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Smith Street
Here I am all dressed up for the Christmas holidays. I only dressed up at Christmas and Easter. The rest of the time I looked like a street urchin, often running around barefoot! I'm standing in front of my neighbors house, Frankie and Geneva Veltri. After the beauty shop closed, Frankie ran some card games down stairs. They later enclosed part of their front porch, which you see in the right photo.
This was taken across the street from the house. That's Capitol Street in the background. The car is parked exactly where the West entrance to the Farmers Market is today. That crane is now the Farmers Market parking lot.
There are my neighbors the Olians. They lived on the other side of Frankie Veltri. That's Carl Sr, Carmella, daughter Carol and son Carl Jr. It must be Easter. You see Capitol Street and Dryden Street in the background.
Another photo of them about 5 years later. As you can plainly see, Carol (my age) was a doll baby, and her mother made darned sure that I didn't go too near her at any time. After all... I was the officially designated block bastard and no good could ever come of me. (Hahaha! ) Carols mother was very wise... I lived in both houses on the right, mostly in the middle one. See those two white stripes near the mailbox? I painted them when I was 13. Caught hell for that too! (I wont even get into shooting out Geneva's window with a BB gun.)
This photo of me taken at the corner of Smith & Broad Streets was shot at about the same time as the photo above it. I'm wearing the latest in fashion: Beatle Boots, Striped Peg-Leg Hiphugger Pants with wide belt, and a Pullover. My hair is shorter than normal because I managed to spend two days in the Dunbar Child Shelter for "an indiscretion". ;) The first thing they did in those days was to shave you bald. Not a good look when hair fashion was well below the ears! This was close to the time I watched the Beatles in person at Crosley Field, Cincinnati for $10! As you can see, Broad Street went all the way to Piedmont Road. The long building to the right of my head was the old A&P Grocery Store. It caught fire and then later became the Rambler showroom, (and other cars) and then much later became Dome's Cycle, which it is today. Also on the right is the NYC Railway Station. To the left you can just see the begriming of what is today the Farmers Market.. East entrance. Every house you see in this photo was removed for the Interstate.
This is Carol and me in June 2009. She now lives in Texas and is a grandmother!
NOW FOR THE OTHER END OF SMITH STREET, 3 BLOCKS AWAY....
This photo was taken on Smith Street near the corner of Morris St. The photographer was standing where the rear of Appalachian Power Park is today. In this photo you can see the Spring Hill Cemetery and the very edge of the old City Park up on the hill. You also see the WV Steel Corp building in the background. Finally, you can just see the edge of a Kyle Furniture truck parked near the tracks. There's a reason for that because.... TODAY
LAST BUT NOT LEAST....
This is a bubblegum card that I have of Dick Huffman. Dick went to Charleston High and his large portrait hung on the second floor for many years. After all, how many local kids went-on to play for the LA Rams? After four seasons with the Rams, Dick played for the Canadian Football League. I had a red woolen Canadian blanket (that he gave my Aunt) for many years. Dick lived on Smith Street for a time when I was a kid. Later, he moved to Pocahontas County where he opened a hunting lodge after retiring from football. I was 13 at the time when I visited his lodge, and his son Butch was playing football at Greenbank High School. For academic reasons (as I recall) Butch was dropped from the team. This broke his spirit and he dropped out of school. The last time I saw him, he was a bartender at "Checkers" on Laidly Street in the 70s. He later died at a relatively young age of a heart attack if my memory serves me correct. Butch, like his dad was a mountain of a man, but just as kind as anyone you'd want to meet. BUT... you didn't mess with Butch. Many said that Butch could have easily gone-on to professional football. In the meantime, Dick decided to (for whatever reason) move back to Charleston and the last time I saw him, he was a car salesman for White Dodge on Patrick Street many years ago. He is now deceased. Dick Huffman Height: 6-2 Weight: 255 Deceased Played for the LA Rams in 1947, 48, 49, 50.
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