Flashing Back on West Ashley Flashback

Three years ago this West Ashley Flashback column was born out of the research done for the book “West Ashley” published by Arcadia as part of their Images of America series. This series focuses on photographic history, but during the process of discovering photographs numerous stories, urban legends, and memories unfolded.
Periodically it becomes necessary to review the progress made while researching the modern history of St. Andrew’s Parish, West Ashley. “Perspective”, “Bits and Pieces”, “Questions” are some of the working titles for Flashback columns that have reviewed this progress. There have also been Flashback columns that have told a fuller story learned during the research, but there is always new tidbits surfacing as well as one-liners that are still awaiting the full story. The following items are a random collection from these previous columns in hopes that it may spark a full story from a new reader.
In several publications there are ads for dining establishments like The Sugar Bowl, Byrnes Downs Grill, or Red and Bertha’s. Frank Shine worked as a short order cook in the Byrnes Downs Grill. Where exactly were they located along Savannah Highway in the Avondale area? Were they popular hangouts? What kind of food did they serve?
J M Fields in the Ashley Plaza Mall had a soda fountain bar.
Mrs. Till ran a kindergarten out of her home at 23 Riverdale in Avondale.
Roy Hart served a lot of memorable food including ham salad sandwiches.
The Wessel family lived in the home located on the farmland that became South Windermere neighborhood and shopping center.
Michael J and Irene Tezza purchased the first home in South Windermere for $18,350.
Judge Struh served as magistrate in St. Andrew’s Parish. In one of Betty Wilson’s scrapbooks, that she lovingly made for her husband to commemorate their first wedding anniversary (paper), there was a ticket for trespassing issued to her husband in 1941 when he took her to Edgewater Park to show her the view. The ticket ordered him to appear in Judge Struh’s magistrate court. Who remembers playing on the tennis court that was located next to it?
The “Supplementary Map Showing Certain Corrections in the Original Map Known as Byrnes Downs Sub-Div. St. Andrew’s Parish Charleston County SC” from January 1944 shows Blocks A-F on the north side of Savannah Highway. This particular plat does not show either church, only homes along Savannah Highway. St. Andrew’s Boulevard is labeled the “New Highway.”
The plat prepared by The John McGrady Co. in April of 1947 labeled as Blocks A through F of Byrnes Downs illustrates the John Wesley Church site, the area owned by Emmett M. Walsh, Bishop of Charleston, and the streets on the plat have the same names that exist today in the neighborhood of Westwood. So when was the decision made to not develop this side of the highway as Byrnes Downs?
The Crull family opened Charleston Hardware Co. on Wappoo Road.
The cabins that housed the farm laborers, located along Savannah Highway on the Voorhees property (later Harrison Acres) were known as Red Row because they were painted a dull red color. Red Row was torn down in April of 1947. E. W. King, Jr farmed the land under Mr. Harrison’s ownership.
Frank Mathews was credited with “excellent photographs” in the October 1943 brochure published by the Exchange Club of St. Andrew’s Parish. Where did these photographs end up after the brochure was published?
Charles J. Ravenel was the proprietor of St. Andrew’s Riding Academy on Old Town Road according to the ad in the October 1943 brochure published by the Exchange Club of St. Andrew’s Parish. Riding lessons anyone?
There was a skating rink near Byrnes Downs that later became the site for Portaro’s restaurant and now A Taste of India serves from this site.
Who remembers Gus and Frazzie (unsure of spelling) Brown? They lived on the Voorhees property.
And when exactly did the Atlantic Coast Line (Charleston to Savannah) Railroad stop running along the track that is now the West Ashley Greenway? There are stories about prisoners of war being transported from the camp along the Ashley River to the farms to work as day laborers. Residents remember watching them disembark and march back to camp. And the stories continue with relatives who worked on the train, about kids riding the train to the end of the line near Albemarle Point, or seeing the train stop in the fields to be loaded with produce.
Who built the Truluck Airport and when did it become Air Harbor?
When did the shops along Avondale Avenue get torn down? Today only the bank building remains on that side of the road.
One liners or paragraphs? Contact Donna
at westashleybook@gmail.com.