southeast until it reaches the town of Brooklyn Alabama which is approximately 15 miles away.
A 1956 aerial shows nothing that I can see resembling a drive-in anywhere along that road. If it had been in operation for a couple of years, there should be entrance/exit roads and parking areas even if the ramps were not developed.
But then again, my eyesight is not what it once was and the contrast on the aerial isn’t that great. Still, I think an area that was parked on for a good part of two years should have some indication that it was a drive-in even if all the structures are gone.
A possible address is 10367 US-31, Evergreen, AL.
A 1956 aerial shows what appears to be an incomplete drive-in at the intersection of HWY 31 and Conecuh County 59 about two/three miles west of Evergreen.
The aerial shows a screen and what may be a small projection booth. It’s possible that this photo was taken before the drive-in was completed. It’s about the right size.
Today, it is the home of an American Legion Post with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Since the property itself was not touched by the construction of I-84, I wonder if the closing of the drive-in was related.
Seems to me that being next to the highway and its exit ramps would be a boon to the business. Of course, it would also make it quite attractive to other businesses who would pay a pretty penny for it.
Today, a truck stop, McDonald’s, and salvage yard sit on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The creek and river are relatively close by, but the drive-in is still a good half-mile to mile away from each.
There are businesses on the site. Including a One Stop convenience store and several businesses just across the road. If the area was flood-prone, those buildings would not be there. That tells me the ground in its natural state becomes a big mess when wet.
Sounds like from the story you posted earlier, the ground itself needed to be paved or properly reinforced and that was not worth the cost. A high water table combined with soft ground would turn the land into a mucky mess without necessarily flooding it.
I live about 30 miles south and on my property are areas that are “swampy”. There are no nearby creeks or standing water, but the ground is mucky because the soil and rocks below keep the moisture near the surface.
Seems the same thing is true about the drive-in. If it was built during a drought which it seems it was (1953 was a pretty hot and dry year), then it might not be noticed until the rain returned.
A 1958 aerial shows the drive-in to be intact. It doesn’t seem that the area is flood prone, but it may be that the ground was unsuitable for parking vehicles when wet (not that uncommon in this part of the state).
By 1980, the screen and projection booth/concession stand were gone.
Today, the drive-in is completely overgrown with trees. The only remaining indication is a few feet of the entrance road still visible next to Route 66.
The screen is present in a 2013 aerial, but was gone by 2015. It appears that some large electrical lines were run nearby which seem to coincide with the screen disappearing from the property. So, it was probably taken down to clear the area for the lines.
The only things remaining are the marquee, the outline of the drive-in, and the ramps. It appears that the concession stand/projector booth and ticket booth have been reduced to rubble.
From the 1974 aerial, it appears that the drive-in was a considerable investment. A shame it only lasted five years.
A closer address is 1177 Dix Ave, Hudson Falls, NY.
For decades the property was vacant with only the entrance road and a short line of trees denoting where the fence once stood.
However, a June 2022 Google Street View shows the property being developed possibly for housing.
A July 2022 Google Street View shows the marquee to be gone.
An October 2019 Google Street View shows a structure, possibly the concession stand/projector booth still on the property.
A 1953 aerial shows the drive-in under construction. The projection booth/concession stand is in place and the land cleared.
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in closed with trailers on the property and the screen gone.
It appears from the 1953 aerial that the drive-in had the unusual arrangement of a small projector booth in the front row.
Of the three entrance/exit roads, the one connecting the drive-in to US Rte. 2 on the south side seems to be the main entrance. A ticket booth and overflow drive is present in that location.
A small structure next to the north exit road may have been where concessions were sold. The east entrance had a gate.
By 1981, the entire drive-in had been demolished and the property razed. Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
An April 2022 Google Street View shows the grass has grown considerably on the property. It is difficult to tell, but it does appear that the projection booth/concession stand is still intact.
The overhead view from Google Maps shows the outline, ramps, and concession stand/projector booth still intact.
However, the latest street view (July 2021) shows the property overgrown with trees and grass.
Property is still empty with the outline and ramps remaining. Looks like someone added an entrance road off Rockwell Drive. The original entrance road is gone, although the area is empty save for vegetation.
1444 W Marlette Rd, Sandusky, MI is slightly more accurate since the drive-in sat on the north side of the road.
By 1982, it had been totally demolished. Today, you can see the barest hint of an outline (parch marks) on the north side of the houses that sit on the property.
A 1955 aerial shows no trace of the drive-in at that intersection.
Given the trees in the area, my guess is that the drive-in sat on the northeast corner. In 1955, a large building sat on the property which looked to be fairly new at the time.
The NE corner also has plenty of space to hold “5 acres for cars”, so that’s my guess.
The drive-in was intact in 1981, but by 1997 it had been demolished.
Today, it is the home of Passion Spas and perhaps another business. You can clearly see the outline and ramps. The old entrance/exit road has been cut off by new construction of the highway.
@Dave Lounder THE DRIVE-IN THEATRE PRESERVATION SOCIETY TheDriveInGuys.com
This is a Google Street View from August 2019 of the entrance to the Stone Drive-In. https://tinyurl.com/mrx4w8tu
Now, is that the entrance and is that the marquee as it looked when dansdriveintheater made his post in January 2019?
I take it the marquee has been updated since?
I still see nothing in the 1953 aerial that suggests a drive-in of any recognizable shape or features existed at that intersection.
Either it was built over or it was completely razed. The latter doesn’t make much sense to raze property and leave it undeveloped. But I’ve seen stranger things.
A closer address is 224 N Logan Blvd, Yeagertown, PA.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in on the west side of North Logan Blvd where it remained intact in a 1964 aerial.
Today, the property is the Greater Lewistown Plaza with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/sme5vjvj
A 1958 aerial shows the drive-in intact and operational, but by 1969 the screen had been removed. By 1983, the concession stand/projection booth was gone as well with only the foundation remaining.
Today, if I squint hard I can just see the remnants of the ramps with trees that surround where the concession stand/projection booth once stood. A few RVs and trailers are on the property, but no indication that someone is living there.
The truly distinctive feature of the drive-in is the large oval track that surrounds it. The 1958 aerial shows the track quite nicely, but it’s also not quite complete. there is a section on the north corner that is not connected. So, this doesn’t appear to be a go-kart track.
Why the oval track was put into place is beyond me. Plus, it was fully connected in the 1969 aerial long after the drive-in shut down. Today, East Spruce Street replaces the north and west sides of the track with the remaining areas just barely visible.