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GREYHOUND BUS STATION
The Greyhound Bus Station on Summers Street was an icon of Charleston's past. From the Art-Deco design to the fact that at one time in our history, taking the bus was no different than grabbing an airplane flight today. I can remember the restaurant inside, along with a shoe shine area. Many people from the area traveled by bus then, before it became somewhat dirty and dangerous. I once traveled from this station to New York City in the mid 60s. I also arrived (quite by accident) at this station the day the Piedmont airliner crashed at Kanawha Airport, Aug 10th, 1968. I was supposed to have been on that plane, and told my family what time we would arrive at the airport. To make a long story short, I decided to take a Bus into Charleston at the last second simply because it was "accidentally" more convenient that day. I arrived at the station above and then walked home to where I found my family mourning my demise. I had no idea of what had happened until that minute. I've always said that you're not going anywhere until your time comes....
Our station had a Cafeteria, barber shop, and gift shop. You could get a "Shine", or just drop by to watch who was coming or going. As more people could afford cars, the ridership dwindled and "less desirables" often used the bus.
TODAY
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