I was born in 1952 and grew up in Huntington. One of my fondest childhood memories is of riding the bus to town with my mom and brother to check out books at the Cabell County Public Library. What a grand and wonderful building it was! I remember walking down all those stairs to the children's section.
The downtown Huntington of my youth was a kind of magical place. There were the "5 & 10s" and small shops, as well as big department stores like Anderson Newcomb. Many of the stores had more than one floor, making them seem huge. We didn't have malls then, but you could find anything you needed on a trip downtown.
Who could forget all of the good places to eat, and the three movie theaters. Going to a movie at the Keith Albee was always the best, of course.
In the summer, we went swimming at the Olympic or Dreamland, and Camden Park was the ultimate thrill. Then there were the drive-in movie theaters, skating rinks, bowling allies, and drive-in restaurants.
I didn't realize how special Huntington was at the time.
