CHARLESTON REMEMBERED

THIS IS A POEM BY CLARA WOOD SMITH, WRITTEN FOR A GRADE SCHOOL REUNION MANY YEARS LATER, CALLED: CHARLESTON, 1908

(CHARLESTON BECAME PART OF BREMERTON IN 1927)

Last nite down in Charleston, I silently stood
By the Odd Fellows Hall, in the old neighborhood,
Where I, as a girl, met my old school mates
To them, these lines I now dedicate.

Our town in a valley, each side a green hill
The wharf and its entrance, its beauty would fill
Your soul; And the closeness we for each other,
The Oneness of spirit, over all seemed to hover.

Bird's-eye view of Charleston, Washington, 1905

‘Cross the street was the Town Hall, the Fire Station Below
Up stairs was the dance hall, where many would go
To dances and parties, and Home Talent Shows,
The fun that we had in that long long ago.

The Charleston Fire Hall building in 1929

The Post Office and Squire’s, and Paine’s up the street
Where handsome young Phil was weighing the meat.
Later on, Homer Jones was selling the chops,
As tradesman or statesman, he proved himself tops.

Squier's Store and Charleston Post Office on Cambrian Avenue, about 1902

Charleston Market with Homer Jones and the Paines, 1909

Ellis’ Drug Store – the chief meeting spot.
We’d buy leather post-cards, eat mints and what not
We’d also buy novels, “Lena Rivers” and “East Lynn”
Later hid ‘neath the mattress, (reading them was a sin)

I remember, my uncle the late R.H. Bell
Took a lease on the Bayview, Charley Scheiber’s hotel
The coal ships arriving, forty extra to feed,
Florence Jones and I worked, when help was in need.

Early view of the Charleston waterfront and its long wooden wharf, seen through the trees

The old vacant lot – I can still see it yet
In my mind is a picture I’ll never forget
The boys playing base-ball, the girls sauntering by
The Yard whistle blows and homeward they’d fly.

No buses in those days, we’d walk over the hill
To the Pastime Theater, see a late Keystone thrill
Then sit thru two shows, to learn the newest song hit
As it flashed on the screen, we would memorise it.

At the foot of the school hill, stood a small grove of trees
At recess or noon time, it was funny to see
The boys start gathering, quite hidden from view
Soon over the tree-tops, rose a haze sort of blue

There were Woods and Bloomers and Tappes and Bells
The Dicks and the Scotts, and Jertsons as well
There was Guy, Charlie and Dan, and Scrappy and Bill
So many gone, if time would but stand still.

Union High Booster newspaper page headed Not Forgotten, with portraits of three young men

From Charleston to Bremerton, a mile of board walk.
We cranked up the phone if we wanted to talk.
Rent a horse and buggy, to go for a ride,
The roads were all curvy and not very wide.

A home in Charleston, still visible from the highway around the shipyard

It was forbidden, but still quite a joke
For the wisp of blue spiraling, was cigarette smoke.
Then came the parties, the dances, that’s why
The unnoticed time, the months flying by.

Mrs. Butt's Valentine Dance in Charleston, February 13, 1919

The first thing we knew we were all twenty one
The crowd breaking up, getting married, and some
Were leaving our town, for far a-way places
Our memory goes back to those dear long gone faces.

Charleston Old Timers reunion, around 1950 to 1955

Some of us stayed and we’re glad that we did,
Our children trod paths that we trod as a kid
The town is a city, old land marks are gone
But the memory of these will ever live on.

Charleston Fire Department truck at Farragut and Cambrian, 1922