Alcoholics Anonymous History In Your Area
Seabrook Texas
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/SeabrookAA/history2.html
A HISTORY OF THE CLEAR CREEK CLUB
A group of people sharing their Experience, Strength, and Hope.
How it was…
A group [of men and women] who had already sobered up were meeting regularly every Saturday for coffee at the old Ramada Inn on NASA Rd. 1 [ since June of 1960 ] which is now the American Host Motel across from Fuddruckers. They all decided they need their own place to be able to hold regular A.A. meetings. So in November 1968 the following 12 men and women:
Mac and Donna M., Meredith J., Harry and Betty C., Katy C., Henry and Frances M., Joe R., George and Dorothy K. and Dave A.
They got together and donated the money out of their own pockets to put up two months rent for a two room space upstairs in what is now HI-LO [O’Reilly’s] Auto Parts on NASA Rd !. At the time it was Louis Delhomme Marine. They bought or donated all the furnishings and began holding a regular Thursday night closed meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The first meeting that Dorothy K. went to attend was all men so she left. She got outside and thought to herself that had never stopped her from going in a bar, so she went back and stayed and enjoyed the meeting.
The membership grew rapidly and soon there were people standing on the stairs and all over the place, and it became apparent that a bigger place would be needed to accommodate so many members. A big box supper type party was held on Valentine’s Day 1969 to try and raise funds to move to a larger, more accommodating place. The party was a big success and the decor of the women’s boxes was the topic of discussion for quite a spell. Enough money was raised and the group moved to the little building next to HL&P [this building had a picture window] on NASA Rd 1, now is an antique shop.
After moving to this location they started an ALA-NON group also and they hired their first custodian, a woman. Various forms of entertainment such as dances, card games, and bingo were held regularly. There were regular meetings being held by various groups under different club names. A meeting was held and it was decided to merge all the different clubs into one and call it The Clear Creek Club.
The first man the group tried to sober up was a man of many talents. He was given the duty of chairing the regular step study meeting. He was doing a fine job until he slipped and got drunk again. However, he showed up to do his duty and was bound and determined no one was going to keep him from chairing the step study meeting. So they let him. It turned out alright. This man sobered up and eventually became a staunch member and helped many others to recover. He formed an orchestra and they played regularly for the group. He also wrote plays and recruited other members to act in them. He contributed much to the group and is fondly remembered with much respect by his fellows.
Along with playing bingo, the dances, plays and other forms of entertainment, card playing among some members has always been common. One of the problems with the building was that the roof leaked. One night during a card game, it fell in right on top of the card table. Some say this was a message that was never received for the game just kept on going and the roof kept on leaking.
On 28 June 1976 Easy Does It, Inc. was formed. The original board of trustees were as follows:
George B., Agent
Roy O., President
Wanda T.
Judith A.
The purpose of the corporation was to provide educational and recreational facilities for person, groups, foundations, and organizations desirous of achieving and maintaining abstinence from the use of alcoholic beverages.
How we got here…
The group had about outgrown the facilities in use and the landlord was very reluctant to make any necessary repairs to the building so Easy Does It, Inc., purchased the property where the group now resides [ 1310 Fifth Street, Seabrook Texas ]. The funds for the down payment were out of pocket donations by members. The group moved in and held a big party on the 4th of July. Since this time the club has always been open 24 hours.
Originally the building was a fertilizer factory and later a sail loft. When the group moved in there were still some bags of fertilizer stored in the end of the building where the coffee-and-conversation room is now and of course there was a terrible smell. It was readily agreed that this area would be used by the ALA-NONs. The floor of the building was marine grade plywood and was torn up and sold to help raise money for the club. One member’s son got a lot of it and built a house with it and today it is still in good condition. The parking lot in front of the building was a big mudhole until it was filled in and paved.
Throughout the years the building has undergone many changes, some out of necessity. As was stated, card playing by certain members has always been very common. At one time the club officers voted to ban this, as it was considered a nuisance to be playing cards over in the corner while a meeting was going on. The card players threw a fit. The Agent trustee [ and also a card player ] came to the rescue and made a compromise with the card players. If they would refrain from playing during meetings he would put up a wall and make a separate room for this activity [at times called the ‘back room’ – now it’s the non-smoking room]. The officers didn’t like this but the wall remained and the card games go on. Some say the card players haven’t kept their end of the bargain but no one has gotten drunk over it either. At least none that we know of. Some of the oldtimers say there used to be a lot more confrontation than there is today.
Another wall erected and re-erected is on the other side of the main meeting room. It was contained the old coffee-bar and has been changed, removed, put up & taken down. That controversial wall now has French doors and leads into the coffee-and-conversation room [formerly the ALA-NON meeting room].
The new building never originally contained a picture window like the old club house on NASA 1 ….. but almost got one… One member having a bad day rammed his [truck] vehicle into the rear end of his x-wife-to-be’s car [a new Buick] and pushed it through the front wall and window. This historically became the first drive-in A.A. meeting. Well of course he went to jail but he agreed to take care of the damages and was released. This man became and remains a very active A.A. fellow and is always very willing to help others.
Once the custodian came out to see the cigarette machine being loaded in a man’s truck. It was moved into the coffee bar and later taken out altogether.
There have been many incidents happen at the Creek which were very serious at the time but now seem to be quite humorous, proving maybe, that BANG!! BANG!! BANG!! These Too Shall Pass.
Through the years there have been men and women from all walks of life sober up at “The Creek”. Not all have stayed but many other groups locally have been started by people who sobered up here at the Clear Creek Club, and then moved on for whatever reason.
“The Creek” has quite a reputation nationwide as being a sort of maverick club being very autonomous. The club is very well known for it’s a liberal outlook on members appearance or their preference of communication. Profanity has always been acceptable and never used intentionally to offend.
Birthday celebrations held on the last Saturday of every month to mark milestones of sobriety are a tribute to the fact that what has been happening at “The Creek” is working. Hundreds of men and women are staying sober.
Here it is now…
A rigorously honest attempt has been made to tell how it was, and what happened to get us here. These are the facts depending on which hazy-minded “Drunk” you talk to.
If you really want to know how it is now, well, there are meetings daily. The club is always open and there is someone always hanging around in the coffee-and-conversation area to talk to.
So just keep coming back and you’ll see…
It works if you work it.
Thanks for your support.
* Provided by Cap’n James, Creek Reporter — http://www.aaseabrook.org/ —