The Greyhound Bus Station on Summers
Street was an icon of Charleston's past. From the Art-Deco design
to the fact that at one time in our history, taking the bus
was no different than grabbing an airplane flight today. I can
remember the restaurant inside, along with a shoe shine area.
Many people from the area traveled by bus then, before it became
somewhat dirty and dangerous. I once traveled from this station
to New York City in the mid 60s. I also arrived (quite by accident)
at this station the day the Piedmont airliner crashed at Kanawha Airport,
Aug 10th, 1968. I was supposed to have been on that plane,
and told my family what time we would arrive at the airport.
To make a long story short, I decided to take a Bus into Charleston
at the last second simply because it was "accidentally"
more convenient that day. I arrived at the station above and
then walked home to where I found my family mourning my demise.
I had no idea of what had happened until that minute. I've always
said that you're not going anywhere until your time comes....
Our station had a Cafeteria, barber
shop, and gift shop. You could get a "Shine",
or just drop by to watch who was coming or going. As more
people could afford cars, the ridership dwindled and "less
desirables" often used the bus.
Mid 50s
NEW! Here are the "Call Outs" for the destinations from Charleston to many points on the map.
