Today's photo shows Del's Service Station and Del Georgio Store in Lansdowne, circa 1925. You can add Lansdowne to your list of Orange County communities that disappeared. It was established in the early 1920s, near the corner of Commonwealth and Magnolia St in what is now part of Fullerton. In the late 1920s the area was renamed Fuller Park. (Thanks to Phil's place names book for the details.).
ConAgra Foods just sold the Knott's Berry Farm line of preserves to Smucker's. The plant in Placentia will close and all 90 employees will be laid off. Knott's preserves have been produced and sold in Orange County for at least 73 years, beginning with the first jars in Cordelia Knott's kitchen in Buena Park.
Sad news about the Knott's jams and jellies line.
ReplyDeleteWow... Knott's Preserves leaving Orange County. Who would have ever thought...
ReplyDeleteI had heard over the years, from old timers living in the area that the town of Landsdowne was incorp. to PREVENT the City of Fullerton from starting a "Pig Farm" - City Dump in that area. They were successful and eventually Fullerton Airport was bulit instead. The same thing applied to the incorp of the Town of Orangethorpe (Orangthorpe Ave / Brookhust Street) to prevent another City of Fullerton Dump.
ReplyDeleteQuite possibly rumors and mis-speaking by the Old Times but makes for a good story nonetheless.
While Orangethorpe did indeed (briefly) incorporate to block a Fullerton sewer farm in the 1920s, I don't believe Lansdowne ever incorporated.
ReplyDeleteYour "Old Timer" friends may have been thinking of Stanton, which originally incorporated to prevent Anaheim from building a sewer farm in their midst.
I should also point out that the word "farm" was being used in its broadest sense: "a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out."
Today we tend to have sewerage treatment plants instead of sewer farms. I prefer not to stand upwind of either one.
I haven't been keeping an official list of communities that have disappeared, but I'm intrigued by the concept.
ReplyDeleteA family friend grew up in Carlton (off Imperial and Prospect) and my 60s era Thomas guide lists places like Wintersburg.
I'm sorry that another piece of Knott's history has been jettisoned.
ReplyDeleteThe Knott's brand no longer carries any connection to Cordelia...
Cannot find any documentation just now, but I suspect Knott's went into the preserving business about the same time they opened the new market (and tea room) in 1928. As early as 1935 their ads mention: “We have a preserving kitchen where we make jams, jellies, juices and canned berries.”
ReplyDelete--Phil B.