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In 1959, Leon Hale of the Houston Post interviewed her for his column. Following are some quotes from the column:
"I can't get parts for this fountain equipment any more," said Miss Hattie..."That faucet won't fizz any more, you see. And when I run out of carbonated gas I put the tank on a set of rockers and mix it up."
Miss Hattie came with her family in 1908 to Collegeport, when it was being developed. "Burton D. Hurd was the main developer of Collegeport." Miss Hattie said: "When the town was beginning, Mr. Hurd would take people around, show them this piece of land and that piece, and stop and gather everybody around him and make a speech. My, how that man could talk. That's his home down there, the black one, close to the Post Office. Mr. Bob Smith from Houston bought it and had it remodeled."
"Lots of people think Collegeport was blown away by a storm. No such thing. We've had storms, but I don't know of a single building that ever blew down.
"Why, we had three hotels here at one time, and a big pavilion on the bay, and three lumber yards and the Missouri Pacific Railroad and about 1000 people. We had a basket lunch at the pavilion one day, with a table for each state, and there were so many people at the Kansas table I had to sit with the Texas folks. The reason Collegeport went down, the rice land played out, and the farmers left and took all the young folks with them. They came back and started the rice up again in 1922, and learned to fertilize it, and now they keep it in rice. The hotels are gone now. Man named Weborg, Albert I think his name was, tore down his hotel, hauled it to Houston and rebuilt it just as it was here.
Leon Hale asked, "What would you do, Miss Hattie, if a hurricane came whistling in, aimed right at Collegeport?" "Why," she said, "I'd just button up and stay right here."
September 11, 1961 Hurricane "Carla" destroyed Miss Hattie's Drug Store and home. The tidal wave washed away and damaged the property. She built a small home with attached garage on her store property and lived there until her death, May 23, 1964.
Where, now, can you get a real "soda?" Where can you sit in a curved back chair at a tiny round table in a drug store, windows and doors open for ventilation, dust from the southeast breeze on the floor the smell of old medicines and coke fizzing in your nose?
Historic
Matagorda County, Volume II, pages 297-298 |
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The Dean E. Merck home in Collegeport with beautiful spring flowers placed at vantage points throughout the home made a beautiful setting for a tea honoring Mrs. Hugo Kundinger Sunday afternoon, April 15, from 3 to 5 o'clock. Mrs. Kundinger recently retired as postmistress. The Woman's Club of Collegeport recently named Miss Hattie "Woman of the Year" for the many services which she has rendered to her community. The club presented Mrs. Kundinger a white carnation corsage and leather purse. Over seventy guests registered. They were received by Mrs. Dean E. Merck, Mrs. Hugo Kundinger, Mrs. Fred Law, Club President and Mrs. L. C. Smith. Dainty cookies, nuts, candy mints, coffee and punch were served by the young matrons of the community, Mrs. John Merck, Jr., Mrs. James Slone, Mrs. Pat Richman, Jr. and Mrs. Eugene Fitzpatrick. Miss Joy Corporon and Miss Constance Law also assisted. Out of town guests were Mrs. Kundinger's niece and her family, Mr. and Mrs. Burr DeWald and Vedena, Mrs. Johnny Pace and Mrs. V. R. Walzel from Aransas Pass; Mrs. E. M. Huitt, Mrs. William Slone, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ham and sons, Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Cobb of Bay City; Robert Keszler, Mrs. Pat Richman, Sr., Mrs. E. I. Chiles, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Holloway, Mrs. Eugene Fitzpatrick and Stephen of Palacios; Mrs. E. A. McCune, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Martin, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Dean F. Merck of Houston; Mrs. Harvey Foster of Ashby and Clifford Franzen from Buffalo, Texas.
Palacios Beacon, April 19, 1956 |
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Mrs. Hugo Kundinger, so fondly known to all as "Miss Hattie," had her open house Sunday with a large turn out of her many friends. Eighty-two guests registered. Attending from out of town were her niece Vedena De Wald, of Woodsboro, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Jack Morton, Houston; Mrs. Alvin Johnson, Bill James, Louise; Mr. and Mrs. John Ackerman, Mrs. A. R. Matthes, Blessing; Mr. and Mrs. H. S. White, Tootsie Kerbow, Dorothy McKelvy, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Williams and family, Bay City; Mrs. Jesse Derrick and children, Waco, and Mrs. Joe Lucas, El Maton. "Miss Hattie, one of the old timers of Collegeport, came to this vicinity in 1918. In 1922 she married the late Hugo Kundinger and they ran the Collegeport Drug Store until September 11, 1961 when "Carla" paid us a very unwelcome visit. The drug store was a gathering place for young and old alike who stopped in for one of "Miss Hattie's" malts and to swap a few stories. Due to her age, "Miss Hattie" decided not to try to build back, so she has retired. This wonderful old drug store with the friendly atmosphere will be sadly missed.
Palacios Beacon, August 2, 1962 |
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Memories of the Collegeport Pharmacy Having spent the first 30 years of my life in the community of Collegeport I have many memories of people and businesses that are no longer with us. Among those business establishments that are long gone include Mr. Mowery’s Grocery Store, Mrs. Welsby’s Café and of course Mrs. Hattie’s and Mr. Hugo’s Drug Store. Many of my fondest Collegeport memories are of time spent at Kundingers combination drug store, ice cream parlor, telephone, post office and social club. Believe me the drug store served us all of the above. It was the Collegeport Post Office and had the only functioning telephone in the community. It had the best ice cream, the thickest milk shakes and the best fountain drinks I have ever tasted. Combined with all of the above they carried a line of medicines that addressed most of the common ailments of the day and last but not least was the social meeting place for the whole community. One of the products they carried was a child’s medication called “Baby Percy’s Tonic”. There was a sign featuring a 4 or 5 year old boy dressed in 1920’s attire with a caption under that read “Sweeten Sour Stomach to Sweeten Sour Child”. Now why I can remember that one sign so clearly, I have not a clue.
Hugo Kundinger, as I remember him was a quiet and soft-spoken
man with a sharp mind and quick wit. He was a man who wore many
hats. He was involved in numerous civic affairs in the
development of early Collegeport.
Mr. Kundinger was a postmaster, a pharmacist and served
as the community doctor in emergencies.
In fact, some of the older citizens of the community, one
of whom was my father, always referred to him as “Doc”. I
remember an incident that involved one of my Dad’s rice field
employees by the name of John.
John had a habit of partaking of certain adult beverages
at night to the degree that he still suffered their lingering
effects the next morning when he came to work. This particular
winter morning it was cold with a light drizzle.
John and Dad were plowing land for next year’s rice crop.
John was driving a Model L Case tractor pulling a P & O 3
bottom plow.
Now this was long before the modern tractors of today
with their air-conditioned and heated cabs and high tech
hydraulic systems with power steering.
The Case Model L tractor of that day had an open-air
operating platform with an iron seat and a steering wheel,
throttle and hand clutch.
Many times the operator would remove the iron seat
because it was so uncomfortable, preferring to stand up rather
than endure the torture of being pounded by the seat all day.
Such was the case on John’s tractor.
On this morning John, perhaps because of the slick
platform combined with the lingering effects of last night’s
alcohol consumption, slipped and fell off his tractor.
He somehow went through the plow and came out behind
bloody, bruised but alive and totally sober.
Dad loaded him up in the old pickup and went straight to
see “Doc” Kundinger who washed John up, applied iodine, salve
and bandages to the various cuts and abrasions and pronounced
him ready for service.
Dad tried to pay “Doc” but as was typical of Mr. Hugo, he
would not hear of it.
To him it was just a favor for a friend.
Above is just one example that explains why those of us
who knew him and Mrs. Hattie have such fond memories of both. |
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Beautiful spring flowers placed at vantage points throughout the Dean E. Merck home in Collegeport made a beautiful setting for the tea honoring Mrs. Hugo Kundinger Sunday afternoon, April 15, [1956] from three to five o'clock. The Woman's Club of Collegeport recently named Miss Hattie "Woman of the Year" for the many services which she has rendered to her community. She recently retired as postmistress. The club presented the honoree with a carnation corsage and a leather purse. Over seventy guests were registered and received by Mrs. Dean E. Merck, Mrs. Hugo Kundinger, Mrs. Fred Law, president of the club, and Mrs. L. C. Smith. The young matrons of the community, Mesdames John Merck, Jr., James Slone, Pat Richman, Jr., and Eugene Fitzpatrick and Misses Constance Law and Joy Corporon served delicious cookies, mints, nuts, punch and coffee.
Out of town guests were Miss Hattie's niece and
her family, Mr. and Mrs. Burr DeWald, Vedena, Mrs. Johnny Pace and
Mrs. V. R. Wazell from Aransas Pass; Mrs. E. M. Huitt, Mrs. William
Slone, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ham and sons and Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Cobb
of Bay City; Robert Keszler, Mrs. Pat Richman, Sr., Mrs. E. I.
Chiles, Sr., Mrs. Eugene Fitzpatrick and Stephen of Palacios; Mrs.
E. A. McCune, Mr. and Mrs. M. Jack Martin, Sr., and Mr. and Mrs.
Dean F. Merck of Houston; Mrs. Harvey Foster of Ashby and Clifford
Franzen of Buffalo, Texas. |
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Funeral services for Hugo A. Kundinger, 81, a pioneer of the Collegeport area, were held here Wednesday afternoon at the Palacios Funeral home. Born December 2, 1870, in Chicago, Mr. Kundinger came to Collegeport about forty years ago. he was well known as an old timer and merchant there. He died Sunday. Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Hattie Kundinger, a sister, Mrs. Amanda Glazebrook of Chicago. Palacios Beacon, Thursday, January 17, 1952
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Many motor boats, sloops and schooners were
washed high and dry on the bank and some carried inland along the
Pilkington Bayou a distance of half mile. V. R. Haisley's barn
was destroyed, causing the loss of one horse. Several silos were
also wrecked. The rice crop harvested and being harvest[ed] was
badly damaged and it is estimated that at least half the crop is
ruined. In many places the ripe grain was threshed out of the
standing heads to such an extent that the ground was white with
grain.
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Hugo and Hattie
"Miss Hattie" Kundinger lived in their home attached to their Drug
Store on Oyster Lake Road about a mile east and south of
Collegeport. The Drug Store was famous in the area for its marble
soda fountain and for its "ice cream" tables and chairs. The soda
fountain had a carbonated water faucet growing out of the marble
counter like a tree, curving up gracefully and becoming a lamp. They
had a buzzer hooked up on the door so when opened, the buzzer
sounded off in their living quarters. Mr. Hugo died in 1952 and Miss
Hattie continued to run the Drug Store.
