Jim Bailey: A stroll through history of downtown Anderson

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February 6, 2010

Anonymous The Herald Bulletin Sat Feb 06, 2010, 04:59 PM EST

Does anyone remember when:

-- Meridian Street was three lanes wide as downtown Anderson’s primary one-way southbound thoroughfare?

-- Orange and green Indiana Railroad buses (later yellow and green) lined the block on Meridian between 10th and 11th on the half hour before dispersing to various parts of the city?

-- Main Street was one way heading north (instead of south)? And both Jackson Street and Central Avenue were two-way streets?

-- A couple times a year part of 10th Street between Meridian and Main was cordoned off for the Jonah Club fish fry?

-- Anyone parking on the downtown streets had to come prepared to feed parking meters or risk finding an envelope on your car window in which to pay an overtime parking fine? And remember that city officials rescinded overtime parking penalties during the World Series on days Carl Erskine was pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers?

-- If you were downtown and had a prescription you needed to have filled, you had your choice of at least eight or nine pharmacies? And at nearly all of them you could get a sandwich and a Coke while you were waiting for them?

-- The majority of doctors’ and dentists’ offices were located in the downtown area, many of them in the Anderson Bank or Citizens Bank (now Union) buildings?

-- The Paramount, State, Riviera and, earlier, the Times theaters drew Anderson’s moviegoers for first- and second-run movies that rarely stayed more than a few days? Adults could see a matinee for 50 cents in the 1950s at the Paramount or State, and at night the admission was only 70 cents.

-- Coca-Cola was bottled and distributed from the building at Eighth and Meridian streets that later was occupied by the Anderson Police Department?

-- You could buy a new Buick, Dodge, Chevrolet, Ford, Nash and maybe some other cars as well from dealers located in the downtown area?

-- If you wanted to do your banking you had the choice of Anderson Banking Co. at 10th and Meridian or Citizens Banking Co. at 11th and Meridian? Or finance a home or put your savings in the Anderson Loan Association (later First Savings & Loan) at 10th and Jackson or the Anderson Federal (later American Federal) Savings & Loan at 11th and Jackson? Credit union membership in those days was greatly restricted, and branch banks came along later and competing banks much later.

-- Everybody’s Oil Company’s flagship Mobilgas station was located behind St. Mary’s church and near the old Pennsylvania Railroad depot on Fletcher Street? And there were numerous other filling stations in the downtown area including Gaseteria at 14th and Jackson streets. You could get mechanical work done at nearly all of them.

-- Whenever the street was torn up for repairs or repaving, streetcar tracks could be seen under the pavement?

Jim Bailey’s reflections on Anderson’s past appear on Sunday. His regular column appears on Wednesday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey @earthlink.net.

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