Panther Drive-In
Lufkin, Texas1953-1970s
Order Panther Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Lufkin, Texas, drive-in took its name from the Lufkin High School mascot, and its tower carried one large square painting of a snarling big cat above PANTHER in block letters. It opened around November 1, 1953, and was torn down in the 1970s. Browse the styles below, and the full Panther history is further down. We are an American small business bringing back the signs and logos of places and teams that are long gone but remembered fondly.
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Panther Drive-In History
The Panther Drive-In in Lufkin, Texas, opened officially around November 1, 1953, at East Denman Avenue and South Timberland Drive, with civic leaders on hand. A trade paper dated November 11, 1953 said the opening ceremony was led by Isley and executives of his circuit, joined by the mayor and other local officials, and that more than 2,500 people came. Harold Johnson was named manager. Phil Isley Theatres built it, and Charlie Wise, the circuit's general manager, announced the opening. Trade papers gave its size as 500 and as 650 cars, while a later commenter recalled 300.
The name matched the mascot of Lufkin High School, which stood close enough to show in the background of a late 1950s photo of the theater. The tower carried one large square painting of a snarling big cat, with PANTHER in block letters above it. Lufkin was a timber town in the East Texas pines, and the Panther was its main drive-in through the 1950s and 1960s.
It ran into the early 1970s and was torn down in that decade. A shopping center now stands on the corner, near the center of town.