We are collecting emails from folks who remember Bellevue back then
Elizabeth Kambourian is looking for
photos:
What's the possibility of soliciting old pictures from the 'hood, of
Bellevue,
Ginter Park (and all the other 'dales, parks, etc. in our area)
houses in former years?
I have found about eight pictures on E-bay of houses
along Chamberlayne Avenue.
I'm sure they are long gone now (the houses). I
also have a few pictures taken
"by accident" of houses along Fauquier Ave,
that happened to be in the background
of family pictures - from the 1930s,
40s & 50s. I would love to see how some of them
looked in former times, though
from personal experience, I can't think of any that
have changed significantly
since the 1950s.
Another thought I had, while tallying up reasons to feel superior: The Fan
gets so much
attention for its beautiful houses, BUT ... has anyone ever
noticed how many have been
divested of their front porches? From sad
experience, I've learned (and also have read)
that these big old porches are
the most expensive portion of a house to maintain. The
Fan was a semi-slum for
many years and the long term lack of care no doubt made many
of the porches
unsalvageable. Not so for good little Bellevue. I think there's been a lot
less mommicking up of the houses around here. There's something to be said for
staying
the same.
Someone else in the neighborhood suggested this picture idea, and he is
putting an ad in
the RTD. I thought it would be nice to have a notice in the
newsletter, or on the web
page about old pictures. I'd be glad to scan any
that folks might have, for the website.
Elizabeth
Terry Bagley wrote about the
former Bellevue Theater:
From: <tbagley@mcguirewoods.com>
Subject: Bellevue Theater
Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 11:42 AM
There is a new Dementi book that has a neat picture of the old Bellevue
theater from
1937 (and a picture as it looks today). Back then I believe the
street was called Rapahannock.
The book can be found at Barnes & Noble. This,
of course was the theater frequented by,
among others, Shirley MacLaine and
Warren Beatty. Beatty saw his first movie there, Fantasia, which he said
scared him to death. I was a little too young for this theater, but my
siblings
often went there. When I came along, it was a Country Western hall
where I recall Porter
Wagoner and Dolly Parton played on occasion.
Just a bit
of local lore.
Terrence M. Bagley, Esquire
tbagley@mcguirewoods.com
Back to the Top
Terry's note
prompted this from Elizabeth Kambourian:
From: <Elizabe309@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Bellevue Theater
Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 9:26 PM
Re: the business districts in Bellevue:
My two older sisters and I used to go to the Bellevue Theatre (now Samis
Grotto) back
in the 50s. The other theatre, across from Nuttall's was closed,
but I remember it had
posters all over it for "Meet Me in St. Louis". It did
open as a skating rink for a while about
1962-63. We used to go ice skating
there.
There was a field beside the old theatre that was full of wild wheat. The
big field between Nuttall's (then Nuttall's and the High's Ice Cream Store) and
the beauty shop (where the
MacArthur Apts. are, was also full of wild growing
wheat.
There was Smither's Hardware across from the Apts. (field), and a grocery
store, and Dr.
Hale's Drug Store.
I'll have to get a layout of the whole works from my Mother. Bellevue was
very similar -
with Willie's. Dr. Willie used to run us out of his store for
being hooligans, etc. There was
a Lukhard's on the corner of Lamont and
Bellevue. Grandison's Barber Shop predated theone
that is there now. I was
sitting in the shoe shine chair reading comic books with my best
friend when
we heard President Kennedy had been shot.
The Beatty house is I think the 2nd or 3rd from the corner of Claremont and
Fauquier, on
the west side of the street (even numbers). Rappahannock Ave
changed to MacArthur sometime
during or after WW2.
My grandmother's house was at 3911 Fauquier, and my mother vaguely
remembers Shirley
McLaine - who was somewhat younger.
Enough now - back to genealogy. I'll grill my mother about the other
businesses.
Elizabeth
Janet remembers 'hanging out' on Bellevue...
From: DeVossAuto@aol.com
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:35 PM
To: editor@bellevueweb.org
Subject: (no subject)
Having lived in Northside all but about 1 - 1/2 years since 1955 (since 1977
actually in
Bellevue) I thought you may be interested in some information that I can
remember
about business on Bellevue and MacArthur Avenues from the 50's when I hung
out on Bellevue
Avenue after school - Ginter Park Elementary and then Chandler Jr. High (on
Brookland Park
Boulevard) and then the NEW John Marshall High School.
Where CVS is now was actually two businesses. Willey Drug Store to the right
(looking at
the building) and Woods Market (on the right side of the building).
Where the new restaurant (not sure of the name) is being worked on was
another two
businesses. The left side was a "five and dime" (am I really telling my age
-- many of you
probably don't even remember such a store) and the right side was a hardware
store. I
can't remember the name of the family that owned both of these stores but
they lived
on the Northeast corner of Claremont Avenue and Brook Road.
Where BelleArte is now was the wonderful Belle Bakery. Even Ukrop's bakery
items cannot
compare to the wonderful cakes and pastries. How I wish Sammy's would bring
back some
of the old goodies.
Where the cello maker (sorry I don't know the official name) is now was
Nancy Jane's.
Now what was Nancy Jane's you may be thinking. It was the beauty parlor du
jour - not a
salon but a beauty parlor.
I believe there was also a Safeway where the dry cleaners is now.
On MacArthur Avenue was the Bellevue Post Office where 4025 Yoga and
Wellness is located.
Across the street was Tom Tom's (the local bar) which has evolved into Dot's
Back Inn.
There were many more business at this time but this is all my memory can
conjure up.
Janet
Prompting my reply...
Hi Janet,
Thanks for the memories. Let me try to remember some things…
I, too, went to Ginter Park Elementary (I still remember most of my teachers
– Ms.Leverty
for Kindergarten, I forget 1st grade, 2nd- Connie Thoms, 3rd- Mrs.
Dunnington, 4th- Shirley
McIntyre, 5th-Mrs. Sinclair, and 6th- Pauline Pasco. I finished in May or
June ’66 – then went
to Chandler, and then Jayem! My three older brothers did the same (Ginter
Park, Chandler,
JM). I guess if you were from Ginter Park or Bellevue, then that was the way
it was (unless
you went to TJ for High School).
Please refer to
http://www.bellevuebiz.com/bellevue_south.htm for the addresses that
follow.
1201-1203 was Safeway – as you said. I remember when it closed – they had
Sweda cash
registers that printed the total at the top of the receipt. (Why do I
remember that?) Donna
Clark – who married Lewis Cooper – worked there. When it closed, I saw them
take the safe
out of Safeway. (groan!) Then Terry Sotos opened the Dry Cleaners (the Sotos
family still
owns many of the stores on Bellevue, and the parking lot across the street)
1205 – 1207 was Willey’s - Senator Ed Willey owned it. I think that Willey’s
was originally
only 1205 – I seem to remember some kind of hoopla when they expanded. They
had a
soda fountain with stools and booths that served lime ades, Green beer,
Cherry Coke, and
grilled food. It was THE place to get school supplies. I don’t remember what
was at 1207
before Willey’s. I do remember that a sundae was 25 cents and a soda was
raised from a
nickel to 6 cents.
1209 - 1211 was Woods. Originally not self-service, you would go to the
counter and ask
for the groceries (I am told). Charlie Wood ran the Grocery Store after his
father retired,
then Eddie Mahoney (a bagboy when I was a teen) owned the store until it
burned. After
the burn, it was (I think) Galaxy Market.
1215 was the variety store, 1217 was a hardware store – Erix and Roy Johnson
ran them
both. And they did live at 3901 Brook. Neighborhood kids used to have plays
on a stage in
their basement.
1219 was Grandison’s Barber Shop – the radio was always set to WRVA.
1221 was the Poly Clean Laundromat – we used to meet there before high
school to
plan where we’d go when we skipped school.
1223 – 1225 was Belle Bakery – I remember the Boston Cream Pies.
1227 was, as you said, Nancy Jane’s. They always had the blinds drawn – it
was, I think,
the mid 90s – right before they closed – before I saw inside for the first
time.
1229 – 1231 was Lukhard’s Market – followed by the Li’l Rebel Market in ’67
or ’68
(I remember Gee Lake’s dad ran that).
http://www.bellevuebiz.com/macarthur_east.htm
4009 MacArthur was a 7-11, then the 7-11 regional office. I don’t know what
was there
before that.
I think 4017 was Ray’s Bar – later Ray’s Cock & Bull
4023 used to be a Laundromat.
4031 used to be a Sinclair gas station – later a BP – later a shop run by
Sonny Taggert.
http://www.bellevuebiz.com/macarthur_west.htm
4010 used to be a Highs Ice Cream, I think. I always remember the whole
building
being Nuttals.
4028 was Bellevue Theatre – I remember seeing 1 movie there
4030 was Teddy’s and Tom Tom’s (I think Teddy’s was 1st)
Oh, my head hurts…OK – let’s hear some more from out there!
Dianna made some corrections to my failing memory, and added lots more...
From: Billy and Dianna Presson
[pressons@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 1:42 AM
To: Editor@bellevueweb.org
Subject: Bellevue
Janet,
Mr. Thoms was principle of Ginter Park School until he retired and lived on
Bellevue Ave. There were two theatres on MacArthur one was Bellevue the
other was MacArthur. One was located where the Vine is now located and the
other was where the Sammis Grotto is located now. Post office was where the
Yoga center is and the children of yester -year played ball on the lot where
MacArthur
apartments are now. That property was owned by Ed Wiley, who sold to Goodman
who
built the apartments if memory serves me correctly.
Ray's was where Riche's Stitches is located . Then Ray Winder moved to
larger space
where Shenanigan's is now located and opened Cock and Bull. The old Rays was
then
operated by a fellar Oley or Oney as Ray's had been,it then became a ceramic
studio.
Folks could take classes and make there own crafts,I think the proprietor
was daughter
of Sue West, who lived in Bellevue for many years. Lauterbach's was also a
Pure service
station in earlier days. Between Ray's and the laundry mat was a cleaners.
There was a beauty parlor on the alley of MacArthur and an appliance repair
shop then
Organ repair place and a furniture refinisher were in the building where the
new antique
shop in located. Nuttall's moved to MacArthur from North Ave. in Barton
Heights and wasoperated by B.B. Nuttal and three of his Sisters Edna Mae Chapman who lived
on
Laburnum, Mrs Lowry who lived on Avondale or Greycourt and Louise who lived
with Edna Mae.
They had a big home delivery business. when they closed Sterling Dunn
operated the grocerystore with his wife Bessie. Then Eddie. I think Tommy"s Pizza place may have
been a beauty
Shop also. Thinking and will share as I remember more. There is a fella who
frequents Stir
Crazy who has been in Bellevue for years and shares stories over there but I
can't remember
his name. Maybe Larry Jones can talk to him. I think he has interviewed him
before for the
paper.
I hope you will mention your interest in the News letter since many are not
on the website.
Old pictures etc. are probably still available and could be shared. lots of
older Bellevue
residents are living at Imperial Plaza. If interest could be stimulated
perhaps we could get a
few volunteers to record interviews or write if they prefer. Girl Scouts
used to have
Day camp in the summer at Bryan Park when I was a child. I think the folks
who live in
Mr Wood's old house on Fauquier still have the old wooden sign in there
garage ,
I can check if you are interested.
Dianna
From: David j. Lydiard
[dlydiard@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 4:02 PM
To: editor@bellevueweb.org
Subject: Memories 65-69
Here's what I can remember about growing up nearby...
My family lived at 3933 Chamberlayne Avenue from 1965-69. We were almost
directly opposite the Bellevue intersection. This was when Chamberlayne was
lined with towering, mature trees (much like Seminary) and dominated by
large
homes. I went to Ginter Park Elementary for third grade and remember Mrs.
Scherr
or Mrs. McIntire being the teacher. Mr. Clarke was the principal.
The big draw for me and my friends (ages 10-12) was to visit the
Firehouse
on the end of our block. (North & Chamberlayne) The firemen maintained a
soda machine and a candy locker. Those guys were always good to the
neighborhood kids- helping us repair our bikes, giving us friendly advice
about
pressing kid problems, and on occasion, playing catch with us. I remember
the
excitement when alarms came in and we'd all cheer them on as they raced to a
fire. They always left the firehouse open and we'd go exploring. The
upstairs
was where they lived and was off-limits. And as much as we'd all dreamed
about
trying out that shiny brass fire pole, I don't remember any of us ever
climbing those
stairs. And nothing was ever tampered with when they went out on calls. A
much
simpler time. There were two firemen who stand out in my memory. One was an
older gentleman nick-named Baldy. He was a grandfatherly figure for all of
us,
and he told great stories. I remember all the kids threw a retirement party
for him
on his last day. The other was named Ford. Not sure if it was his first or
last name.
He was a young, athletic African-American man whose claim to fame was that
he,
allegedly, was able to throw a baseball from the rear of the firehouse and
hit the
water tower behind the building. Feeling nostalgic, I visited the station
about 10
years ago and, amazingly, Ford still worked there!
Our other favorite pastime was to go the Willie's Drug Store. We would
swagger up
to the counter and, feeling very adult, order a Green beer. This was a house
specialty.
We would also race each other inside to see who got the honor of sitting on
the safe.
The stool closest to the front window had been replaced by a large
combination safe.
Johnson's Hardware was another popular destination. Here you could load
up on all
the essentials a young man needed to successfully get into mischief-
slingshots,
pea-shooters, balloons for water battles and turning your bike into a loud
chopper,
caps (not for your head), etc. Mr. & Mrs. Johnson both worked the store and
treated
us well. They also had quite a selection of penny candy in case our blood
sugar got low-
Wax lips, Pixie sticks, sacks of Gold Rush gum, Big Buddies (footlong pieces
of gum in
different flavors), Mary Jane's, Sugar Daddy's, Zagnut's, Zero bars...
Bellevue Bakery was popular for their glaze doughnuts. I think they were
$.99 a dozen
and worth every penny! I vaguely remember the 7-11 on MacArthur, but don't
think it
lasted too long. Actually, I think it turned into a regional or district
office at one point.
My first apartment was next to the old post office on MacArthur. It was
across the street
from Tom Tom's (now Dot's) It was a little wilder than Dot's, and I remember
hearing
the motorcycles run down the street when it closed in the early hours.
From:
Bellevueneighborhood@yahoogroups.com
on behalf of Vickie Hall
[vickie.hall@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 4:31 PM
To:
Bellevueneighborhood@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Bellevueneighborhood] Memories
I've enjoyed hearing the background on so many of our familiar Bellevue
locations.
The Mrs. Lowry who helped run Nuttal's lived on Avondale -- in the house I
live in
now. I discovered about a year after we moved in that she was actually my
great
aunt "once removed" so I guess the house stayed in the family in a way!
From: Elizabe309@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 5:13 PM
To: editor@bellevueweb.org
Subject: Our Gang 1947 - 1960
I looked at the Bellevue site for former (and current) residents born before
1946.
Amazingly (it seems, these days), I'm far to young and beautiful to be in
that group.
However, reading the Bellevue Forum, it appears there are others who
might be
a wee bit too young yet for that group.
Also, do I know you people? Don't be confused by the Elizabeth
Kambourian. I was
formerly Dudley Cann. The Dudley is my middle name, and confuses people
about
gender, and drew draft notices, etc. I acquired the Kambo later.
Mr. Toms was principal when I started Ginter Park. He was also principal
when my
mother and father-in-law went there. Mr. Clarke was principal my second
year.
I also went to Chander and John Marshall grad. 1969).
Any others amongst us from this time period.
I would love to interview IP residents. My daughter is a nurse there.
More later,
EK
From: Michael Schmitt [aw8_f8@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 5:45 PM
To: editor@bellevueweb.org
Subject: Did the first make it?
Hey people
My name is Michael Schmitt and at age 6 in ’67 I, along with my mother
(Susanna Farley Schmitt)
and brother (Carl Schmitt), moved into 3607 Brook Rd. with my Grandmother
(Maude Starke Farley).
This house was a Sears kit house built by my grandfather Earnst Watson
Farley. Supposedly he built
or contracted the building of a few other houses mostly on Seminary and east
of Chamberlyne.
After that he went on to found Richmond Engineering Co. (RECO). He and my
Grandmother also
founded GP Baptist Church.
My mother related a lot of stories about growing up in Ginter Park and there
are numerous pictures
which I am going to try to locate. Some things got lost in Gaston but we’ll
see. I believe she also
attended Ginter Park and Thomas Jefferson Growing up. She taught at Thomas
Jefferson in the
early forties and John Marshall after we returned and moved to Maggie Walker
during bussing. I
believe she stuck with Richmond Public Schools as a silent statement against
racism and for equality,
and because that is where she felt she could do the most good. There is a
room dedicated to her
at the current Maggie Walker Governors School. She was also a behind the
scenes supporter of the
New Community School as it originated in the basement of GPBC and Alice
Ansara, the founder, roomed
with us during the start up.
I was half way through the first grade in ’67 and entered Ginter Park
Elementary School in Mrs. Kasiahas
(sp???) 1st grade and then Mrs. Thoms 2nd Grade class. I also hung with the
Firemen. Mr Law was the one
I remember because he was the father of a friend, Brian Law, who is
currently a Richmond Firefighter.
Bussing started then and I went from there to Jeb Stuart, Norell Anexx,
Northside (Mary Scott??)
Henderson Middle (the first half year it was open) before my mother decided
I needed more stability in
my education and sent me to Collegiate Schools. I don’t remember seeing to
many local boys in
Richmond Public Schools after bussing started.
My memories of growing up in GP revolve around Bellevue Ave. Willey’s (Lime
Ades, Sundeas), Woods Bi-Rite,
Johnsons Hardware (mmmm), Belle Bakery, (taught my pup tricks to get us both
goods), Safeway (of which my
Grandmother drove thru the front window – no one hurt but she exclaimed
“everybody from GP Baptist Church
was standing on the corner watching when I did it!), McArthur was Tom Tom’s,
Cock and Bull (where I believe
the motorcycles at night originated), 7-11 – which did not last long, and
the Wagery (where Ritches Stiches is) –
a foozball/pinball place that got shut down for the payoff machines (I never
saw) in the back. Two weeks before
they got raided Tom Toms removed the Payoff machines from the end of their
bar (in full view) and they did not
come back for about 4 months. Hmmmmm.
My favorite parts were the alleys – that’s where the kids ruled. We traveled
everywhere on bikes and could out
run cars through the hood. Sleigh riding in Bryan Park, Azalea Mall when it
had Thalhiemers, Miller and Rhodes (I put
a box of detergent in the fountain as a juvenile delinquent), The Johnsons
on Halloween, roller skating at Lingle Hall
(on Brook across from the Seminary), touch football in the Seminary Quad
Area, the 24 hour snack bar at Richmond
Memorial, tennis across Westwood, swimming at Ginter Park Community Pool,
organized Little League at Pine Camp,
pick up baseball games at Parker Field Annex (now Parker Field), season
tickets to the Braves at Parker Field (where I
saw Hank Aaron), the Tee Pee room there, and many more great memories.
Look Forward to reading more and sending more when time permits.
Mike Schmitt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 23, 2009
It’s been entirely too long since I posted any interesting information
about Bellevue memories,
so I thought I’d add a couple tonight.
Recently my daughter-in-law and I thought it would be a good idea to take
the kids on a walk to some of the
old family estates here in the ‘hood. We went down the alleys pointing out
the significant places to the
children – including the biggest tree in the universe, in the alley behind
the 3900 block of Fauquier Avenue.
Our intended destination was the storm drain behind 3911 Fauquier, where my
sisters (5 in all) used to
sit dropping gravel through the little holes in the grate. We were peculiar
children and could literally
entertain ourselves for hours, sprawled out listening to the satisfying
“plunk” on the rocks as they hit the
water below. My grandchildren quickly caught on, and enthusiastically
“plunked” rocks down the same holes
for at least an hour. They reluctantly left when promised a viewing of my
Grandma’s coal house – built by
Grandpa and my father in 1960. They were duly horrified at my explanations
of how coal was poured out of
a big truck through the trap door in the back, and that we had to haul
buckets of coal into the house in coal
buckets, to put in the Arcola. Grandpa was a fuel service engineer for C &
O, and WOULD NOT be parted from
his Arcola until the mid-1970s, when we forced him to install a modern
furnace. We began winding down our
adventure by showing the kids Grandma’s bonsai tree, which has run amok for
almost 70 years now. My great-uncles
both worked at Pearl Harbor and one of them had sent her the bonsai tree as
a present. On December 7, 1941,
Grandma took the tree by the throat and threw it at the alley –pot and all.
The near-martyred bonsai had ideas of
its own, and took root on the spot where it still grows today, at an
impossible angle on the edge of the property.
It was a hot day, and the kids were filthy from their rock dropping
activities. My knee was hurting, and the day was
waning. We ambled on down the alley back towards our houses on Laburnum and
Avondale. The children – all future
historians – were well pleased with their adventure, and even asked when we
could go throw rocks down the storm
drain again. All in all, it was a successful adventure. P.S. On another
subject: Some time ago I was watching some
kind of theatre awards show that was honoring Warren Beatty. After an
endless series of speeches about his acting
career, he got up to speak. He said that he got his love for acting and the
theatre in his childhood in his hometown
of Richmond Virginia – in Bellevue. He said he and his sister (Shirley
McLaine) spent every Saturday at the Bellevue
theatre watching movies. I’ve been meaning to post that tidbit for months. I
was quite flattered that he mentioned us.
Elizabeth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 23, 2009
Bellevue Editor,
I received this very interesting and informative piece about Bellevue’s
early days from
Mr. Bill Durham, a longtime resident of our neighborhood. Please post this
on our “History Page”.
Elizabeth Cann Kambourian
BELLEVUE et al.
Not that I have so much to say, but I ran out of email “message” space
before I finished all
that I intended to report, so let’s try sending an “attachment”.
ATTACHMENT
Having just moved back into the old neighborhood (Imperial Plaza), I am
reminded anew of
the time spent in the Bellevue community.
BEGINNING We, father and mother, Leslie and Clara, moved into 4024
Clinton Avenue when
I was about three years old, where I lived until I was married (1951). My
parents continued to
live there for several more years until they moved to Mechanicsville.
CLINTON AVENUE (AND CRESTWOOD AVENUE) Others have noted that Clinton
Avenue extended
from Nottoway Avenue to Westbrook Avenue. It did not cross Bellevue Avenue
directly but at an
offset. The offset was later renamed Crestwood Avenue. Crestwood ended at
the front gate of
the Westbrook Sanatorium. At the Bellevue Avenue end of Clinton Avenue, as
noted elsewhere,
lived Alvin Thoms (sp), who, as has been noted by others, was principal of
Ginter Park School
forever and a day.
WESTBROOK SANATORIUM As it may be recalled, Westbrook was a facility for
the treatment of
psychiatry. It was not uncommon for the staff to take one or more walks in
and about the community.
In my young mind, this posed a threat to my well-being, and I avoided them
with all diligence.
Occasionally, the patients would wander off the grounds. This was always a
time of concern among
the neighbors; although, there was never a cause of worry.
RAPPAHANNOCK AVENUE (Later McArthur to honor the WWII General) The second
movie theatre
was the GINTER, which stood on the east side of the street. It was noted for
its “Crying Room”,
an isolated room at the rear of the auditorium, equipped with a sound system
and window, where
mothers could sit, watching the movie, while the child could continue to cry
. There were two
drug stores on the street. One was next to the Ginter, while the other was
almost directly across
the street. This latter store was operated by a druggist named Wilcox, who
lived directly behind
the store and on Clinton Avenue (had two children, Jack and Jane -- tell me
why I would remember that (?). I seem to recall that in the beginning the
grocery store (east side) was known as
Smithers’ & Lukard’s before dropping the Smithers’ name. Smithers was a meat
cutter also. There was
also a smaller grocery store at the other end of the street, several doors
down from the Bellevue
Theatre. I got my hair cut by a barber, named MOSES, next door to the beauty
shop, next door to
the Bellevue. USPS Station 23228 was in the last brick building before you
got to the field and the
Pure Oil station, and further on the Sinclair station.
BELLEVUE AVENUE “SHOPPING MALL” One of the correspondents has mentioned
the name Earnest
(sp) Farley, being a grandson, as I recall. He and his dear wife, Maude,
(daughter Suzanne), truly
were pillows and mainstays of Ginter Park Baptist Church. Mrs. Farley was a
short, stout, lady, who
drove a “big” car. Once she, mistaking the gas for the brake, drove through
the front glass of the
Safeway store on the corner. There was a “notions” store in the block,
operated by an old grump
named Hudgens. That was one store that kids did not go in unless on a leash
-- “Old man” Hudgens
wouldn’t put up with it. There was an establishment, name forgotten, which
charitably could be
called a “restaurant”, which served beer by draft and otherwise. As
youngsters, we were “encouraged”
not to tarry in front of the store but to scurry by, least one would become
“contaminated” by a
patron of the establishment. Mrs. Charlie (Dot) Wood, Jr., now lives at
Westminister-Canterbury.
A&P also had a store in this “mall“
GINTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH GPBC was my “home“ church, where I grew up and
where I accepted
Christ as Savior and was baptized. During that time, there were a number of
notables among it
membership. Earnest and Maude Farley (daughter Suzanne), Owner and Founder
(with his brother
Starke), RECO; Chester Fenson, Secretary/Treasurer, Richmond Hardware
Company, and many times
Chairman of the Board of deacons; for the RF&P Railroad - Harold Wood,
Treasurer, Lawrence Oliver,
Asst. to the President, W. (Willie) D. Duke, Federal Railroad Administrator,
(Mrs. Duke wrote the
church’s history). William Hedley was the first pastor of the church, and he
was short and had a halo
of white hair on his head. The next pastor was T. Rupert Coleman, a good
preacher, he wore a black
frocked coat and stripped pants in the pulpit.
BELLEVUE (Section) My aunt and uncle, Janet Stuart and James Ware Durham,
built a home at 1600
Pope Avenue some time after the general area was developed. She was a garden
expert and
correspondent to the Richmond Times Dispatch; he was a retired Baptist
minister.
BRYAN PARK Bryan Park in the winter, when snow was on the ground, was a
test track for sleds
of the neighborhood. I recall dragging my sled from Clinton Avenue to Bryan
Park and then
trudging home after dark, wishing I lived nearer. My first sled was a
“hand-me-down” and had
no steering bar. It was more of a question of pointing the sled and dragging
my feet to maintain control.
LABURNAM AVENUE Laburnam Avenue, in the beginning, did not extend to the
I64 ramp. It ran, I think,
no more than one block past the A.P. Hill monument, where the main road made
a left turn and the
rest was a dirt road to access the railroad. On Sunday afternoons, we would
ride slightly beyond this
point and watch the airplanes land and take-off at Hermitage Airport. There
were two runways, with
the primary one running north/south. Take-offs headed north over Bryan Park.
The largest plane that
I saw there was an old Ford tri-motor, which took passengers for a ride over
the city - cost 2-dollars
is my recollection.
SCHOOLS
I attended Ginter Park, Chandler and Thomas Jefferson. I rode my bike
from Clinton Avenue to Chandler
(and also to TJ). It was long haul. While attending Chandler, I kept my bike
during the day in a garage
owned by our milkman (Richmond Dairy). My first recollections of his
deliveries were by horse-drawn
wagon, “ditto” the iceman’s deliveries. Sometimes I “thumbed” to school, and
we stopped at Tiny
Town to bowl duck pins after school (10-cents per line).
. . . . . and IN CONCLUSION I can’t imagine anyone in his right mind
reading all this, BUT should that
happen I apologize for responding so vigorously to the invitation to share .
. . I got carried away.
Bill (a.k.a. - Bull) Durham.,
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Editor.
I thought of several more things about my earlier days -- it's just what I
had for breakfast I forgot.
I apologize to Michael Schmitt for spelling his mother's name wrong. I
should have remembered it was "Susanna". She taught me chemistry at TJ. She
was also a good friend of my "2nd" cousin, Elizabeth Durham, who live on
West Seminary.
"Granisons" barber shop -- Joe and his father both cut hair there.
E. Kambourian, with her picture and ID of the "players",Children's Circus,
reminded me of names back then -- Ann Lewis (about my age)(brother,
Bobby)(married Phil (?) Hewitt); Frank Wade Jr. (about my age)(his father
work in the Dispatcher's Office, City of Richmond, in Monroe Park); James
Delapapa (was that "Buddy" ?).
That's it.
Bill Durham.
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