A Treasure Trove of Stories

The Dec. 19 West Ashley Flashback column was a random collection of questions, bits and pieces of stories, and perspectives from my research of the modern 20th century history of St. Andrew’s Parish. The last sentence of this column read: “One liners or paragraphs? Contact Donna at westashleybook@gmail.com” One month later an email arrived with names of three ladies that could be “really good resources” for addressing the questions, bits and pieces of stories, and perspectives.
Molli McGowan Hartzog was one of the names in the email. She is alive with vivid stories of St. Andrew’s Parish and prepared with an underlined copy of the Flashback column to add to the fabric of this every growing story.
Her favorite sandwich at Roy Hart’s was cream cheese and black olive on toasted white bread. But don’t forget that it was served with a chocolate milkshake. Roy Hart’s establishment was on the south side of Savannah Highway in her time.
The Wessel family and the surrounding property was well known to her. She described the lay out of their home and told me that originally it was used to house railroad workers. She believed the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad owned the house and rented it to the Wessel family. The home was located on the property that would become South Windermere and South Windermere Shopping Center.
A diagram of this property drawn by Hartzog illustrates where an African-American man named Marsa planted corn and beans along Folly Road on land that would become the parking lot of the shopping center. The magnolia tree near the house where the kids climbed is still on the land. Until recently remnants of her brother’s tree house could be seen in a tree along the marsh between the shopping center and Wappoo Heights.
Judge Struhs’ (misspelled in the previous column) magistrate office was across the street from her family home at the corner of Wesley Drive and Fenwick in Windermere. Hartzog’s father was a Circuit Solicitor and knew Judge Struhs. In her photo collection is a picture of someone playing tennis on the court that was located next to his building.
The ACL railroad was a source of a few stories: boys would sneak onto an open car and ride to the next stop and hop off; the train stopped behind the St. Andrew’s Center and the crew would eat at Robertson’s Cafeteria.
Hartzog described the King farmhouse and the avenue of oaks leading to the home that is located on 5th Avenue in Ashleyville.
To the question: “Riding lessons anyone?” Hartzog recounted spending half of her allowance at the St. Andrew’s Riding Academy where Emily Ravenel, Charles Ravenel’s wife, taught her to ride. The new Charleston County Park will open on this property in the near future. (The other half of her allowance was spent at Bootle’s BBQ – the original one near the Ashley River Bridge).
Rollerskating was a rainy day activity – in the concrete basement of her home in Windermere.
Truluck Airport — well she remembers it from the air. Hartzog learned to fly before she learned to drive. However, the airport where she took lessons was known as Carolina Skyways and is no longer in existence.
Thank you, Molli McGowan Hartzog.
More to add? Contact Donna at westashleybook@gmail.com