A Walk Down Memory Lane

"Beaufort Waterfront as Some 

of us knew. loved and found charming 

in 1966"?  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofZ23hbtRjY

The youtube video above,  link courtesy of Nan Sutton, tells a lot about Beaufort's Waterfront as it jogs the memory about an active and diverse downtown Beaufort.

While Beaufort was not "perfect" (reference to my last newsletter in which I responded to writer who said Beaufort is Perfect)  it had a lot going for it in 1966 before it was abandoned by those who moved out of the City, elected to shop in big box retail, grocery stores and lived on large lots and operated three or more cars per family. 

As the camera moves west, you see :

The Gold Eagle Tavern and Inn at the Corner of Bay and New Streets (A once celebrated Inn that attracted visitors from far away but which has since torn down to make room for a private residence and a yet another nice home completed several years ago)

The Esso Service Station at the intersection of Bay and Carteret (A place to not only buy gas but get your car services and repaired, but since torn down to make a parking lot for the People's Bank and now a mixed use building)

The McDonald Wilkins Cotton Gin (which after the boll weevil, was  used as a dry goods store, distribution center and wholesale operation, then torn down to allow the Peoples Bank to grow and create off street parking)

The People's Bank (since converted to mixed use along with Horne Motor Company building and vacant lot after woods store burned)

Woods Store (which burned and provided space for the Peoples Bank to expand as Bankers Trust and while connecting to Horne Motor Company to become Bankers Trust and more recently BB&T before being converted to mix use)

 Horne Motor Company (Ford dealer with showroom on Bay Street and shop to rear which was torn down and replaced because it was not sufficiently structurally sound to become integrated into the mixed use building.)

The working dock with fuel (which served as home port to shrimpers and other commercial vessels,  but has since been removed to make way for the Waterfront Park)

Greens Drug Store (still standing but repurposed)

Belk's Department Store (after sitting in ruin, this historically important structure was saved and converted to retail in the front and Saltus River Grill to the rear)

Beaufort Yacht Club (which was raised high in the air when the park was built because they did not own the land below as it used to hang over the water which was filled in to make the park)

Parking for business owners and employees behind commercial buildings(removed to make room for the park)

Luther's Pharmacy (now restaurant by the same name) Drs. Long and Ogletree had private parking on piers built out over the water.

Kinghorn Insurance Agency (torn down to make room First Federal Savings and Loan but is not occupied by or Regions Bank)

First Federal Savings and Loan (originally customs house which was later First Federal on the ground level and the Thomas Law Building.)

Breeze Movie Theatre, with Dr Hutchison's Ophthalmology office on Bay Street (much of building removed and front almost miraculously returned to the Bank Building which is now Paninis)

There was no Henry C. Chambers Water front Park

Apartments over the water behind what was a package store and gas company (Torn down to make room for the park and new buildings on Bay with parking to the rear)

West End of Parking Lot with rack storage for 100-150 small sailboats (moved to Yacht and Sailing Club on Ladys Island) but sets standard for concept of storage for kayaks and canoes by the marina 

Sinclair Service Station on Bay Street at the edge of the parking lot (torn down, sold to the city with an easement to the Open Land Trust as Freedom Park)

Downtown Beaufort used to much more vibrant when people lived and worked and shopped downtown.