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.
Blog looks great.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyway to post pictures ?
I grew up at 1619 West 5th Ave.
Went to Jefferson Elementary-West Jr. High-HHS and Barboursville HHS'
Hung out at the GreyHound bus station up town because my grandmother was the restaurant manager.
Thanks so much for creating this blog--the pictures are great!
ReplyDeleteI remember taking the bus into town (we lived in the West End) and studying at the library, then going over to Nick's News and on to Davidson's Record Shop. Going to Anderson Newcomb with Mom was a special trip, and we would usually have lunch at the dime store (Woolworth's?) on Fourth Avenue.
Can't forget The Bazaar on the corner of Eighth and Third, where every woman in our family loved to shop. And oh, those crowds on sale days!