Moody Anderson

Moody Anderson

Written by Karen R. Thompson Friday, 13 June 2008

 

When Moody and Alice Anderson bought their new home in 1963 at the 1200 block of Slaughter Lane, the small dirt road had no signal lights.

Chester Moody Anderson was born in Round Rock in 1928. His Swedish parents had a farm located where La Frontera Shopping Center is today, but he would later move a little south and take a role in Austin’s film industry.

After Anderson graduated from Round Rock High School in 1947, he joined the Naval Reserve. Soon he decided the Texas National Guard was where he really wanted to serve. A high-ranking officer made a telephone call to the Naval Reserve and Anderson was released to become a private at Camp Mabry, 249th Quarter Master, U. S. Property and Dispersing Office.

Following the end of World War II, the Berlin Crisis from 1958 to 1962 was a tense period of the Cold War. German refugees from the Soviet-occupied east zone of Berlin defected to the western side, controlled by the Americans, British and French, creating a period that caused world leaders to fear a nuclear war.

Then in August 1961, President John F. Kennedy ordered 148,000 guardsman and reservists to active duty in response to the Soviet moves to cut off Allied access to Berlin. Anderson was sent to Fort Polk, La., as a part of this military posture.

Before that, Anderson had been assigned to the 49th Armor Division in Orange, Texas. In nearby Deweyville, he met Alice Morris, who he married in January 1959.

Back in the Austin area, Anderson was assigned to the missile base in El Roy. This launch site was established to protect Bergstrom Air Force Base. The El Roy missile base was unknown to most Austinites, as was the missile base in Bee Cave where
a Texas National Guard Armory is still located.

While working at El Roy, Anderson saw a sign advertising a farm equipment auction. At the auction, he purchased blacksmith tools. This was the start of a four decade business dealing in antiques.

In 1972, the quest for antiques led Anderson to purchase the ghost town of The Grove, located in Coryell County west of Temple. The primary building is Dube’s General Store, which remains just as it was in the 1860s. Antiques include the bathtub used by Farrah Fawcett in the movie “The Substitute Wife.”

Moody retired in 1979 from the Texas National Guard and, in 1980, opened his antique store, The Texas Traders, at 1606 South Congress Ave. It was during this period that a movie-leasing agent rented some old items for a movie set. Anderson closed the store in 1988 to concentrate on movie props.

Moody has leased movie props to more than 90 motion picture productions. His antiques can be seen in “Lonesome Dove,” “Red Headed Stranger,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Selena,” “Spy Kids,” “The Alamo” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”

Moody has met many famous people, all while he and Alice have lived on Slaughter Lane, now a busy, 6-lane road with plenty of lights.