Life in the Bristolwood

 When I went downtown Jamestown to have a look at the city “proper”, Michelle rode along with me.  We had brought the Scotties along with us and they stayed in the truck while we visited.  Michelle thought she would ride in the back seat with the “boys” so they could have a little company!  They are such good travelers!

I decided to take Michelle on a little tour of my world from when I was a child.  We drove down Spring Sreet, which is where my parents moved when I was only three months old. 

We lived at the bottom of this hill, on the next block.  As I drove down the street,  I looked and looked…a bit puzzled. 807 Spring Street seems to have disappeared!  Yes, our apartment was no longer there, but had turned into a parking lot for S.G. Love School, across the street!  The big green house on the corner next to ours was also taken.  I remember the names of the people who lived there….Mabel and Earnest S.  Mr. S. was a grouch, extraordinaire, and Mrs. S. insisted upon calling me “Katherine”.  My parents and family all called me “Katie”.

When we lived on Spring Street, we were within walking distance of downtown.  We walked a great deal and I remember loving it so much!  As we walked up the hill, I remember “the house on the corner”; the corner of Spring and Fifth Streets, to be exact.  I thought it was the most beautiful house I had ever seen and aspired to buy it someday when “I was rich”!

We circled back around and I parked the truck right in the center of town.  Michelle and the boys waited patiently as I walked the streets of the city.  Even though Jamestown is considered a city, it is fairly compact.  I love all the hills though!

I walked up to Fourth Street and took photos of some of the buildings  I remembered from the past. When we lived on Spring Street,  Nicky and Albert Erickson lived in the apartment upstairs.  Albert was a lineman for the Jamestown Telephone Corporation.  This is one building that never changed much, although it now sports the name Windstream.

I spent many happy hours at the YMCA, learning (or not) how to swim!

To the west of the “Y” is St. Luke’s Episcopalian Church.  This church looks the same as always! The church has a set of Westminster chimes that play every quarter hour, then strike the time on the hour.  I have wondered about the true color of the church….many years ago, the Jamestown Public Library had a similar appearance to this church.  After a sandblasting, it “suddenly” turned gray with a pinkish color trim! Who knows?  Perhaps the church really is this color!

On the next corner to the west of the church is the YWCA, where I took sewing classes and learned the fine art of sewing! This building looks the same as always!

Across the street from the church, there is a row of beautiful Victorian houses that look the same as always.  I think they are actually offices with apartments upstairs, perhaps.

I walked south down Main Street and was surprised to see Benson’s Ladies Apparel. That store has been around for ages and ages.

As has Lander’s Men’s Store, also on Main Street.

I stopped near the corner of Main and Second Streets and took a picture looking down towards Brooklyn Square.  I am not even sure if the area is called that anymore.  There used to be a large green area at the bottom of the hill where a huge Christmas tree was lit every year.  That custom has long since been aborted!

One of my fond memories of Brooklyn Square was of the store, Noah’s Ark.  I am not even certain what was sold there, as my attention was on the Chadakoin River which literally ran under the store!  Noah’s Ark and probably all of the stores that were in that area are now long gone!

I was surprised to see that Lisciandro’s Restaurant still remains!  Many kids used to stop by there on their way home from high school.

On the southeastern corner of Main and Second Streets is a huge office building.  This building looks the same as I remember, but I noticed Chautauqua Music Store is no longer located there. Upon searching Google, I found they moved from that location, but are still in business.  This was a huge music store, located right at the main entrance.

Looking eastward down Second Street, the light colored building at the end is Jamestown High School, where I attended grades 10-12. 

Turning 180 degrees for an about-face,  the large light colored building is the home of The Post Journal, Jamestown’s daily newspaper.  This location was a Sears Roebuck Store when I was a little girl!  I remember shopping there with my parents.

In the foreground of the next photo, The Post Journal,  with the huge Jamestown Furniture Exposition Building a short distance away.  Jamestown was a premiere furniture manufacturing center in the early 1900′s.  Many companies remained through the years, but slowly died out.  Every year, city furniture manufacturers displayed their goods at the exposition where buyers from all over would choose what to carry in their lines.

I headed back north toward Third Street.  I smiled as I saw this sign in the window…..

Jamestown is known for a large Swedish population.  Growing up, I was always surround by Carlsons, Andersons, Swansons and Johnsons!  In school, the Lucia Queen celebration was explained year after year. Jamestown even has a Swedish sister city, although the name evades me.

If Jamestown’s Main Street didn’t run north and south,  I think busy Third Street would be named Main Street!  This is Third Street, looking west.

And east…..

I walked around Third Street just a bit. The big building below was a Lerner’s Store (clothing) years ago.  It then became a downtown mall, and is now called Willow Bay Commerce Center.  In looking online, I was impressed at the current offering. There is a banquet hall for weddings and receptions and such, as well as office spaces available for really incredible prices!

The next block to the west is where the Lucy Museum and gift shop are located. (shown in the previous post) I remember seeing Jamestown looking like a ghost town, but was happy to see that most of the buildings have businesses now. 

The next photo is the Hotel Jamestown.   I believe it is now senior housing,  but am not sure.  It really is a very beautiful building.

Right next to the Hotel Jamestown, westward, is the building shown previously that was Bigelow’s Department Store.  Around the corner, to the north, on Washington Street is further evidence of Jamestown’s Swedish population, in the form of The Vikings Lodge.  Nicky and Albert took me there as a child several times.

I will never forget the corner of Washington and Fourth Streets, where my life was nearly taken at a very young age.  Carly and I were walking across the street, chatting away. She was a youngster of about five or six and I was looking down at her as we talked.  Suddenly, she forcibly jerked her hand from mine and ran back to the curb.  This happened so quickly, I turned to look back….only to look up and see a pickup truck stopped within an arm’s length of me!  A foolish man apparently was daydreaming as he motored along, passing right through the red light.  Instead of stopping to make sure everything was okay, he took off, leaving me feeling quite weakened and frightened!

Across the street from the Bigelow’s building is this building, which was the former Woolworth’s Store when I was growing up.

The daylight was drawing to a close, and I needed to hustle back to my parents’ home.  I drove down Third Street, making just a few short stops.  Perhaps one of Jamestown’s big businesses that has breathed life back into the downtown area is the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena.  Boy, when I was a kid, my parents drove way across town to take me skating outdoors at Allen Park!  Of course, with many years having wimpy winters,  I guess outdoor rinks have some problems keeping operations going!

As we drove further west,  I stopped to snap a photo of  Jamestown’s electric plant.  The plant is located on the Chadakoin River, and was coal operated.  I haven’t looked recently, but believe it still is run on coal.  Jamestown residents were fortunate for many years, paying a fraction of what other statewide consumers paid for electricity. Only in recent years have rates gone up to more competitive amounts.

And just before the Third Street Bridge,  I was totally shocked to see that Pace’s Pizzeria was still in business. This was a little shop we frequented many, many years ago while attending Lincoln Junior High School.

 The school is located across the bridge not too far away.  I didn’t photograph the school, which is now an elementary school.  An interesting thing happened at this school while I was in attendance.

 I belonged to the band, playing clarinet.  One evening, we were to have a concert.  After school that day, and before the program was to begin,  the ceiling of the auditorium where we were to perform let loose and fell to the floor.  Talk about Divine Intervention…

By the time we were ready to leave for home, it was dark outside and my parents lit their beautiful outdoor lights.  Everything was so beautiful with the heaping  sparkling mantle of snow!

My family has traditionally taken down Christmas decorations around New Year’s and this year, they left everything up so we could see and enjoy them.  Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!  And thank you for the wonderful day!

I realize that reconnecting with my past isn’t necessarily what I want to do, but seeing the town firsthand was a fascinating experience for me.  Even though so much has changed with the times, so much has remained the same!